The Life and Games of D.Velimirovic: Volume 1 by George Mohr & Ana Velimirovic-Zorica (Velimirovic’s daughter) is a treasure of exciting games and new information on the ‘forgotten genius’ sometimes known as ‘Mr. f5’ (due, of course, to the number of knight sacrifices he made on that particular square).
There are sparkling games from the period 1958-1975; volume two will obviously bring Velimirovic’s story to its conclusion.
One part of the index is devoted to ‘Typical Sacrifices’ which should be enough to tell the reader exactly what sort of games to expect, not just in the subject’s favorite anti-Sicilian variation, but also, for example, in the King’s Indian and Benoni defenses. Even Leonid Stein, one of the Soviet Union’s strongest players at the time, could not survive going toe-to-toe in the Velimirovic Variation.
Both of the above games are given the full analytical treatment in the book, of course – alongside a detailed story of Velimirovic’s life, complete with rare
photographs. Oh, yes; there is definitely a lot more to his story than 8.Qe2 and 9.0-0-0 and this fine book deserves to reach a wide audience, even if just for
the sheer entertainment value on offer.
Sean Marsh, Spring 2024 Forward Ches
