Rating: 
Summary: A good addition to your Chess library
Review: I purchased this book about a year ago. I have found it very useful in keeping my chess game sound and up to date. I was particularly pleased with the analysis of the Benko Gambit, inasmuch as my previous books had not addressed that tactic. The book contains analyses of other recent developments, as well.With reference to more traditional openings and defenses, the book does not measure up to Horowitz: Chess Openings: Theory and Practice, so far as I am concerned. The variations of each opening, as well as theit nuances and theories, are simply not as thoroughly explored and explained. This book is a good work for the serious player, but I would obtain and read Horowitz' book first.
Rating: 
Summary: An Education
Review: I'm an intermediate chess player. Up until receiving this book as a gift I never really studied deep chess strategy. This book is absolutely amazing. The notations are initially dense. But, if you actually take out your board and diagram the opening sequences your game can improve dramatically, and quickly. Within a month of study I have a handle on many of the openings, and have found explanations concerning why certain sequences work, and others don't. Within a few practices many basic openings can be mastered, and the larger strategies behind the moves understood. This book is great for all players, but espeicially those looking not only for an education in strategy, but in the history of the game itself. This is a book you will use throughout your chess playing days. One gripe, but it's minor. I wish more historical context could be provided regarding the sequences, just for trivia's sake.
Rating:
Summary: Great one volume opening text
Review: If you are in need of a one volume book that covers in a fair amount of detail the most important opening lines then "Modern Chess Openings" is highly recommended. This book doesn't explain the ideas behind the moves. If you want to know the ideas behind the moves either get "Ideas behind the chess openings" or the "Chess For Juniors" book followed by "Unbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors" together, depending on your level.
Nick de Firmian had done a great job in updating Modern Chess Openings, which has had many editions date back almost 100 years!
Rating:
Summary: Great one volume work on the opening
Review: If you are looking for a one volume book that gives you reasonably accurate coverage of almost every opening look no further!
This book, which has gone through many editions and many fine authors is still today one of the important books you should own in your library.
Hopefully soon, MC0-15 will be released!
Rating:
Summary: Additional flaws
Review: MCO is good ... better than most opening books.
(And easier to use, from what my students tell me.) You occasionally get discussion about the general themes at the beginning of a section. You also - again, occasionally - get whole games to analyze.
But it is not free from errors, in fact ... it would be unrealistic to expect to see a work this large contain no errors at all. Some sections leave out move pairs, repeat moves, or have a line that I simply cannot follow. And some things - - - a good editor should have caught. For example on page 242-243, there is a {general} discussion of the Sicilian. Then the author directs you to the individual sections for further guidance. But they left something out. Unless you enjoy thumbing endlessly through the book, you should probably make a note of the following on page # 243 ...
{Section} One, The Najdorf Sicilian begins on page # 244.
{Section} Two, The Dragon Variation, begins on page # 267.
{Section} Three, Scheveningen - this begins on page # 287.
{Section} Four, Systems with ...e6: begins on page # 300.
{Section} Five, The Classical Sicilian, begins on page # 317.
{Section} Six (#6), Sveshnikov and Kalishnikov Sicilians, (...Nc6 & early ...e5); begins on page # 336.
{Section} Seven, Non-Open Sicilians; this begins on page # 344. Of course my copy is a hard-back ... if yours is a paper-back - - - the page numbering might be different. (I don't think so, but it is possible.)
Rating:
Summary: A Great Choice For Most Non-Masters
Review: More is not necessarily better - if you feel that your level of chess expertise requires that you have every plausible variation "packed" into one volume - go with Nunn's Chess Openings. Having more "white space" does not make MC0-14 a less serious work - just one with different priorities. The GMs who co-wrote MC0-14 did a thorough job - AND included words! I find it a valuable middlegame guide when MCO-14 evaluates a variation with text ("White is slightly better due to the two bishops and active pieces") rather than simply NCO's brief +/=. Masters and above need no verbal evaluations, the rest of us (I'm only rated 1820 U.S.C.F. myself) need more help in the clinches.
Rating:
Summary: Almost everything you need to know.....
Review: OK, ok, ok. You have read my review of "Nunn's Chess Openings." (IF not, you should probably go and read that first, because much of what I said there --- especially in the "warning" part; applies here.) Then why I am bothering to review or recommend this book? The answer is simple. I teach chess for a living. And my students give me a great deal of very valuable feedback. For instance I recently attended the FL State Chess Championships in Orlando. Many people came up to me and said stuff like, "I have read your reviews on Amazon and ..." The bottom line? The average player is probably below a 1600 (rating) and has a very limited knowledge of chess. Their libraries are often small, 5-10 books - if that many. And they need as much help as possible. If you are like me and want "Just the Facts," (& like Sgt. Friday!); then you will probably prefer Nunn's book. But do you have my background in chess theory? Do you bring a USCF Life-Master's understanding of the game with you? Do you have over 20 years of tournament experience? Have you played 50,000 games of chess on the Internet? No? Then you may want to get GM DeFirmian's book. (Please understand ... this is NOT a put-down or an ego trip!! I am just trying to communicate - in the strongest possible terms - what the majority of the players I have spoken to and what my students' have communicated to me.) And if you like an occaisional explanation, and would like the lines summarized, (and even a recommendation once in a while); then MCO is the book for you. (If you live near a good size bookstore, check them both out and decide for yourself!) My friend GM DeFirmian (and an excellent team of writers), has probably spent more time on this book than 10 or 20 authors have spent on their works. Walter Korn has always done a competent job of assisting in the editing. The nice thing about MCO-14, as compared to the last edition of MCO; is that 75-90% of the games quoted are now of the latest vintage. (The last two editions of MCO are also sitting on my bookshelf.) I have spent many, many hours in this book. I am working on a Grunfeld Repertoire (ChessBase format) based primarily on MC0-14. It is no exagerration when I say I have spent close to 150 hours using this book. (Maybe a lot more!!) My students and contacts in chess prefer it over NCO like 3 to 1. I still like NCO better!! But this is also a good book. (If not for just a few typo's and some other minor ticks, I would have given it 5 stars. But good or bad - I am a perfectionist. And bear in mind, I have found a couple of errors [but a lot fewer!] in NCO too!) If you are around 1800, you would probably be happier - in the long run - with "Nunn's Chess Opening's." But if you are relatively inexperienced and fall into the category of 1650 or less; then honestly you might do better with MCO. Or buy both and compare!! Also, one more piece of advice. If you are going to use this book a lot, do what I did and order the Hard-Back version!! For the few dollars more, you get a book that should stand up to years of heavy use.
Rating:
Summary: Useful, Interesting, Authoritative Reference For All Players
Review: Presumably you already know that DeFirmian and his co-authors are talented, well respected, International Grandmasters expert in their particular openings, and that MCO-14 is filled with cutting edge, theoretically current opening analysis. I'm no grandmaster, master, or even candidate master, so I will not dare to evaluate any particular line for holes in their variations. I will say that for a class A player, like myself, or below, MCO-14 is far more useful, than say, Nunn's Chess Openings for the following reasons: 1) More (and better) verbal descriptions of the openings. The one page intros make one want to take out the chessboard and play an opening. 2) Prose evaluations of the variations explaining why a player is better or worse, or why a position is unclear. NCO uses only symbols. Which is good if you're some hotshot international player who lives or dies on some obscure variation of the Sicilian Defence, or whatever. 3) Easier look up of openings. MCO-14 organizes the openings under double king pawn, double queen pawn, etc. and gives the inital moves. This is very helpful if you don't know an opening's name or ECO code (or even what an ECO code is). NCO arranges by opening name, and in ECO order (although there is an index, none that great, in the back). They are both great books but for the above reasons, you might consider MCO-14 first.
Rating:
Summary: The Bible of Chess
Review: The MCO series is not for the faint-hearted. First and foremost, it's NOT for reading, it's a reference. It's also a gigantic tome, exhaustive, and brutally dense in material. It is, however, absolutely essential for someone who asks: "What's wrong with that move?" MCO-14 analyzes every possible move from every possible line of every possible opening to give the reader a way to track down any possible mistake anyone has ever made. DO NOT buy this book if you haven't played much chess. DO NOT buy it if your chess is poor and you're looking for improvement. However, if you've reached the point of asking "Why?" when reviewing a game, if your chess is strong and you want to make it stronger, MCO-14 is absolutely essential.
Rating: 
Summary: There are better one-volume books on the market
Review: There are two rivals to MCO-14 that I can think of offhand: Nunn's Chess Openings and the Small Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (pub. by Chess Informant). I think both have the edge over MCO-14. Though NCO has two hundred pages less than MCO, it provides more coverage, simply because there's less white space. Three GMs and one FM (Burgess) have pooled their efforts; all have have a reputation as good chess authors. The lines given are absolutely main-line. In fact, whenever I'm learning a new opening, NCO is my first port of call, since it gives the crucial, essential lines. The lines have all been computer checked. I don't think MCO can compare. The Small Encyclopedia also gives only essential lines and is not bad, but in my humble opinion is probably not as good as NCO. For those wanting words, might I suggest Kallai's 'Basic Chess Openings' and 'More Basic Chess Openings'? The only advantage of MCO is that the abundance of white space makes the text more readable. NCO has attempted to pack the maximum amount of information in its 500+ pages
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