222 Opening Traps After 1.d4 (Opening Traps Series)

Hello, gentle block-and-tacklers! I'd bet if you are searching here then likely you are trying to find winning trapsand decisive mistakes that happen early in the d4 openings (like Pandolfini does for 1. e4 in his great referencebooks, Traps and Zaps). You will be 50% disappointed! About 50% of these 222 d4 short games are expertmistakes that lead to bad positions. A few times these go out to over 30 unannotated moves. A practical BUT!!!It could be a favorite (interesting) d4 book because the authors point out both traps and very typical mistakes! (still finishing repertoire-- two moves each side, 3 replies each -- 81 variations ----> For two months as a hobby I read forums, reviews, and googled "chess repertoires." ----> This review looks at fundamentals, for 1.d4 tactics, defenses, and strategy.I kept notes and figured a little research on the 1.d4 openings could save hours of time and frustration -- Especiallysince websites and top players say "study Alekhine! and Nimzowitsch!", two of the most difficult players in history.True, some famous and dedicated players started this way, like Petrosian, while maybe more players quit the game.Petrosian also studied Art of Sacrifice (by Spielmann). Petrosian also kicked opponents in their shins. Nimzowitschliked to yell out "Idiots!" After losing a game the Led Zeppelin guy, Alekhine, wrecked the hotel rooms. But, hedidn't likewise ride a Harley motorcycle down the hotel hallway! Famous players are often difficult to understand,one older and wiser reviewer wrote "I lost a lot of time to study Fischer because everybody owned his book."In many more words, Kislik wrote the same in Applying Logic In Chess -- "the glamour of imitating a genius."One author of 222 Traps, Muller, recently modernized Spielmann's book about sacrifices for strategic advantage.Position/strategy are called "heuristics", it is a way to look ahead for advantages without using exact calculations.Basically, position is pawn and piece maneuvers, to be faster than an opponent. It can lead to immediate tactics, ora longer "strategy" -- an exchange sacrifice to get connected passed pawns. Why not use strategy for a study plan!Look at Ward's Play the Queen's Gambit (excellent White positional strategy) and at 222 d4 Traps, for all Black'sdefenses, to decide if the 1.d4, 2.c4 opening for White is what you want to study. This is why 222 is excellent!To be complete for 1.d4 traps, 200 Modern Chess Traps in the Fianchetto Openings, by J. Howson (P-Q4 notation).Another great book is G. Burgess, Quickest Chess Victories (13-move games) 2,000 traps, a superb index. I mentionthis because the reference books Modern Chess Openings, or Nunn's Openings, or Kallai, are mostly long equalizedlines. The typical complaint is those equalized listings of moves rarely show the sharpest lines. However, classicTartakower's 500 Master Games (P-K4, P-Q4) has annotated sharp games, arranged by sharp opening variations! ----> Great European players of the past studied each other's games/analysis, and they fiercely debated principles. ----> Spielmann couldn't figure out Alekhine's ability to set up an attack, and Alekhine was baffled by Capablanca.Lars Hansen's Improve Your Chess (!) is historic to modern strategy. Sterren's Fundamental Chess Openings(440 pg.)explains historic to modern opening positions. D. Heisman's Elements of Positional Evaluation (!), 4th Ed. (typos),expands Power of Pawns, by J. Hickl. A "secret" about many books - focus on main ideas, glance at heavy analysis.The level of a reader for 222 d4 Traps should enjoy Nunn's Understanding Chess Move-by-Move. Also, Reinfeld'stactics in the classic "1001" -- but, a few go beyond experts. Excellent is Susan Polgar's Tactics for Champions, all3-to-4 move exercises. 1001 and Polgar explain 15 kinds of tactics (interference, back ranks, overload, queening).Couture's Progressive Tactics starts out easy, Brennan's Tactics Time is all 2-to-3 moves (neither has instruction).These "easy" books are the very best for fast recognition of possible variations!Difficult is R. Cheng's Practical Exercises (no instruction). Advanced instruction is Neishtadt's Improve Your Tactics.None fully explain attack/defender counting, piece value in an exchange sequence, with a counter-attack sequence.Most players learn it by self-study. But, Reinfeld did point out how masters look first at defense, second at gaining positional advantage (stepwise pawn advances and coordinated maneuvers), third, maybe at brilliant attacks.One point that needs to be emphasized is getting an early wrong idea of what the chess principles are all about.Chernev's Logical Chess Move-by-Move was unusual for him, he totally over-simplified (better novice books are atthe end of this review). Logical Chess made "master games" look like one-move ideas, instead a game is a plannedchoice of moves -- Much better is Seirawan's Winning Brilliancies (move-by-move ,12 master games, 7 are 1.d4) !!! ---> The original "move-by-move" was Reinfeld's New Approach to Chess Mastery. INTRO ANALYSIS, CANDIDATE ---> MOVES, eight progressive lessons in traps and position, Berlin Ruy Lopez, Pirc, King's Indian, Queen's Indian, ---> Queen's Gambit. Each short game has hard questions. Then, each game is analyzed (a few obvious errors).Likewise, I'd bet the sharp 222 d4 Traps has only one review because tourney and chat-room players kept it quiet!Another (likely kept quiet) is Johnson's Formation Attacks --900 diagram attacks against specific pawn formations.Most important now, to quote Reinfeld "... instead of brilliant attacks, more chess games are won by position", see Michael Stean's positions in Simple Chess (36 games, 160 pg.!) ".... and by awareness of the traps, and by reliableopenings." Note --- The important 1.d4 book (maybe too quiet) is Edmar Mednis' Strategic Chess in Closed Games.It's lessons from a pro coach, with reliable strategy and hard tactics of 1.d4 2.c4 explained with full game concepts.Not as difficult as it looks! Mednis put in variations for experts while explaining each game for other amateurs.Cox' Starting Out 1.d4 (2.c4) is less intense in variations with medium explanations. Basically, "closed games" areWhite plays 1.d4 2.c4., or 1.c4. But, Russian writers call only the Queen's Gambit "closed", others "semi-closed."A "repertoire" is an important concept, it means for all the many openings, a person focuses to study on only a few."Theory" is a known long series of moves to build up position, "sharp" means lines where it's easy to make mistakes.Before getting lost in Watson's heavy theory, Strategic White Repertoire (no games), get the instruction in Mednis!Next level is Kallai's concisely annotated advanced openings. Next level is Romero's Ultimate Chess Strategy, 90closed games 1.c4, and 1.d4, 2.c4 --- The candidate moves combine two to three strategic elements with high-leveltactics, not single "themes". It has games of Karpov, Kasparov, and recent top players -- recommended by Topalovfor serious amateurs and even masters! It is a powerful rare book, it stays focused on high-level combined themes. Several players instead study the Queen Pawn Openings (1.d4 without 2. c4), in Rudel's "Zuke'Em" and Palliser's D-Pawn Attacks! Great books to avoid many Black defenses, but the authors don't teach high-level chess thinking. --> Practice the ability, up to five moves, to visualize lines and diagonals opened and closed --- advice by GM Soltis. --> Set up a chess position, make three moves for each side, then study that new position for king safety, attacks, --> pawn structure, open files, diagonals. Reset back three moves and practice to "see ahead" the studied position. --> For the advanced players, Soltis details "counting out", "rechecking", "tree search" in Inner Game of Chess.222 Traps is focused on opening tactics. It's not usually easy. There is a named highlighted theme for eachgame. (I might be the only amateur review because there is some extra sideline analysis obviously not useful.)The main traps are in bold print and the easier sidelines are noted. Then, (30%) are deeper in variation tactics.There is a clear diagram for each game. It has traps from expert to GM level. It has explanations of mistakes.Each of the twelve Openings Sections has a tactic overview, then specific lines (Nimzo, Queen's Indian, Catalan,Grunfeld, King's Indian, Benoni, Trompowsky, Queen's Gambit, Dutch, Tango, more). It packs a lot in 150 oversizedpages! It uses only a few notes to database games, clear advantage or resign is noted. It has some very shortand decisive traps. However, as the authors said, they are not going to repeat all of the classic d4 traps. (Theyrefer to Znosko-Borovsky "Traps on the Chessboard", Gelenczei "200 Opening Traps", these are in German or rare.) ----> First came the dinosaurs, then, the little pieces blocking, tackling, and sacking --- Without a helmet !So, maybe instead of rare books get Chernev's Winning Chess Traps, 1.e4 and classic 1.d4 traps,15-move games.Chernev's book (uses P-Q4) has 90 games for d4 tactics (like Cambridge Springs traps --- Try google CS traps.)222 d4 Traps is different than Kalinichenko's 700 Ambushes (20 move games, not traps), 222 has some muchlonger games. Note --- Both Chernev, and Knaak and Muller, include as "traps" typical and reasonable lookingmoves that are very often played, but if the opponent recognizes it, are actually blunders. 222 gives statistics.(I did notice a few times, double checked with Stockfish, that 222 might exaggerate a "winning" advantage.)222 has top-quality printing and binding. Advanced players might find lines that repertoire books left out!For example, in basic moves (Queen's Gambit) 1. d4 d5, 2. c4 e6, 3. Nc3 Nf6, 4. cxd5 exd5, 5. Bg5 c6 (!), 6. e3 (?).I specifically found in 222 Traps this line in the Queen's Gambit Exchange that's not in Cox' Starting Out 1.d4,not in Kallai's More Basic Chess Openings, incomplete in Watson's Strategic White Repertoire. Basically, whenBlack plays an early c6 after e6, White should immediately consider Qc2 (not e3) because Black can gain a tempoby 6....Qb6 attacking White's b2 pawn. 222 shows the old line (White's Bg5, e3, then 7. BxNf6) is 90% refuted!I found online at 365chess.com the game Sokolov (2600) v. Ivanchuk (2700) (Hoogoven 1999). Only a strongplayer of White can keep a winning percentage after allowing Black to play 7...Qxb2, 8. Qc1, followed by 8...Ba3!(Alt. is 7. Qd2.) ---The trap with maybe 7. Qc2(?) right after Black's Qb6 is a knight exchange on e4. Then, twothreats (Qa5+, Bb4+). A standard 9. Nge2 can't stop both threats, the unguarded white bishop (g5) is exposed toBlack's Qa5 check. Stockfish calculates 9. castle queenside, a2 is left unprotected, then block 9...Qa5 with 10. d5!It's expert technique (White delays Qxe4+)! 222 shows White more clearly in trouble (early Bg5, e3?) in the NimzoIndian. Then, one author (Knaak) shows his centralized rooks against the Nimzo. Black made "okay" moves... Bam!(222 is useful for database study because the sharp d4 lines will get averaged out in database total percentages.) ----> GM Nigel Short once said, "You can play one game at a time" --- the "trap" of too many ideas -----Consider that "trap", there are too many 1.d4 strategies, defenses, and techniques. Is it possible to simplify? Yes!For Black to play 1... d5, highly rated is Ntirlis "1.d4 d5" (theory, 1...d5 against QG, London, Colle, Torre, 1.Nf3.)Simpler is the King's Indian Defense (by Bellin, or Gallagher) or Dutch by Simon Williams. Against 1.e4 see Williams'Attacking with the French. For an aggressive plan against 1.d4 and 1.c4, yes, champion Aveskulov's "Attack withBlack" (Benko, lines against London, Colle), high rating, practical, but gets obscure in side variations. (Somewherein there I also noticed history, hope the homeless, the great Steinitz, chess coach Lombardy, Fischer, Alekhine.)Wife, work, kids! The simplest White repertoire is the King's Indian Attack (J. Emms or N. McDonald) and MyFirst Repertoire for Black, by V. Moret (Center Counter Game, Stonewall Defense, it's solid and it fits with KIA).That kind of repertoire leaves time to gradually study the classical 1.d4 d5 openings. (Also, 1.e4 e5 --- StartingOut Open Games, by Flear, everything except Ruy Lopez --- Note, Chernev has many short Ruy games and traps.Semi-Open games are 1.e4 then Caro-Kann, French Defense, various Sicilians, in McDonald's Starting Out 1.e4 forWhite. If a person doesn't like his recommended Scotch for 1...e5, the Bishop/Italian is in Emms' Beating 1....e5.Lokander has Open Games for Black, it looks incomplete for Bishop Opening Urusov Gambit (see Flear, Pandolfini).One reviewer notes how White can play a closed Sicilian (KIA with 2.Nc3), exchange Caro-Kann, exchange French,to avoid Black's preparation, and the Bishop Game can stop Black's Petroff Defense. I note this for novices guessing1.e4, or 1.e4 e5, is easier than the King's Indian Attack, with KID and French, or with Moret when Black. It's not.)There is the Colle Zuckertort (Bb2) "Zuke" by David Rudel, or Palliser's D-Pawn Attacks (Colle Zukertort, London).These rediscovered Queen Pawn Openings are a result of too many Black defensive lines against White's 1.d4, 2.c4.Basically, Colle works against Black's 1...d5 when no kingside fianchetto. If Black plays a fianchetto, use London Bf4.Cox' "D4-Deviations" has Black lines 1...d5 against the Colle, London, Veresov (2.Nc3 3.Bg5), Trompowsky (2.Bg5).For a classical White player of 1.d4, 2.c4 there is G. Burgess' Beating Indian Defenses, but it's recently getting rare.(Also for White there is Vigorito's Challenging the Nimzo Indian.) To summarize, against 1.d4, 2.c4, a classicalBlack repertoire 1...d5 with excellent Black strategy is Sadler's Queen's Gambit (Tartakower Bb7), Cox against theLondon-Veresov-Colle, French against 1.e4. against English 1.c4 see Ntirlis, or use KID, or a French setup, or 1...e5.But, notice for Black's 1...d5 in the Queen's Gambit, a lot of study for Sadler's longer lines is seldom used if Whiteplays a quick Exchange Variation. (Likewise in 1.e4 e5 when Black studies long lines of Ruy Lopez, so, try Petroff.)So, it's practical to also know the quick Tarrasch Counterattack against the Queen's Gambit (in Ward, others). ---> The cafeteria is going to close in fifteen minutes. Excuse me, do you want a draw?Instead of 1... d5, try the King's Indian Defense, French for 1.e4, and as White the Colle-London. (Pirc or the DragonSicilian is a Black fianchetto against 1.e4 --- The Dragon is tricky and can be very sharp, the Pirc takes study time.)A problem with King's Indian books (and Grunfeld) is these almost always leave out the Trompowsy, Veresov, Colle,London, Torre, showing only classical lines, 1.d4 2.c4. So, Dembo's Fighting Anti-King's Indians is necessary! Finally,there is an almost complete Black repertoire, Opening Repertoire c6, by Lakdawala (Intro, then intense analysis).Easier is Wisnewski's "1..Nc6", a few tricky lines. "1...d6" by Lakdawala is mostly theory, or a queen exchange. Also,a White repertoire (1.d4, 2.Nc3, 3.Bg5) is the Veresov "Ferocious" by Lakdawala, it has to be played exactly!Here is a "secret" -- in 1960s there was Horowitz' Theory and Practice (800 pg.), explained openings, then listedunexplained games. Average players tried Chernev's Most Instructive Games, serious players studied Nimzowitsch.Apology, Chernev fans, the serious players have a practical advantage in fast control of files and pawn structurefor endgames. Today, "repertoire" books can include GM database lines that might not be memorable, or practical,or only give a slight advantage. The "internet book stores" have amazing variety, but like before, it can be baffling!(Chernev is a good book for outposts, rooks and pawn battles, JUJITSU !! - Chernev's own term for attacking notonly at the base of a pawn chain, but also at its defender linked to a second defense weakness, as in Petrosian'sexample game. But, Chernev's book has no instruction for openings, pawn structures, or positional evaluation.)An opinion! Chess books don't often point out a principle of piece formations, to "overprotect" to stay flexible.I've seen strong players at Starbucks always use a formation, like Colle-Catalan (Bg2), Dutch, Tartakower's Defenseto Queen's Gambit, Pirc/King's Indian. They don't seem to play specific variations, they instead build up a specificformation first. I suggest Howson's Fianchetto Traps, maybe also Fianchetto Solution by Shoker, for this flexibility. ---> In the last ten years, with computerized tactical analysis, the practical player needs a plan to study strategyStrategy books are "toolbox" practice for long-range tactical plans, like open files, space, restriction, and outposts.McDonald has "Giants of Strategy" (256 pg.), Grooten "Club Strategy" (450 pg.), Bronznik "Techniques" (240 pg.),Oudeweetering has "Improve Your Chess Patterns" (272 pg.) --- total 1,200 pg. Gentle sit-ups can ease lower backstrain! Guliev's "Test Your Chess Skills", is totally different -- it has only evaluation exercises! To complete a chesscrossword puzzle you can't keep reading a dictionary (endless "toolbox" games). I hesitated to mention Silman's"Reassess" (650 pg.), like Nimzowitsch the elements get lost in a GM forest without expert intro by Stean (160 pg.).Guliev's 240 positions go far beyond tactics, answers are detailed for instructive thinking of winning, losing, equal!For the expert/master there is Bricard's Strategic Chess Exercises, also Judit Polgar's instructive three volumes, andHertan's Strike Like Judit!, tactics at top level. Then, beyond almost any belief, is Shirov's own Fire on Board, hisintense over-the-board thinking! "An opinion", Internet Chess Club, ICC, a practical high level is Ultimate Strategy.For the club endgame, there is de la villa, or heavy Engqvist 300 Most Important Chess Positions. For advancedplayers, there is recent Hellsten's Mastering Endgame Strategy(!). For an insider's interest, recent Timman's Titans.The shared author of 222, Muller, has written a totally mistitled "Chess Endgames for Kids." It's actually superb andconcise for novice/teen/adult players. An actual book for young children is Batsford Chess for Children, Chevannes.An adult needs to help out for learning chess, don't go too fast, show how pieces move like maybe a football game.Chandler's Chess for Children has moves by arrow diagrams, then, seventeen easy tests. Chevannes is a story book,it starts out "coordinate is the row 4 at column G" to name the chess squares, then it's all very easy in a read along.Note --- Click "See All Reviews", critical, S. Polgar has mistakes, some books are not good on Kindle (Chevannes).If a totally new person just wants to learn and enjoy basics in chess, there is Seirawan's Play Winning Chess (reprinthas early typo, correct is "ranks are rows", "files are columns"). Then, Chandler's mistitled "Beat Your Dad" and his"Tactics for Children" (the first is superb 50 basic checkmates, all in step-by-step instruction, and the second showssuperbly 50 tactical ideas). Then, Discovering Chess Openings by John Emms (!). A. Gillam's tactic book, Your FirstChess Games, is now rare. Instead, R. Snyder's Winning Chess Traps (covers all openings, each is a move-by-movetactical game, all explained), followed by Todd Bardwick's Chess Strategy Workbook - A Blueprint (not too easy,not too hard). The excellent book, 222 d4 Traps, is more advanced --- with a little serious study it's very interesting.Its 222 diagrams show both a clear and complete picture of the 1.d4, 2.c4 opening and defenses !

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