Seven New Books by Thinkers Publishing reviewed by John Donaldson

The Belgian publisher Thinkers Publishing (https://thinkerspublishing.com/) has seven new books out that cover different aspects of the game and which are geared at different levels of players.

They are:

1. The Modernized Semi-Slav – Milos Pavlovic (2024, figurine algebraic, hardcover, 176 pages, list price $40)

  1. Delchev’s Practical Opening Repertoire – Volume 1 – The Scandinavian, Pirc & Modern Defenses by Aleksander Delchev (2024, figurine algebraic, hardcover, 314 pages, list price $52.95)

3. The Modernized London System by Milos Pavlovic (2024, figurine algebraic, hardcover, 264 pages, list price $52.95)

4. The Modernized Flank Attack by Christian Bauer & Pierre Laurent-Paoli (2024, figurine algebraic, 364 pages, list price $54.95)

5. Moves 3 to 10 – Understanding the Opening Phase for Improving Chess Players by Nery Strasman (2024, figurine algebraic, hardcover, 264 pages, list price) $52.95

6. Thinkers’ Chess Academy with GM Thomas Luther – Vol. 5 – 365 Steps to Tactical Mastery by Heinz Brunthaler (2024, figurine algebraic, hardcover, 264 pages, list price $44.95)

7. The Imparable Logic and Psychology in Chess by Boroljub Zlatanovic (2024, figurine algebraic, hardcover, 264 pages, list price $52.95)

One of the more advanced works in these new offerings is The Modernized Semi-Slav by the Serbian Grandmaster Milos Pavlovic. This opening book, written from Black’s perspective, provides a complete repertoire against 1.d4 d5 2.c4 using the Semi-Slav with the Meran its chief focus.

This opening can be reached via a variety of different move orders including 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 and  1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c6, but Pavlovic prefers the more combative sequence 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 which takes away the possibility of White employing the Exchange Slav to quiet the game and discourages the first player from heading for the Exchange Variation of the Queen’s Gambit as Black has not yet played …Nf6.

The price Black pays for using this move order is allowing White to play 4.e4 after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6. After 3…c6 4.e4 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bb4+ the first player has a choice. Magnus Carlsen resurrected 6.Nc3 in his 2013 World Championship with Viswanathan Anand but Pavlovic shows a clean route to equality via 6.Nc3 e5 (Anand played 6…c5) 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Qa5 9.Bd2 Nf6 10.Nf3 Nbd7 11.Be2 0–0 12.0–0 Ne4 13.Qc2 Nxd2 14.Nxd2 Nf6 15.Nf3 exd4 16.cxd4 Bg4 17.Rab1 Rad8 18.Rxb7 Bxf3 19.Bxf3 Rxd4.

More dangerous is 6.Bd2 6…Qxd4 7.Bxb4 Qxe4+ which introduces a tricky gambit named after Frank Marshall. White can play 8.Ne2 and 8.Be2, both of which are subjected to detailed analysis in this book.

The bulk of the Modernized Semi-Slav is devoted to the Meran (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5) a flexible and dynamic counter attacking system.  After a quick look at 8.Bb3 and 8.Be2, Pavlovic focuses his attention on the main lines starting with 8.Bd3 Bb7. He proposes to meet the old main line 9.e4 b4 10.Na4 c5 11.e5 Nd5 12.0-0 with 12…h6 (instead of the more popular 12…cxd4 which has more or less been worked out to a forced draw) continuing his analysis with 13.Bd2 Rc8 14.Qe2 Be7 15.Rfc1 cxd4 16.Rxc8 Qxc8 17.Rc1 Qb8 18.Bb5 a6 19.Bxd7+ Kxd7 20.Nc5+ Bxc5 21.Rxc5 Rc8 22.Qc4 Rxc5 23.Qxc5 Qc7 24.Qxd4 a5

and Black was doing fine in Norguet-Ruiz Vidal, correspondence 2015. Note how Black has no bad minor pieces which is characteristic of the Meran and one of its appealing features. Also note that Pavlovic references many correspondence games, which are the gold standard these days.

The Modernized Semi-Slav covers in depth White’s attempt to sidestep the Meran with the popular 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 as well as sidelines such as 5.Qb3, 5.Qd3 and 5.g3. This leaves only 5.Bg5 which could lead to the Moscow (5…h6), the Cambridge Springs (5…Nbd7 6.e3 Qa5) or Botvinnik (5…dxc4), all of which could be the subject of a book on their own.

Pavlovic, whose philosophy in this book is to focus primarily on the newest development, advocates for none of these lines, but instead for a Classical Queen’s Gambit Declined approach with 5…Nbd7 6.e3 Be7, a variation used by no less than Magnus Carlsen.

This was a bit of a shock to this reviewer, who like others that learned chess in the 20th century, was taught Black should not commit to an early …c6 in the Classical variation of the Queen’s Gambit. The rational for this was that after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 Nbd7 White’s most precise move was 7.Rc1, discouraging Black from playing …c5 and that 7.Qc2, possibly followed by castling queenside, should be met by 7…c5.

From this one might think that 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.e3 Be7 should be strongly met by 7.Qc2, but Pavlovic is not convinced. He continues 7…h6 8.Bh4 0-0 9.0-0-0 (“the sharpest and most direct of all lines” according to the author).

Here Black would lose a critical tempo with 9…c5 and has committed to …h6 but it turns out he has an adequate resource in 9…b5!? 10.c5 b4 11.Na4 Ne4!?. Pavlovic doesn’t mention it, but Black’s idea on 10.cxb5 is 10…c5! with excellent play for the sacrificed pawn. This idea is analogous to the variation 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.Bd2 0-0 8.0-0-0 b5!? 9.cxb5 c5.

The Modernized Semi-Slav is a useful addition to the literature on this opening and provides plenty of food for thought for those who are experienced with this opening. Newcomers to the Semi-Slav will also find this book helpful but may wish to use it in conjunction with older works on the opening as a book this size cannot fully address sidelines.

A chess player today, who had been away from the game the past decade, would be shocked by many of the changes that have occurred. One of the biggest developments has been the use of the London System by the world elite. Formerly only seen in amateur chess and the games of World Championship Challenger Gata Kamsky, the London is now a frequent visitor to top level tournaments and the subject of numerous books, the latest of which is The Modernized London System by Grandmaster Milos Pavlovic. This hefty book of around 250 pages focuses almost exclusively on positions reached after 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 (about 25 pages are devoted to 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4) so those who wish to use the London as a complete system will need to consult another work which covers 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 lines where Black does not commit to an early …d5.

The Modernized London System provides comprehensive coverage for both sides and includes plenty of prose to explain key ideas and point the student in the right direction. Pavlovic is good about pointing out the numerous transpositions that arise in the London System.

Club players looking to pick up a 1.e4 repertoire that is manageable but still packs a punch will find Delchev’s Practical Opening Repertoire – Volume 1 – The Scandinavian, Pirc & Modern Defenses by Bulgarian Grandmaster Aleksander Delchev quite helpful. This book, which is aimed primarily at players in the 1800-2300 range, is arranged around model games with plenty of explanatory prose backed up by pertinent analysis.

The Modernized Flank Attack by French Grandmasters Christian Bauer and Pierre Laurent-Paoli, examines the advance g2-g4 and its impact on modern chess in fifty extremely well-annotated games. This instructive book, which should appeal to a wide range of players from 1800 on up, can be studied as a modern middle game primer or enjoyed as a game collection.

Unlike earlier books in this review, Moves 3 to 10 – Understanding the Opening Phase for Improving Chess Players by Nery Strasman and Thinkers’ Chess Academy with GM Thomas Luther – Vol. 5 – 365 Steps to Tactical Mastery by Heinz Brunthaler are aimed at lower rated players. The former seeks to instill basic opening principles in newcomers to the game who often find the opening the most intimidating phase. It does so by presenting positions to solve from the beginning phase of the game, an approach first used by Grandmaster Larry Evans in his book What’s the Best Move a half a century ago but seldom if ever used since. Emphasis is placed on understanding, not memorization. Those pressed for study time will especially appreciate the author’s practical approach.

Thinkers’ Chess Academy with GM Thomas Luther – Vol. 5 – 365 Steps to Tactical Mastery by Heinz Brunthaler seeks to instill tactical knowledge with a rather novel approach as the author explains:

“This book helps to eliminate hours of game study and provides bite-sized lessons and tasks that you can implement each day to improve your chess game over the course of a year.  We’ve collected an array of typical positions and situations that are frequently seen on the board so that you can better anticipate common mistakes, as well as teach you how you can exploit your opponent’s mistakes.  If you make 5-10 minutes of chess study a daily habit, you will improve your chess game and your “chess brain” by opening your mind to planning and moves you wouldn’t otherwise see on the chess board.”

The Imparable Logic and Psychology in Chess by Boroljub Zlatanovic deals with a topic in chess that has not been traditionally well-covered. The author, a well-known chess pedagogue, offers a wide range of advice, but one point he makes will bring great benefit to a new generation of players introduced to the game by online play and fast time controls is: “Understanding and logic are everything you need with static positions on the board.” This observation can be translated in various ways, but one is that in many positions trying to calculate long and sharp variations is counterproductive and judgment is more important.