The fifth volume in Parimarjan Negi’s superb 1.e4 series will be published on September 30th – 1.e4 vs Minor Defences You can try a brief taste of Negi’s new work with the excerpt. As the title suggests, Negi deals with the Alekhine, Scandinavian, Pirc and Modern Defences, plus various lesser options.
September 30th is also the day when we publish Boris Gelfand’s next two books – Technical Decision Making in Chess and Decision Making in Major Piece Endings. Excerpts of those two books are just a few days away.
Spiffing! Looking forward to this one. Less fussed about any Elephants coming over the hill, but this, oh yeah.
Quick note on something to correct: “This was the dubious continuation of Sukandar – Tiviakov, Jakarta 2015. White chose a suboptimal continuation, but still went on to defeat *his* much higher rated opponent.”
The white player is female, I believe.
Good spot Simon – fire the editor I say.
Oh, we can get QC staff fired by pointing out such mistakes in their books? Can we also get their jobs as editors that way? World, beware, I shall strive to become chess editor! Just a minor request to change the company name to “Average Chess” in the process.
I’d suggest “Equality Chess” instead, at least for all those opening tomes…
Intrigued that Parimajan refutes John’s favourite Qd8 Scandi in under 3 pages! Sorry John you’ll just have to take up the Najdorf!
Also presuming Negi adopts the Pirc move order Philidor e4 d6 d4 Nf6 Nc3 e5 transposing into his 2014 book…. does he give any updates on the lines he gave then? Dubov and others not so intimidated by white in the Philidor anymore so maybe a change of emphasis/lines needed as it was 6 years ago since it was published?
Transposing with 4. Nf3….
It’s happening!!!
Just 400 pages this time… I’d say Negi is slipping in his ambition level 🙂 . Who knows 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 will fit into one (last) volume?!
JB – We appreciate that times change and Black may have found other defensive resources in the Philidor compared to 2014; but this new book was already larger than expected and challenging in various ways, so updating the entire Philidor section would have been a bit much.
However, Pari did cover an unusual Pirc/Modern move order involving an early …Nc6/…e5 by Black, when Nge2 and f2-f3 can transpose to the Fianchetto Philidor after …exd4. This particular Philidor is pretty dubious for Black, but Pari did take the opportunity to include a few extra lines in that variation which were missing from Volume 1.
Amusing that 1.e4 h6?! makes it to the abridged variation index! Now that’s a move I have never thought about before.
@Andrew Greet
Thanks Andrew.,…was always a bit worried I never get my pawn back in Negis chosen Philidor line saccing the a pawn once black worked out a defence. Still looking forward to the time,.. always top quality with Parimarjan and some creative ideas ?
I’m very much looking forward to this book. Great news that it will be out in just over a month. Including the abridged variation index in the excerpt is much appreciated. Will be available on Forward Chess as well?
I was slightly surprised to see “1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3!”. It’s is unarguably very practical. I wonder whether the author believes that it’s also equally as strong as 2.d4 theoretically (after 2.Nf3 e5 in particular). Black does have a knight blocking the c-pawn unnecessarily either way, so perhaps 2.Nf3 really is just as strong.
Tim – Yes, it will be on FC; should be available a week earlier on the digital format, as is standard.
Benjamin – Pari is of the opinion that 1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 d5! is fine for Black. So the exclam reflects both this and the practical advantage of 2.Nf3 being repertoire-friendly after 2…e5.
“1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 d5! is fine for Black” – This is interesting! Any analysis on this or not since 2.da is not recommended move
Pity that the more complete index is not given
Surprised to see the assessment of !? to 4…Bf5 and 4…Nb6 in the Alekhine
Also surrpised to see only two pages on 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Be2 c6. Is there any transposition to other lines?
What is Negis recommended 7th move against 4.Nf3 g6, or do we need to wait for the copy
thanks for all the good work
Thanks, Andrew! I’d say that I’d look forward to an upcoming QC book on 1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 d5!, but now 2.Nf3! is a good reason to avoid 1…Nc6, so never mind. 🙂
@Luis
No further analysis of 2.d4 d5 – just his opinion that Black should be fine.
We don’t give the complete index because that alone would reveal a lot of novelties and other details which, frankly, are too valuable to include in a free PDF.
Regarding 4…Bg4 5.Be2 c6, it would have been possible to analyse it in more detail, but I get the impression that Pari doesn’t think it’s a great line for Black, so he just gives a few lines and doesn’t spend too much time on it.
In the 4…g6 line, he favours 7.Ng5 and I’ll say no more.
Please note: not all “What does Negi give against X?” questions will be answered, so everyone, please don’t take this as a cue to bombard the blog with them. This was a fairly sensible question and I was feeling generous.
@Benjamin Fitch
I don’t think it’s that simple. After 2.Nf3 d6 we transpose to a Pirc where black has avoided white’s most aggressive lines. The downside is that black is a little bit less flexible with a knight already on c6, but Bauer believes in black’s chances.
@Andrew Greet
Damn, there goes my Blackmar-Diemer gambit down the drain 😉
@Ray
That’s interesting, for sure. (We could hope for a themed match between P. Negi and C. Bauer.) I think that for many, “a little bit less flexible” might seem a bit understated considering the Bb5 possibilities in some lines, d5 possibilities in other lines, and the blocked c-pawn in all lines. But that’s an opinion and doesn’t prove anything. When we get a quantum computer that solves chess using an unlimited number of parallel universes for simultaneous processing, we’ll get actual proof.
Andrew
Thanks, concerning
i) “No further analysis of 2.d4 d5 – just his opinion that Black should be fine”
I wonder whether a simple comment stating this in the book, could be usefull. Many times, references (even without analysis) to alternative lines or quick explanations for the choices of the author’s main lines are useful to the reader (it makes us think).
Shaw’s book often gives such explanations (e.g., I remember a few in the Scotch and in Scandinavian and I guess there should be some in the other chapters).
Negi’s book agains the Najdorf also has a few, e.g, a short explanation motivating a new move in the Gothenburg variation, etc.
ii) “In the 4…g6 line, he favours 7.Ng5 and I’ll say no more”
well, I am mildly enthusiastic to see his analysis. I said “mildly” hoping not to see a “minimal” approachas given by John Shaw
iii) As a last question, if am i allowed to, I was surpised by the number of pages in Larsen’s Alekhine, 4.Nf3 dxe5 5.Nxe5 Nd7 and with a “?” on this last move. Surprised because it appears to me that John Shaw’s analysis has simply killed this line. So, why 5 pages? To redo the analysis, correct/improve some line or give an alternative (also good) line not needing to
memorize all the analysis in John’s book?
looking forward to the book
@Ray
Regardless of what Bauer may think, 1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 d6 is not a Pirc at all, and Black will never reach the Classical Pirc by transposition unless White is asleep at the wheel. There are concrete reasons this opening sequence is just bad, and you don’t need any aggressive lines to similar to those Pirc ones to prove it. There is a reason why this is almost never played in serious chess.
@middlewave
Well, I’m glad that’s settled then once and for all.
@middlewave
I appreciate it’s the internet and all that, where every one has an opinion (but not necessarily an informed one), and anyone is a dog, but perhaps you could give lines? Otherwise, that’s just an empty shout.
This does often transpose into a Pirc. One of the leading players hereabouts plays this move order, and one sees Pircs resulting. Classical lines or 4.Be3 lines (where the …Nc6 lines are proving robust, and white can be seen playing an ugly Qe3 move).
Looking forward to seeing white’s bust (as it were). Woof.
There’s excellent coverage for White of 1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 d6 in John Shaw’s Playing 1.e4…Minor Lines book, by the way.
Irina Sukandar is indeed female.
I wholeheartedly disagree on this point. I think John did a monstrous job of high quality, with a lot of variations and more than enough elucidations. I owe him at least two full points in league games against the Portugese Gambit, since his recommended line was so good, it was hardly possible to technically ruin the advantage. I do wonder though why he played the Scandinavian himself against Nakamura at the Olypiad, but maybe that is a question for some other time. (And of course it would be rather hard to chose an opening anyway against Nakamura). @Luis
Frank
which point do you disagree with? tks
Luis, that John gives only minimal explanations. But of course I did not read your post accurately enough. You did notice all the nice lines John gave, so I wish to appologize if my assumption was incorrect. @Luis
Frank
No problem at all. Perhaps my sentence “I wonder whether a simple comment stating this in the book, could be usefull” was ambiguous. I was refering to Negi’s opinion on 1…Nc6 2.d4 d5 and that even a short sentence such as “1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 d5! is fine for Black” (even without further analysis) could/should be written in the book as an indication to the reader.
I did not understand if Andrew’s comment on Negi’s opinion is shared only here in the blog or also in the book. In the book such a comment would reach a wider audience.
And yes, John’s book is excellent with a very good mixture of deep analysis and nice (not minimal :)) explanations. I really like those explanations where John is diverging from the analysis on a previous known book and explaining . Also, his thought process such as “I first thought about this move but then after some analysis I found out that … and this why I have chosen a [different move]” are quite nice, at least in the cases I saw and still remember.
@Luis
If an author chooses one option and rejects another, it’s his decision if wants to add any specific details about the rejected line, such as an interesting novelty for the opponent or whatever. So I think the right attitude for readers is to appreciate any such details as useful bonus information, but not to expect them every time the author makes a decision about which line to recommend.
As for the 5…Nd7? Alekhine, you are right that John killed it, but there are sure to be some readers who don’t already own ‘Playing 1.e4’, so it wouldn’t be fair to expect them to buy that as well – even though it would be good for business if they did.
Andrew
I understand and please do not see my comment as a lack of respect to the author’s decision on what what to write.
Please do not confuse my “enthusiasm” of Negi’s assessment on the 1….Nc6 2.d4 d5 line with an attempt of myself to intrude on Negi’s writing.
Thanks for the clarification on 5…Nd7??
Very pleased with the Najdorf , Grunfeld and Petroff books-. Looking forward to the Italian and of course Negi Episode 5 ! Seems some lines in the Petroff/Italian are overlapping so will be interesting to contrast.
Is Negi Book 6 the finale ? What’s a rough expectation ?
Any news on Jacob’s technique book and what that will cover ?
Assuming that 500+ pages is the practical limit for paperbooks and that White will allow all mainline spanish (ie no d3 or anti-marshall shortcut), you can expect 6a, 6b etc. ANd of course the Elephant deserves its own volume.
@Andrew Brett
Guess Negi 6 will be it as I’m presuming it to just be one volume to cover 1…e5. Think it was assumed to be the Spanish as John covered the Scotch in his equivalent. When it arrives is another question…. (have a feeling Negi 5 needed a pandemic to help move it on!) Unless he does an Avrukh and starts over again…
Any news on Smirin’s Sicilian book? The one he wrote on the King’s Indian is terrific. Thanks!
If we’re taking bets on the number of volumes for P. Negi’s 1.e4 e5 coverage, my bet is one full volume for the Spanish (perhaps this will come last) and one volume for the Petroff, Latvian, Elephant, and whatever you call 2…Qe7. My reasoning is that the Petroff requires *very* thorough treatment from this series given the current popularity, amount of current theory, and the “slightness” of White’s edge in various lines. I’d guess that the Spanish volume will be a thick one.
…and after that he can start all over again with updating volume 1. E.g., the Caro-Kann with 3.Nc3/d2 is now considered totally OK for black. The same applies to the Winawer Poisoned Pawn, i.m.o.
I would say that Volume 6 will be quicker to write as unlike Vol 5 the author has faced these lines regularly and think Easter next year is likely unless the consequence of the pandemic enables PG to increase his output. I think it’s possible to do all of this Spanish/Petroff in 1 volume but it will be 600 pages! I’m expecting 6 d3 or 8h3 Spanish as I don’t think he will refute the Marshall.
Negi deserves lots of credit – his poison pawn (Sicilian and French) analysis was particular good although as ever theory marches on ! I always felt the Caro with 3 Nc3nd2 would only give a very small edge at best- John’s 3 e5 ideas seemed more testing
I think it’s possible to do all of this Spanish/Petroff in 1 volume but it will be 600 pages! I’m expecting 6 d3 or 8h3 Spanish as I don’t think he will refute the Marshall.
Negi deserves lots of credit – his poison pawn (Sicilian and French) analysis was particular good although as ever theory marches on ! I always felt the Caro with 3 Nc3nd2 would only give a very small edge at best- John’s 3 e5 ideas seemed more testing
@Andrew Brett
Look very much forward to this. Negis books are a joy!
book is already on forward chess
trying to download the free e-book reader (for windows) but when it finishes downloading it, it
says it as been bocked because it can damage my computer
any suggestions? thanks
@luis gouveia
You are more likely to get an answer if you write to forward chess directly (
Info@forwardchess.com). There is also a contact form on their website.
I think there is a small button to ignore this…..it is standard warning in Windows. I clicked to ignore at any rate with no mishaps.
As per my comment in the other thread, vat rates on ebooks have been slashed in a lot of countries in Europe over the last year. At least for my location (UK), Forward Chess have still to recognise this and are charging VAT at the full rate, even in their own webstore. I would be surprised if the UK is the only country where this is the case. I would like to buy the Negi book, and one of the Gelfands on Forward Chess, but do not like being overcharged.
Tom and Paul
Thanks and i did it
i have bough Negi’s book in forward chess
For the moment, only looked at the Alekhine, Scandinavian 2…Nf6 and
1…Nc6 – thus, still a lot to look at).
Before publication, there were some “comments” on the fact that Negi was not well acquainted with these lines (something acknowledged by the author).
However, it is always interesting to see what chess players think about lines that they do not know well and also when they need to write a book about refuting lines (that initial, they did not even consider analysing because the “overall knowledge” is that it is weak).
Thus, when I read “… and yet, when I tried to find the “simplest” of these approaches to recommend for this book, I was suprised to discover that matters are not easy at al. In fact, if I were still playing, I would consider trying this with Black”
This is an amazing book, and contains lots of analysis not contained in repertire books from Black’s point of view
I would like to thank GM Negi for another exceptional work, this time on the “Minor Defences” against 1.e4. This book is filled with lots of interesting new ideas that I hope to incorporate into my repertoire.
I also have a question about two omissions I seem to have found:
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 Nb6 isn´t covered. Black may play …d7-d5 instead of …d7-d6, avoiding a transposition to 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 Nb6.
1.e4 g6 2.d4 c6 also does not seem to get a mention. Trying to follow the repertoire leads me to 3.Nc3, when 3…d5 is a line of the Caro-Kann that the author has avoided in volume one of his series by playing 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2.
A small hint by the author or the editor what to do in both cases would be very welcome.
@Tom Tidom
Those are surprising omissions. 3…Nb6 (intending …d5) in the Alekhine’s is significant enough that John Shaw provided thorough (and of course excellent) coverage of it in Playing 1.e4. (Spoiler alert: It isn’t the solution to meeting 1.e4 as Black.) In the Modern/Caro-Kann hybrid line, I would feel so much compassion for Black’s light-squared bishop after playing h3 followed by Nf3 as White that I wouldn’t personally worry too much about the line being left out of the book, but it does likely deserve a mention; there’s a whole (small) section on it in in Sielecki’s 1.e4 book with some variations definitely worth reviewing.
@Tom Tidom
John dealt with the Alekhine line in a note and his recommendation seems good to me: 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bd3 Bg4 (I assume this is the idea, otherwise Black has a crappy French) 6.h3 Bxf3 (6…Bh5? 7.g4 is horrible) 7.Qxf3 e6 8.c3 followed by Be3 and Nd2 with a great game for White.
After 1.e4 g6 2.d4 c6, 3.Be3 would seem easiest, when 3…Bg7 4.Nc3 transposes to the repertoire and 3…d5 4.e5 seems close enough to be able to follow the same general plans.
I also found the coverage of the 3…Qd8 Scandinavian a bit thin. It is very popular online and at club level, thanks to John Bartholomew. Even ‘Keep it Simple 1.e4’ from Sielecki had more lines on the Qd8 Scandi.
Overall a great book. I play the exchange vs the Alekhine. You guys think it is worth it to switch to the Negi stuff? Seems like a lot more work than the exchange.
@Duvupov
Regarding 3…Qd8 Scandi and other sidelines: we always face a difficult balancing act, where we try to be thorough but at the same time avoid letting the page count run away to 500+ or splitting the material into even more volumes. In this book, there is a lot of original analysis on 3…Qa5 and 3…Qd6, probably at the expense of 3…Qd8 to some extent. Hopefully Negi’s ideas will be enough to point you in the right direction and a bit of engine checking along with Sielecki and other relevant sources will fill in any gaps in the 3…Qd8 coverage.
As for the Alekhine: as most of our readers are aware, we usually try to offer different recommendations in different repertoire books. The fact that both the Shaw and Negi works offer the main line tells you that we rate it highly. But only you can decide if it’s worth investing the time and effort to switch from what you know already.
re g6 Caro-Kann: this line has a few tricks which are best avoided by h3-Nf3, as BenjaminFitch suggests. White should be aware of this unless Negi offers a good line allowing Nf3 Bg4, don’t have the book to judge it.
@Andrew Greet
Thank you for taking some time to answer, Andrew.
Of course I know John´s coverage since I own his “Playing 1.e4” series and I am happy with his recommendation. I just thought it would be wortwhile seeing Negi´s ideas.
Regarding your suggestion of 1.e4 g6 2.d4 c6 3.Be3, I am not sure if Black cannot delay or even omit …Bg7 and thereby avoid any transpositions to the repertoire. For example, 3…d5 4.e5 Qb6, or even 3…Qb6 may be considered.
On the other hand I do not really lose any sleep over these lines. I just wanted to point out the omissions.
Dear Mr. Negi,
congratulations to your recent book. It contains a lot of thorough analysis concerning Tiger`s Modern, however in the section to 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. Be3 I miss several variations like 4….Qb6 and 4….Nf6. Also in the mainline after 4….d5 5. e5 f6 6. f4 Qb6 7. Na4 Da5+ (or 7…Dc7 8. Qd2 Nh6 as recommended on page 262, I think that 12….Nc4 does improve on 0-0 with only a slight advantage for white) 8. c3 Nh6 9. Sc5 Black can also play Qc7 like in Pucher-Poley. Maybe you can fill in these gaps or comment on them.
@Lutz Konrad
I don’t remember Negi ever commenting on our blog, so I admire your optimistic attitude in expecting a personal reply from him. In the meantime I’ll share my quick thoughts:
– 4…Nf6 5.e5
– 4…Qb6 5.Qd2 if you feel like sacrificing a pawn; 5.a3 if you don’t
As for the later stuff, I think we’re reaching the point where the author can’t be expected to analyse every possible move in every variation.
…… (and that’s it as far as it goes as variations go) is skimping a bit too far… the evaluation may well be right but if this is going to be refuted its the sharp …e6 7. g4 lines that will do it but no chance of you working this out over the board. Luckily John did a much better job in his e4 book. Where there hasn’t been too much pruning it seems to be usual great Negi stuff eg delaying Nf3 in Qa5 Scandi and great explanation of how to choose correct piece set up in Pirc/modern complex according to what the opponent plays as there are so many move order nuances. Yet to look at alekhine but quality stuff if you ignore the holes…just hope your opponent hides out in one of these
Yes really pants coverage of Qd8 Scandi…my database has c. 12% games following …Qd8 rather than Qa5/d6/other and whole books devoted to it and if anything it has become more popular recently and always at club level (John considers it the best defence as well) but less than 4 sides compared to the 80+ sides work on the other lines. Comments such as (after 4. d4 Nf6 5Nf3) 5…..Bf5 6. Ne5+- (and that’s it as…
I really enjoyed Negi’s Scandi 3…Qd8 coverage, I thought it was succinct and to the point and served to validate the analysis in my own file on the Scandi. What more did you want him to write about it?
@Topnotch
Er… a few pages more? Here’s a few examples
1.If your opponent plays say the 5…Bf5 reply I quoted Negi is of no use and lots of other early errors you get at club level you need to work out yourself rather than having the quick answer to hand.
2.Nothing on 4…c6, fleshing out the best line if black doesn’t take on f3 on move 6,
3.what if black plays Nbd7 first rather e6 in his mainline? still play Bd3 or long castle?
4.do you preserve the Be3 after 9…Nd5 or exchange it off allowing his knight to come to c6?
5. If black plays 12…Nxe3 in the Fridman game he quotes does he retake with Q or f pawn or take on g7 instead.
Like you I have the answers to many of these in my own book but doesn’t really bear on what should have been in the Negi book. And if you can’t answer all these questions with total confidence then you wonder why the author or editor didn’t feel it needed an answer. What is in the book is great, the omissions less so.
@JB
Unless you have a photographic memory surely no way you’re gonna memorize all this? I think it’s a waste of paper to spend too much time on early errors at club level. After all it’s a GM repertoire.
@Ray
Yes, I think therein lies the difference. Negi was writing a GM repertoire. John a more inclusive book. So it is natural the latter includes a look at more esoteric club level lines, while the latter ignores them.
There will always be one of two lines that could have been covered deeply. After 4…c6 you can always play 5.Ne4 if you want to play by the repertoire only 🙂
It seems some people are waiting for a kind of 32-pieces tablebases! 🙂 I am a 1.d4 player and ordered the Negi just out of interest. It was a pleasent surprise for me to find a lot of explanations. At least the balance between deep analysis and explanation is much more to my taste than for example if I compare it with the books of Kotronias.
Negi’s opening books are some of the best middlegame books on the market. 🙂
Yes suppose this is the core of it. GMs will just calculate out the fine details whereas as a club player I’m less able and would rather just learn the refutation….quicker easier and less chance of a mistake and I suppose that’s what I’m looking for in the book. Quality stuff from.Negi though…Not quite convinced his line against Marin Pirc is quite enough but great food for thought.
It reminds me of myself as young kid back in the 80’s, when I got a hold of my dad’s only chessbook and tried to use it against the Mephisto MM II we had at home: why would none of the positions in the book EVER show up on my chess board? The book was completely useless 😀
Hi guys,
Is there any more information a release date for Schandorff’s updated Caro Kann book and will he be recommending B15 (4..Nf6) this time around?
Thank you.
When will there a new Negi book be publsihed
Perhaps not the best thread for this question, but are there any books on the Open Games from black’s perspective coming up this year please?
There are no GM Repertoire books on the Open Games as yet as far as I can see…
Thank you everyone at Quality Chess. :0)
Any news on a QGA book?
Jones KID 1 is great. KID 2 is eagerly anticipated!
Regards.
@KevHun
The author has finished the analysis and still needs to put words to everything. He is apparently a bit “distracted” with unpleasant events in the region. A good reminder that there are a lot of victims of this horrible war. While we have focused on helping refugees and decided not to make new contracts with Russian authors for the moment, we still feel great compassion for our friend and colleague.
@Franck Steenbekkers
Unknown. Sadly.
@James2
So many other books on the Open Games were published for a while that we felt the market was saturated enough.
@Jacob Aagaard
Jacob, duly noted and understood. I have friends in that area and can well understand the “distracted” feeling. Let us hope for better times for all in that region.
Dear Team of QualityChess,
are there any news about the last book of Negi in his 1.e4-Series (about 1.e4 e5). Will the book be published in 2023?
Or is there even a risk, that it won’t appear at all?
Thank you.
Best regards,
Paul