Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

[Geoff Chandler]

"...to deal with all the alternative move orders that the reader is likely to meet. Lakdawala can't be bothered to do any of these things."

Sounds like my type of guy. Slap-Dash chess writing is the new black.
People who buy opening books looking for a quick fix deserve to be treated like this.

To be fair it would be impossible to give every alternative move (cue enormous figure of possible positions after 10 moves.)
And the reader should be prepared to put some work in for themselves spotting and sorting out what they expect to see.

Recently I came across this position from a Caro Kann or Centre Counter (Black to play)

rnbqkbnr/pp2pppp/2p5/3p4/4P3/2N2N2/PPPP1PPP/R1BQKB1R b KQkq - 0 3

And was wondering about the obvious 3...d4 which I thought looked dodgy but to be expected.
I did a quick scan through Keith's games (he is my online Caro expert) according to my D.B.
Keith has had the above position 8 times between 1989 and 2018 and did not play 3...d4. (it is dodgy)
Keith probably has more games from this position but my D.B. is basically chessgames.com

I do not have a Caro Kann book, even 2nd hand copies I shun (I'm hard up...not fed up.)
So I had to do some research for myself to get some ideas. I scanned the RHP database.
4½ million games between under 1800 players. Found a genuine masterpiece and then a good role model game.

Speaking of second hand shops, I recently picked up a magical chess ring. When I put it on...



I'm Chess Trap Man!



Caro Kann games here: https://www.redhotpawn.com/chess-blog/t ... r-hero.438

[Jonathan Bryant]

"...to deal with all the alternative move orders that the reader is likely to meet. Lakdawala can't be bothered to do any of these things."

People who buy opening books looking for a quick fix deserve to be treated like this.

I don’t disagree with this per se. I couldn’t pass any comment on the quality of his analysis. I’ve never been able to read long enough. He writes like a socially inept 12-year-old who has had their prose run through google translate from English to Bulgarian and back again

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Jonathan,

Now he really does sound like lad I can relate too. Just seen this posted 'review'.



'I bought his book about Larsen and I was shocked by the florid, diverting writing style.
Was he racing to reach 400 pages? I do not think I shall become a regular customer of his.'

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/kibitzi ... 7&reply=32

Further down the same poster, two years later...

'I tried the book a second time and I now think that it is the worst chess book I have ever held in my hands.'

You can get a peek inside here.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Larsen-Move-Cy ... 1781942013

rnbqkbnr/ppp2ppp/8/3pp3/8/5NP1/PPPPPPBP/RNBQK2R b KQkq - 0 3

"Aren't we all not shackled by the inertia of our own nature? Larsen, an innate trouble maker on the board,
decides to weird it up at the outset by inviting Geller into a reversed Alekhine's Defence." (page 22)

Brilliant.

[Jonathan Bryant]

You can get a peek inside here.

I think I’ll pass, thanks.

[Jacques Parry]

Anyone who disputes the assertion that Lakdawala is the worst chess writer currently practising needs to nominate another contender for that title. I honestly can't think of anyone who is in the same league.

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Jaques,

I would not touch one of his opening books on principle...the principle being I have 100's of bloody opening books 99% of them 2nd hand.

But books on players games I 'm up for and that sentence I used. I read it a couple of times to make sure I understood
what the lad was striving to say. And there is the rub. It stuck. Larsen trying to 'weird it up' is modern street speak.
Whereas other writers on game, who all appear to have subscribed to the same correspondence course of chess writing
(Andrew Martin a notable exception) would have all chimed in with 'Larsen is seeking complications.' or such like.

I am not obliged to nominate another author because Lakdawala is no worse or better than any other...he's different that is all.

[JustinHorton]

. Larsen trying to 'weird it up' is modern street speak.

I had no idea you were versed in "modern street speak", Geoff

Lakdawala is no worse or better than any other...he's different that is all.

Being actively incoherent isn't really "different", it's objectively worse.

[dejan_lekic]

Since you guys know how it should be done, please write something so that we can have better alternatives to the Lakdawala books!

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Justin,

Yes. I'm known as Mr Cool in my neck of the woods. I skateboard, wear baggy trousers, my baseball hat back to front and call everyone 'Dude.'

You Dudes all have a Happy New Year.

( a new book idea for Cyrus: 'Cool Chess Openings for Cool Dudes' )

[Jacques Parry]

"...to deal with all the alternative move orders that the reader is likely to meet. Lakdawala can't be bothered to do any of these things."

Sounds like my type of guy. Slap-Dash chess writing is the new black.
People who buy opening books looking for a quick fix deserve to be treated like this.

Not everyone who buys a repertoire book is looking for a quick fix. Even if they are, do they deserve to be fleeced? If a book purports to provide a complete repertoire,(*) and doesn't, the author is either a knave or a fool.

To be fair it would be impossible to give every alternative move (cue enormous figure of possible positions after 10 moves.)

Straw man. I spoke of moves which the reader is likely to meet.

* The Everyman website makes this claim in relation to Lakdawala's latest book on the Modern Defence, except that it misspells "repertoire" (clearly their slapdash editing isn't confined to their books). But then they also claim to be "the world’s preeminent chess publisher", which, considering that their recent output consists largely of Lakdawala and repackaged books from the previous decade, is perhaps questionable.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"You Dudes all have a Happy New Year."

I thought in Scotland you don't say that until it is the new year?

That picture of Larsen makes him look terrified, almost as if he is thinking, "I'm one of the best players in the world, maybe "the best", but I have this bad feeling that someone will write a bad book about me."

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Kevin,

Up here at the moment that is the war cry: 'Have a Happy New Year.'

This is for people you might not see again for a week or two.

The hand shaking of complete strangers and kissing of women will start in 24 hours.

[O.G. Urcan]

Since I am not a subscriber to the BCM (I see only occasional issues electronically), may I ask what corrections, if any, the magazine has published?
With thanks,
- O.G. Urcan

As my question of a week ago has not been answered, I assume that the BCM has published no corrections at all. The offending article was by Jimmy Adams in the May 2019 BCM: an 11-page defence of Raymond Keene. There were countless misstatements, but I did count the number of times my name was misspelt: 23.

- O.G. Urcan

[Kevin Thurlow]

I have heard worse complaints about the BCM of recent years.

Was it the same mistake 23 times, or a variety of spellings?

[Alex Holowczak]

Since I am not a subscriber to the BCM (I see only occasional issues electronically), may I ask what corrections, if any, the magazine has published?
With thanks,
- O.G. Urcan

As my question of a week ago has not been answered, I assume that the BCM has published no corrections at all.

This may be a faulty assumption. You asked on the English Chess Forum about what corrections the magazine had published. I imagine that even amongst subscribers to the magazine who read this Forum, people may have had other priorities over the past week than wading through back copies of BCM for you.