The Blumenfeld Gambit (Pergamon Chess Openings)

Rating:
Summary: A Bit Small
Review: Published in 1991, it only contains about 100 pages. The Blumenfeld Gambit (1.d4 Nf6, 2.c4 e6, 3.Nf3 c5, 4.d5 b5? ) stood condemned by theory, a poor and neglected relative of the popular Benko and Benoni systems. Counterplay against 5.Bg5 led by pioneers such as twice US champion Lev Alburt have achieved excellent results. A system where Black is not satisfied with a Draw...

Rating:
Summary: Excellent and unique book
Review: This book has all the enthusiasm of a "winning with..." type book, but the authors are more sincere than that. They published the book more as a "trends in...", trying to predict where the future play would be in this line. First, there is a historical chapter, which presents with astonishing clarity the main ideas that have shaped the Blumenfeld. Second is a chapter which shows many examples of the main ideas in the opening, focusing on the struggle for d5. This too is a great chapter. yes, the book is short, but it has as much susbstance as much longer books. There are no illustrative games to pad the thickness; but every page of theory shows you something important. They take you through all the main white and black efforts to alter the evaluation of this opening, and and the result is incredible instructive. In fact, this book emphasizes some psychological elements (the author is the author of the recent psych. treatise, "How to Think in Chess."), also in a very instructive way. This book istructs you on how to approach any opening, this one in particular, but it is a very valuable book that, instead of giving you a repertoire or a pat series of moves, challenges you to think about the ideas of the variation, and brings you into it to make it yours. A gem.