January 2010, here's a link to a facebook group I've created - just in case there are any fans of this book out there. :)
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=187657867197
Here's a presentation of the book:
I suppose the target audience is either KG-fanatics from about 1800 and up, or players who want a more exciting, but still reliable, opening weapon after 1.e4 e5. Anyway, here's what to expect:
The price is $36, perhaps a bit too steep for some, though I suspect that most true KGeers will find that cheap - while those defending with 1...e5 will probably refrain from buying it! :)
After 2...exf4, the new book only deals with The Bishop's Gambit, 3.Bc4. It's probably the first book ever, to take a detailed look at every branch of this gambit.
For those tempted to take up the KG, I've devoted the other half of the book to the KG Declined, providing an in depth and fresh look at basically the repertoire I gave in The King's Gambit for the Creative Aggressor! back in 1998.
This is what the cover of the new one looks like:
Compared to the 'Creative Aggressor', the new one will contain more and also considerably larger pages (215 in the new, and 173 in the old - in the old smaller size the new one would be about 400 pages!). As well as more original analysis, aided by stronger chess engines, i.e. Fritz 7 and 8.
The new book is self published at 'The Self Publisher's Publisher' i.e. Trafford, and will be sold on a print on demand basis online. It's possible that the big book sellers will add it to their catalogue in time, but friends of mine in the business say that is far from certain. And frankly speaking, I'd be happier to see 1 000 well armed King's Gambiteers than 10 000 well informed 1...e5-defenders!
But of course, I'd be even happier seeing 10 000 well informed King's Gambiteers, as I do get some royalty for every sold book... ;)Why did I publish it myself then? Well, when editing the chessbase files into wordfiles this summer, I sent a mail to the three big chess publishers in England, asking if they'd be interested in seeing the final manuscript. Two of them didn't bother replying and the best of the three (Gambit, of course) replied and had some questions. But after pondering my reply for a month (or just vacationing, after all it was summer!), they finally turned it down, since they didn't consider a book on the Bishop's Gambit to be economically viable.
Not very happy news at the time, since I'd been working on the book since November 2002! And if this was how all the big publishers felt, there was a real danger that the last 18 months would become 'time well wasted'. During these months I'd become a stronger KGeer, but also weaker in the other openings since I hadn't looked at them for quite a while. I was also getting seriously fed up with chess by this constant exposure. So, would ennui prevail? :(
No! :) A few weeks later I saw an ad for Trafford on the net and found new energy as there was suddenly a light in the end of the tunnel! I also got excited about the whole idea of self publishing, especially the taking control over one's own project, instead of walking around 'hat in hand' trying to awake someone else's interest and then let them call the shots!
Anyway, the only inferior thing compared to the 'Creative Aggressor' is that the binding and coverpaper will not be quite as ambitious as the Kania produced book - but still pretty good I think, even if there might be a slight curling of the lamination at the edge of some of the copies which I'm sure will annoy perfectionists. But it can't be helped, as the only alternative would be to skip the lamination altogether.
The sunny side of self-publishing is that I can probably make a revised edition in a few years without too much fuss. :)
This is shot with a rubbish camera, but at least the size difference between them can be seen.
This time the book will be in english only (and not bilingual english/german as its predecessor). Figurine notation and informator style evaluations are of course used, as these are industry standard these days.
When working on the book I got the feeling this one would have less diagrams and explanatory text compared to the old one, but after seeing the proof print I think it looks pretty normal for a chess book!
One thing that is different from many opening books in english is that I've tried to make the text/notation easier to read by dividing it into many smaller passages instead of two continious rows of () and ; and [] all intertwined until you get a headache. It wastes a little space but spared my eyes at least, hopefully it will spare yours as well! :)
The book is divided into the following chapters:
Sources……………………………………………….4
Symbols………………………………………………5
Content……………………………………………….6
Introduction ………………………………………….7
Things To Keep In Mind……………………….……..9
King's Gambit Accepted - The Bishop's Gambit
The Jaenisch Bogoljubov Defence
Chapter 1: The Scarecrow…………………………...11 (3...c6 4.Nc3 d5)
Chapter 2: Dangerous Deviations…………………….15 (3...Nf6 4.Nc3 misc)
Chapter 3: Westerinen Gambit……………………….18 (3...Nf6 4.Nc3 c6 5.d4)
Chapter 4: The Present Main Line I…………………..27 (5.Bb3)
Chapter 5: The Present Main Line II…………………32
Chapter 6: The Present Main Line III………………...34
Chapter 7: The Silversurfer Gambit…………………..46 (5.Nf3)
Chapter 8: The Past…………………………………59 (5.Qf3 and 4.d3 )
Chapter 9: The Spanish Connection………………….62 (3...Nf6 4.Nc3 Bb4)
Other Defences
Chapter 10: The Steinitz Sokolov Defence…………...67 (3...Ne7)
Chapter 11: Simply Modern…………………………69 (3...d5 4.Bxd5 Nf6/Qh4+)
Chapter 12: The Queen Checks I……………………84 (3...Qh4+)
Chapter 13: The Queen Checks II…………………...86
Chapter 14: The Queen Checks III………………….88
Chapter 15: The Queen Checks IV………………….93
Chapter 16: The Queen Checks V…………………..96
Chapter 17: The Nordic Counter Gambit…………....98 (3...f5)
Chapter 18: Duras Defence………………………...106 (3...Nc6)
Chapter 19: The Bad Defence……………………...114 (3...g5)
Chapter 20: 3…d6 without 4.Qh4+………………..118
Chapter 21: 3…h6 without Qh4+………………….120
Chapter 22: Cunningham Connection……………....122 (3...Be7)
The King's Gambit Declined
Chapter 23: Tricky Transposers……………………125 (2...Nf6/2...d6)
Chapter 24: Greco Counter Gambit………………..132 (2...f5)
Chapter 25: Falkbeer Counter Gambit……………..133 (2...d5 3.exd5 e4)
Chapter 26: Nimzowitsch Counter Gambit………....149 (3...c6)
Chapter 27: The Modern Revisited………………...155 (3...exf4 4.Nf3 Nf6+Bd6)
Chapter 28: The Adelaide Counter Gambit………...162 (2...Nc6 3.Nf3 f5)
Chapter 29: Keene Defence………………………..169 (2...Qh4+ 3.g3 Qe7)
Chapter 30: Nordwalder Defence………………….177 (2...Qf6)
Chapter 31: The Classical Defence………………....181 (2...Bc5 3.Nf3 d6 4.Nc3)
Index………………………………………………215
Other new gambits (or gambit names) in addition to the Silversurfer above, are The Humble Gambit, The Eberth G, The Fischer G, The LGF G, The Silverman Short G, The Modest G, the Obstruction G, The Loch Ness G, The Bumble Bee G, The Thomai G, Chigorin's Counter G, and probably one or two more that didn't come to mind at the time of writing.
I've tried to put names on gambits that seem to have been without one before, because I) I like names, and sometimes it was evident what a variation ought to be called, e.g. The Eberth and Westerinen! II) Openings with catchy names become more popular than nameless ones. III) It made it much easier to refer to a certain variation. IV) I 'invented' some of them, so I thought I ought to name them as well! Anyway, in time we'll see if the names will stick...
So, what are the readers saying about my book then?
Here's a few reactions so far, all from the link above. [26/10-07, Yes! The chesspub forum is back online at a new address - but all the old threads survived! :)]
I received my copies yesterday, it's a very good book with a lot of original analysis as expected! - by Vieto from France.
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Received my copy on just yesterday (2-2-05). A wonderfully thorough book. I think the $36.00 price is fully justified for as much original analysis the book contains - by Glenn Snow from the US.
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Having had more time to look at the book, I can state that it is very thorough indeed. - by Alumbrado from England.
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Just recieved my copy of "THE FASCINATING KING'S GAMBIT" and I just love it. I think you have done an excellent job on this book and look forward to your future works as well. - by Sean Patrick Tobin from the USA.
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This book is definitely worth the asking price. The amount of work that has gone into the analysis is amazing. As I had the good fortune of picking up my own autographed copy and play a few blitz with the author I can tell you that I almost fell off my chair when he whipped out one of those new Nge2 ideas - very dangerous stuff! - 'Dragonslayer' also known as Michael A. Jensen, a fellow King's Gambiteer from Denmark.
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July 4th 2005, here's a snippet from an email I've recently received - by the way, compare with Arthur's earlier entry in my guestbook! :)
The book came yesterday and bigger is better! Attractive cover, thanks Maria, and easy to read, many large diagrams. You put a lot of work into this. It will take awhile to "digest" all your analysis but your enthusiasm and humor makes it a joyful chore! Are you sitting down? $36 is a very fair price for all this information! After looking at this for a couple of hours I would buy it in a second and recommend it to all creative and adventurous players! Hopefully you have more books within you that will eventually see the light of day! Chess and non-chess! - Arthur Nugent of Massachussets, USA.
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The 'grapevine' is beginning to spread the news of the FKG! :)
Unfortunately, there's still no word from the 2 american reviewers who've supposedly had it since February - but perhaps I sent their copies to their old addresses? Anyway, luckily there's some readers out there who do mention it, despite having paid for their copies! A good thing too as, without the backing of a large publishing house, the 'ads' for the FKG will rely on the kindness of readers, tipping their friends about this new source of KG-info.
Michael A. Jensen sent me a copy of his review in Fynsk Skak nr. 5/maj 2005. It's in danish, but if you have a reasonable grasp of scandinavian languages, then just Click here for the article!
Google's King's Gambit Group - so far only one member?! I suppose KGeers haven't noticed this initiative or are they too shy?
Chessville Forum - Chessville is certainly one of the best chess sites on the net. Check it out if you haven't been there before. - Btw, if you're met by an ad, click on 'No thanks' or similar, and you will be sent on to the forum.
A good german chess forum:www.schachmatt.de/
Another US forum: www.ChessExchange.com
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The reviews have started appearing!
This book, probably the first serious work on this opening, covers the much neglected Bishop's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4). This is done in an extremely thorough and professional manner as indicated by the large sources list and the inclusion of not only over-the-board games but also correspondence games (which shamefully a lot of other opening book authors neglect to their own and readers detriment). Throughout the writing style is interesting, very readable and remains objective in chess evaluations. (follow the link to see the rest of the review)-------
It is thorough and workmanlike, and King’s Gambit aficionados will want to own a copy.-------
This is certainly the most comprehensive coverage of the Bishop's Gambit ever attempted and the dedicated author has revealed many new possibilities and theoretical novelties in a relatively unexplored opening. A well researched book which is a must for all prospective gambiteers.-------
In New in Chess Magazine 2005/3, Jonathan Rowson takes a look at the FKG. A couple of quotes:
The less said about the title, the better
Dense theory (even with verbal explanations) in sharp variations is not really my cup of tea, so I haven't spent a long time with this book, but some of the variations are sufficiently striking that I was briefly tempted to return to playing 1.e4 just to have the chance to give this line a try.
[...] it's clearly a labour of love, and that usually makes for pleasant reading and careful analysis
I'm not sure why he doesn't like the adjective 'fascinating' in the title, especially since the 2nd passage does indicate that even a non-believer like himself was tempted by the KG! :)
Btw, about the title; for a very long time the working name for the book was actually The Kings Gambit for the Stubborn Aggressor, but in the end I decided against it because i) I considered the new one a more conservative work and ii) I wanted a title that reflected the obsessiveness / dedication that the KG inspires, and the adjective 'fascinating' seemed more than appropriate to me - and still does!
As an example, at the library I recently met an old chess aquaintance and KG player, who gave up chess several years ago, sold his chess books, and has managed to stay away from the chess clubs to avoid temptation during the last five years! Still, it took less than 5 seconds for him to order a copy of the FKG, when I told him about the new book (well, he asked!). - He confessed that he still had all of his books on the KG at home... :D
2/12-05 (28/9-05); German visitors curious about the FKG and recent Deutsch sprachige recensionen of it, can check issue 21, page 70 of Kaissiber for Stefan Bücker's opinion on it.
And Hartmut Metz review it in Rochade Europa issue number 10, page 70. - The rest of the review can be seen at the Rochade Kuppenheim site. (I scanned as a picture here).
Btw, flattered as I am, I don't really agree with Hartmut about the CA being better than WwKG - as it was that book that made me take up the KG in the first place. But everyone is entitled to their own opinion...Since it's customary for publishers to take a snippet or two of the most positive in a review, here's a couple of quotes that sounded positive judged by my limited german knowledge:
Kaissiber: Die Liste der benutzten Quellen auf S. 4 könnte - für ein so altes Thema - wesentlich länger sein, aber diese Klarheit und das gute Zitieren im Buch ist dennoch zu loben. [...] Der Verfasser scheut keine Mühe, ein starkes Weiß-Repertoire aufzubauen. [...] Ich bin beeindruckt von der präsentierten Fülle neuer Ideen.
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Rochade Europa: Der Autor hat nicht nur emsig Partien gesammelt und diese fleißig zusammengeschustert. Bei dem im kanadischen Trafford Verlag erschienenen Werk merkt der Leser schnell, dass der Schwede mit der Eröffnung sympathisiert ("Die einzige Eröffnung, die ich wirklich liebe!" steht auch schon im Vorwort) und nach vorteilhaften Pfaden für Weiß forscht -Objektivität aber dennoch zu wahren sucht. Der Feuerseifer Johanssons beschränkt sich bei der Analyse nicht nur auf bekanntes Datenbank-Material, sondern auch unbekanntere Partien werden einbezogen.
---------------------------------- Voor de liefhebber is dit een prachtig boek.
---------------------------------- If there are any re-sellers, distributors etc reading this page - wondering about possible trade terms. This is where to find out!
Picture by Maria Wallin, a friend of mine
who also made the front cover of the book!
(3/3 2006) By the way, almost exactly a year after the FKG was published, it is Now Available in Germany!
I'll soon be publishing my third (and final?) opening book, this time on an interesting gambit vs the French (i.e. The Reti Gambit) - it's probably not economically viable for real this time, (even if I have the impression that many players absolutely hate to play against the French Defence). but I think it will break even.
24/1 2006, the latest news: at Amazon.com the first reader has filed his review a couple of weeks ago. It seems the FKG converted him to the KG - as he originally bought the book to prepare as black! :) - April 7th, lately there's been a few reader reviews, including the first completely dissatisfied customer - well, there had to be one, eventually...
2/2-06 And here's another one: Amazon.de (a german reader's view of the FKG - im englisch though!)
