Ideas Behind the Modern Chess Openings

Rating:
Summary: misleading title and misleding ideas
Review: After (1) d4 - d5, (2) Nf3, that is the basic London set up, the author fails to mention a single word about some very often seen black replyes such as (2) c5, Bf5 or even Bg4!

Just for the record in the "Opening for White According to Kramnik" by the top GM Khalifman there are more than 100 pages of analyses regarding the black's second move replies mentioned above.

Gary Lane does not play the London System and has no idea how to handle this opening. If you are in doubt just check your database.

This is just another easy book with the only purpose of making money for the author.

The title of the book has nothing to do with the classic book written by Fine.

This is NOT a complete repertoire book for chessplayers wishing to start their game whith "d4".

The lines mentioned in the book are not complete and have a lot of flaws.

Finally please note that the back cover statement that "a repertoire easy-to-learn based on Gary Kasparov's favorite move 1 d4" is 100% false.

Kasparov favorite move has been "e4" and not "d4" for the last 15 years.

Kasparov has not played the London more than 2 times in his whole carear.

Thus do not foull yourself with this awful book.

Rating:
Summary: An Old Opening with New Ideas
Review: First of all the title of the book has caused much debate. It is now well known it was the publisher who decided to use the 50 year old title of Fine's book. A mistake to use the classics but hardly the author's fault. The soul of the openings are above average for me because I can learn the main one-the London System- fairly quickly. I train kids at school and the idea of easy development appeals to all ages.
A good effort and worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: An Old Opening with New Ideas
Review: If you start with 1 d4 then this book has plenty of ideas to help you to win. The backbone of the openings that Lane wants everyone to play is the London System. This has never struck me as being particularly aggressive but it is perfect to make sure that White enters the middlegame with no fear of falling into a trap. The London System is no good against every opening and the author is honest enough to admit this rather than give a game which just happens to demolish the Dutch or something! I have found that how to deal with the side-lines such as the Clarendon Court are very useful. In the main lines the easy to follow guide in the Benoni and the Dutch are well worth a look.
Basically, I have improved my openings as a result of this book and that really is the true test.

Rating:
Summary: NICE IDEAS BUT DISAPPOINTED
Review: This book has some decent attacking ideas, note -if your opponent is a novice and does not know how to develop his pieces or play defense-. It is a typical, one trick book. It starts off with a couple of games in which white creams the opponent. Then it goes into the london system for a chapter. Then the rest of the book is a mystery. It is kinda thrown together?? With the following chapters, each one gives a paragraph or two on an opening ex. kings indian defense, benoni, anti-benko, then it explores a game, then it describes how you can use the london system.. In a few of the chapters, the author admits that you cannot even use the london system. And he goes into a completely different opening..I was disappointed. Mr. lane has done better. It doesn't explore all the openings and give insights and ideas behind them. This book is more of a 'system book' geared towards one system....It is nothing like fine's book where he covers all openings and gives ideas and suggestions about the openings. But, if you are a Gary lane follower, then you may decide to keep it. Otherwise, try MCO,ECO, or any true opening book.

Rating:
Summary: The Modern Chess Openings? Please...
Review: This is a repertoire book with something against most of the things you might meet after 1.d4. The lines are superficially explained and analysed, and do not often give white chances of an opening advantage. There are some useful lines here, but you can find better repertoire books anywhere easily.

The title is stolen from Fine's "Ideas behind the Chess Openings", and it is a ploy from the publisher to get more sales. The London system, which this book is based on, is not a modern opening, so the title could not be more misleading. I am sure the author had nothing to do with naming the book.

Rating:
Summary: How to Play 1 d4
Review: This is not exactly similar to Fine's Ideas Behind the Chess Openings, as the title might suggest. It's not a modern version, and it's a bit more complicated than just basic ideas.

This is more like a repertoire book in that it has sometimes deep lines of annotation for variations of an opening, and I normally advocate against studying repertoire books. However, if you absolutely must have an opening repertoire as White, you could do worse than the London System, which is a large part of what this book teaches. (Usually, 1.d4 ... 2.Nf3 ... 3.Bf4)

Strictly speaking, this is a "system", not a repertoire, since the idea is to develop your pieces into a typical structure largely independent of what Black does. You can play nearly the same move order, with nearly the same basic plans for almost any response by Black, and you will have attacking chances on the kingside.

Other systems are the Colle System, the Barcza Opening (explained in Seirawan's Winning Chess Openings), and Purdy's System in his 24 Hour Opening Repertoire book.

1.d4? Hmmm. I think it makes more sense to stick to open games (1.e4) while you're learning tactics below master level. If you want cheap, occasional victories, try gambits. But a system can be useful if you want a chance to reach the middlegame against stronger players. (You'll still lose, but the game will SEEM even for longer.)

If you think you want to learn the London System, I suggest that you start with Saddler's Tips for Young Players (not really for young players at all!) where he demonstrates the London System with a thorough explanation of all his moves in a single game, in a way which early intermediate players can comprehend. Then tackle this book if you're still interested.

Still, this book does a good job of explaining the goals and strategies behind many modern openings which are common in club play. If you follow one of the basic systems described here (including the Barry Attack and others) you won't have to memorize moves in order to have a decent game against such modern defenses as the Grunfeld, King's Indian Defence, Nimzo-Indian Defence, Dutch, Benoni, etc.

Or, you could play 1.e4 and study tactics instead of openings...

Rating:
Summary: Very enjoyable repertoire book
Review: Yes, the title is misleading. So what! Chess Fundamentals by Capablanca has a misleading title too, but is considered a classic. I feel that every review here has entirely missed the boat on this book. This book aims right at the masses of intermediate players, who are always searching for an opening repertoire. Do you like Summerscale's book, "A Killer Opening Repertoire"? Then you just may really love this one. This one has mych more textutal explanations, far more games referenced in the notes, and overall, a better repertoire, IMHO. The repertoires are similar, but I like the London System recommeded by Lane more than Summerscale's Colle-Zukertort, and I like the London against the King's Indian more than Summerscale's Barry Attack. There is a chapter on the Barry here too. Let me something about reviews of chess books. It seems that the more specialized and highly rated the target audince, the better the review for a chess book. There are not many reviews out there for books like this one, Summerscale's, or The System by Berliner that really apply to the masses of non-professional players out there. I love all three of those books, with this one by Lane the most valuable of the three, to me. This is a great book, that you can stick with for years, gradually adding the products of your outside study to its content and guidance. I am not saying the book is perfect; but that it is an excellent and enjoyable companion for the masses of intermediate players looking for a book that speaks to them, that instructs themn, and gives them a sound,solid repertoire that will avoid masses of theory for which black maay be better prepared than you. Highly recommended, especially for the six dollar price at which I found it here used.

Rating:
Summary: Very enjoyable repertoire book
Review: Yes, the title is misleading. So what! Chess Fundamentals by Capablanca has a misleading title too, but is considered a classic. I feel that every review here has entirely missed the boat on this book. This book aims right at the masses of intermediate players, who are always searching for an opening repertoire. Do you like Summerscale's book, "A Killer Opening Repertoire"? Then you just may really love this one. This one has mych more textutal explanations, far more games referenced in the notes, and overall, a better repertoire, IMHO. The repertoires are similar, but I like the London System recommeded by Lane more than Summerscale's Colle-Zukertort, and I like the London against the King's Indian more than Summerscale's Barry Attack. There is a chapter on the Barry here too. Let me something about reviews of chess books. It seems that the more specialized and highly rated the target audince, the better the review for a chess book. There are not many reviews out there for books like this one, Summerscale's, or The System by Berliner that really apply to the masses of non-professional players out there. I love all three of those books, with this one by Lane the most valuable of the three, to me. This is a great book, that you can stick with for years, gradually adding the products of your outside study to its content and guidance. I am not saying the book is perfect; but that it is an excellent and enjoyable companion for the masses of intermediate players looking for a book that speaks to them, that instructs themn, and gives them a sound,solid repertoire that will avoid masses of theory for which black maay be better prepared than you. Highly recommended, especially for the six dollar price at which I found it here used.