My e4 playing opponents rated below 2150 are more likely to play non-Ruy e4 systems (eg KG, Italian, Evans, Vienna, Scotch, Danish) or the Ruy Exchange variation. This is the kind of pragmatic opening decision, taken by people with jobs, family demands and limited availability of study time. I often encounter trappy specialties (Belgrade, Urusov, Vienna Gambit, Scotch Gambit, Evans). The coverage in NCO/MCO, brief references in Kaufman or Davies do not have sufficent details and understanding to adequately handle junk or the mainlines. Also, White has a lot of complicated variations available with clever transpositions!? Bologan's masterpiece sets out to instruct Black e5 players in how to blow away cheapo lines and to gut-punch for dynamic equality in the sounder mainlines!!
Victor Bologan has almost 30 years of GM experience in 1.e4, e5 systems. He is a concise, lucid writer of prose and an experienced trainer. Much of this book resembles an expansion from his opening workshop of his playing years (once rated 2734, ranked 18th in the world). There are 57 chapters with 464 pages of analysis, covering all imaginable open non-Ruy Lopez systems. The table of contents fills 4 pages; an easy to read opening/variations index goes 10 pages; game reference index goes 22 pages and 36 pages of "ideas & themes" are discussed. Each carefully outlined chapter first addresses discarded/ inferior ideas, then lists his A or B recomended lines, followed by move-by-move analysis, finished by a brief summary. Most pages have two diagrams. Colors are reversed, eg Black is on the bottom. (I have found this book can easily be read in bed.) The opening phase concludes with an assessment, game reference. While there are no complete games, Bologan points out that modern players should be accessing a software database. (actually there is plenty of the low-priced chess-playing software like Chessmaster/Fritz/Chess King, which include large game libraries for $10-30). This books dense layout becomes understandable within an hour of use. Chapters are 6-10 pages and adhere tightly to the specific line only. His efficient writing style has moments of charm, wit, candor and display Bologan's sense of chess truth.
Of course, this book is enters an already crowded field for Black 1.e4, e5 books-- Emms & Davies each provided illustrative games collections for their recomended lines(dated, but still good stuff);-- Lysyj/Ovetchkin wrote a well-researched, solidly analyzed opening guide, their format is slightly awkward to read use (I did a lot of highlighting to make this book easier to use); -- Marin's Beating the Open Games is highly praised(loved!), his chapter layout starts with a lengthy theory article, then a MCO/NCO variation tree with copious footnotes/details, information; -- Kaufman's '04 Chess Advantage coverage i narrower but excellent. All very good books. However, Bologan has the best teaching product(twice as long as Marin's). Bologan's believes that 1500-2600s will find this book useful. None of these books are encyclopedic. They recomend playable repretoire. Balogan centers on playable/dynamic lines of play, with abundant explanations.
Of course, main lines for Open Games were carved out in the 1800's. White initiates an early grab for central squares, trying to either dominate the center or attack Blacks king. Play centers on a d-e-f center central squares battle-zone. White plans to use d-pawn lever(or f4) for the tension, his Kt goes to f3, KB to c4, frequently Blacks f7 square is a lethal target. Black fortifies his e5 pawn with a Kt to c6, then decides between Nf6 or Bc5(or both). Pressure builds fast, quickly into battle where Black must choose manageable structure after a few pieces/pawns are swapped. The 'viola' we are in the middle-game around move 12-16. For Black to achieve a playable set-up requires accuracy and knowledge(hence all these books). Bologan selects lines that offer Black dynamic middle-game possibilities. He describes a 4 year trawl through two centuries of opening writing (the Bibliography covers 2 pages). He offers one safe and one dynamic(complex) variation. Tries to avoid deaddraws and lifeless equal positions. There is lots of positional explanation. I am especially impress with his help to explain transpositional aspects of these lines (esecially in the Two Knights).
Part I: Center,Danish,Bishops,Vienna/s --attention to traps, transpo's, he explains "when violating an opening principle is acceptable", 50 pages, ((I easily found a friend's favored Vienna gambit line and how to manipulate into a favorable black King's Gambit line))
Part II: King's Gambit Accepted(Bishops,Polerio,Kieseritsky,Falkbeer/Modern,etc) 50 pages, references to Shaw, ((I found coverage of another friend's 3.Qf3, with half a page of dynamite against Moody's Gambit)).
Part III: Ponziani (references to a 2014 book), 1.e4 blitz-players might like the Ponzianipas did Ljubo, Velimirovic years ago), many little seen lines are addressed, like the trappy Relsson's Gambit & Sarrat's Attack(not quite sound knockout weapons from the 1800's), in below 2000 tournament-sections the Goring/Scotch Gambit often appear and require knowledge to handle correctly, also 80 pages devoted solely to the Scotch, Bologan follows Marin with the Mieses 8..Nb6 with 12 pages of ideas-- they diverge at move 9 & 10, Victor + Bologan also explores other mainline(4...Bc5) options.
Part IV: Four Knights (Glek, Belgrade-8pages, main lines, recomendations how to safely break symmetry and how to prepare for the frequent closed nature of 4Ns, 66pages
Part V: Italian systems covered in 200pages, (every line has two choices: pianissimo 3..Bc4 and ..Nf6, Evans Accepted ..Ba5 and ..Bc5 recomended as much better than its reputation, deep coverage the d4 gambit & d3/g3 options) with brillant instruction on transposition issues.
The book is laid out in a classic math-teaching format. He writes a basic opening position on the blackboard, offers general comments, then outlines a list of structured patterns of responses (eg variations), discards the crap & dead-end lines with precise reasons and in such a way that the student builds on a series of proofs of why the accepted lines succeed (each of which are then systematically explored into the middle-game) and finally justifies confidence in these particular recomendations. How to use this book: QUICK REFERENCE ability due to well-laid out labeling & consistent structure, with awesome indexes for hunting of exact lines; easy to BROWSE this massive book because of the digestable size of the short, concise chapters-- eg I didn't know there was a Tringov Opening; STUDY specific lines to a deep, but not burdensome level in a well-written style; TONS OF GREAT CHESS CULTURE information tying modern ideas into 20th & 19th century learning, during my reading I keep thinkling "I didn't know that" or "Okay, I get it now"; and a chance to UNEARTH NEW IDEAS, I think this is a treasure trove for blitz & rapid players to scoop up slightly incorrect opening schemes, trappy lines, secret knowledge and killer refutations for drowning the victims during rapid play. This book compliments the other Open Game manuals nicely. Bologan has a bestseller here, that will feel current for years, because Open-Game theory is largely fixed and this book leads the reader to many different options.
I believe this massive book (which is easy to read) will have the kind of large impact that John Watson's first edition of 'Play the French' had 30 years ago, when that repertoire book transformed the French from Black's rare 4th choice(after Sicialian/e5/ CaroKann) into a mighty modern weapon. Bologan applies a modern spin to the largely ignored 1870-1914 chess culture, (which has alwyas been fertile ground for Bronstein, Fischer, Spassky, Karpov, Kasparov, Korchnoi, Anand, etc).
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Top reviews from other countries
wzr
A complete guide to 1.e4 e5 (except Ruy Lopez) - and a good way to learn chess
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 12, 2015kalan
Un gran repertorio para negras contra 1.e4, jugando 1...e5
Reviewed in Spain on February 28, 2015