FCO: FUNDAMENTAL CHESS OPENINGS (Paul van der Sterren)
480 pages (248 mm by 172 mm).
£19.99/$29.95/€27,00
* The perfect survival guide to the chess openings
* All
openings covered
* Detailed verbal explanations of plans for both sides
* Up-to-date and featuring many tips and recommendations
* Insights
into the 'character' of each opening
* Written by one of the world's
foremost opening experts
The first moves of a chess game define the nature of the
whole struggle, as both players stake their claim to the critical squares and
start to develop their plans. It is essential to play purposefully and to avoid
falling into traps or reaching a position that you don't understand.
This is not a book that provides masses of variations to
memorize. Paul van der Sterren instead offers a wealth of ideas and
explanation, together with the basic variations of each and every opening. This
knowledge will equip players to succeed in the opening up to good club level,
and provide a superb grounding in opening play on which to build a more
sophisticated repertoire. The strategies he explains will, unlike ever-changing
chess opening theory, remain valid as long as chess is played, and so the time
spent studying this book will be rewarded many times over.
Grandmaster Paul van der Sterren has won the Dutch
Championship on two occasions, and in 1993 reached the Candidates stage of the
World Chess Championship. He is an internationally renowned chess writer and
editor: he was one of the founding editors of New in Chess, for whose
Yearbooks he has contributed more than 150 opening surveys.
Download a pdf file with a
sample from the book.
"What this book does do is to give you ideas about how to
direct your opening studies. If you fancy taking up an opening, then there is
plenty of material here to allow you to research it. For juniors embarking on
this exciting hobby, then it is a wonderful 'one stop shop' tour of chess
openings without young players needing to resort to an encyclopaedic maze of
variations. Another impressive feature of this book is the index of variations,
and more importantly, the index of named variations - allowing players to find
out exactly what the basic theoretical standing of almost any variation happens
to be. I feel this book does fill a large gap in chess literature" - Munroe
Morrison, Open File
"I picked up some tips in openings which I had never fully
understood" - GM Ian Rogers, The Byron Shire Echo
"...an absolutely ideal addition to personal and
professional chess reference collections, and a highly recommended acquisition
for academic and community libraries as well." - James A Cox,
Midwest Book Review
"A brilliant book..." - Bob Long, Gilbert &
Lange
"...a brilliant brand-new book which does actually make a
very good attempt to summarise in one single volume the most important points
pertaining to all chess opening theory" - GM Paul Motwani, The
Scotsman
"It has been a daunting task to squeeze all chess openings
into one book and explain them well. One of the best books on the subject,
The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings, was written by American grandmaster
Reuben Fine 66 years ago. ... The Dutch grandmaster Paul van der Sterren has
taken Fine's idea into the 21st century. His book FCO: Fundamental Chess
Openings, ... is double the size of Fine's book. The Dutchman, one of the
best opening experts, has observed trends for the last three decades. His book
reflects the current standing of each opening and explains it logically in a
nice, readable style. Variations are kept to a minimum, but there are enough of
them to underscore the main ideas. The book should be an eye-opener for any
chess player who is interested in openings and curious about how far they have
progressed and where they are going." - GM Lubomir Kavalek, Washington
Post
"The format of the book is very friendly, openings very
clearly set out and identified, with the variations touched upon in short and
sweet sections. It is nicely written, does not bombard the reader with theory
or lengthy variations (which I think is wonderful as one should not try to run
before one can walk) yet it informs and guides at base level. A nice feature is
the opening key at the back, classified under the name of the opening, and
indexed with the covered variations. I am also impressed by the neutral
approach of Paul van der Sterren, an experienced chess writer, who steers away
from leading the reader in preference for objective guidance. ... should you
wish to gain a fundamental overview of the vast array of chess openings at base
level, this book just might be the best investment you could make currently.
This is precisely what it was intended to do" - John Lee Shaw,
Chess Check E-zine
"This door-stopper of a tome is an overview of all chess
openings by the Dutch grandmaster author who provides a textual explanation of
each system in turn, giving a thumbnail of the available variations. ... a good
introductory text for elementary or club players who want to sample the range
of openings. Readable and comprehensive." - John Saunders,
BCM
"An extensive work... the author doesn't drown us in
hundreds of opening variations, but explains the many ideas behind them, and
the strategies that flow from them. Van der Sterren's point is that whilst an
opening's theory can change, the general principles and character of the
opening don't" - Bab Wilders, Nederlands Dagblad
"...because of the focus on textual explanation rather than
detailed analysis it is very readable. It is clearly aimed at less experienced
players who wish to acquire an overview of chess opening theory, and gives a
good general grounding for those wanting to launch off into more detailed study
of a particular opening. A further point in its favour is that because it
sticks to general principles rather than concentrating on the latest theory it
will not become outdated almost before it has reached the shelves." - Alan
Sutton, En Passant
"In concise language, the author describes the origins and
ideas of all the openings, giving players a solid grasp of what they mean in
broad terms. This is really an ideal kind of book for the player who is new to
tournaments and wants to get on an even keel with most club players. Without
worrying about the latest variation in the Sveshnikov Sicilian that was just
unearthed in a tournament last month, the reader can instead try to grasp the
ideas behind the major openings and be prepared to face positions that might
arise from them." - Cecil Rosner, Winnipeg
Free Press
"Usually, opening tomes with three-letter acronyms ('MCO',
'BCO', 'ECO', 'NCO') focus are top heavy with variations at the expense of
explanatory notes. FCO boldly goes the other way. … an excellent
opportunity to learn the strategies and plans behind the openings rather than
merely learn large chunks of apparently motiveless moves." - Sean Marsh,
marshtowers.blogspot.com
"A modern day version of Reuben Fine's Ideas Behind the
Chess Openings, Fundamental Chess Openings primarily uses words to
describe the ideas and motivations behind different opening systems. The
emphasis is on understanding rather than memorization with van der Sterren
rarely going beyond move ten. The contents page shows that all major openings
are covered." - IM John Donaldson |
