The Philidor is a dynamic and underrated answer to White’s most popular opening move, 1 e4. Christian Bauer, himself a renowned Philidor expert, uncovers the secrets behind this intriguing opening. Using his own experience and other top-class Philidor games, Bauer identifies both the critical main lines and the tricky sidelines. He also examines the key tactical and strategic ideas for both White and Black, while highlighting crucial issues such as move-order options – a major weapon for the modern Grandmaster.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - To begin with, let me state that...
...I have not seen this book, so this will be a review of the
Philidor Defense itself. My experience has been that many players
of intermediate or lower ranking play this defense because it
seems to be solid. But they don't realize that the Pawn on d6
blocks the KB and leaves Black with a cramped game. The Philidor
is certainly not unsound, but I don't think it gives Black much.
I rarely have any trouble playing White against it. Someone who
wants to ... Read More
Rating: - Detailed coverage of a wild opening
The Philidor had a reputation as being "dead" for so many reasons. However, using the Pirc move order some interesting and wild positions can be achieved if you have a strong heart.
First, this book is not for beginners or even average tournament players. It will take a lot of work, experience, and insight to get through the dense material. Just reading the main sections, it seems apparent (from an experienced chess coach's perspective), that you would need to be a very high B class ... Read More
Rating: - Dennis L. Wilson is wrong!
This book has its faults. No bibliography, a lot of the lines are just database dumps and there are comp improvements. However, what the reviewer Dennis L. Wilson claims is just plain wrong. I ran an analysis with Fritz 8 with 600 seconds per move and it comes up with = (0.13). Black is OK indeed. Black simply plays 17. _ Qd8 and there is no danger at all. I would give this books 4 stars but to offset Mr. Wilson I give it 5. One has to work to get the best out of this book. There is no introduction ... Read More
Rating: - Does anyone actually check the analysis
This book is voluminous, but useless. The best example I can give is found on page 270 in the note after move 14. Bxd6. Bauer pulls out a game and goes on to state that black is okay after 16. Nxd5 exd5!. If this is all the better he plays and analyzes then he ought to use a computer program. It would have found 17. Be3. The whole line is busted at this point due to the check on e6.
In going over some of this against the shredder chess program on the net, I can only conclude that this ... Read More
Rating: - A slightly off-beat defense!
Certainly, the Philidor is not the Sicilian, and it is not intended to be. But if you enjoy a patient game, playing to equalize and perhaps obtain a nice position, in an opening that is definitely overlooked and underrated, this is a great book to introduce the Philidor. The author explores the major variations, and makes good suggestions as to some of the more difficult lines. He refers to the earlier Tony Kosten bookWinning With the Philidor (Batsford Chess Library), as well as to the LionLion the ... Read More
- To begin with, let me state that...
- Detailed coverage of a wild opening
- Does anyone actually check the analysis
