Best Bob Wade era Hardback Batsford book

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Andrew Smith
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Re: Best Bob Wade era Hardback Batsford book

Post by Andrew Smith » Tue Jul 06, 2021 2:38 pm

Hi Geoff,
Yes, that would have been the book. I remember that name Eric Moskow. Was the book highly regarded ?
Andrew

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Paul Robert Jackson
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Re: Best Bob Wade era Hardback Batsford book

Post by Paul Robert Jackson » Tue Jul 06, 2021 2:51 pm

"I see earlier in this thread, there was talk of Hilary Thomas"
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Geoff Chandler
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Re: Best Bob Wade era Hardback Batsford book

Post by Geoff Chandler » Tue Jul 06, 2021 3:17 pm

Hi Andrew,

I liked it, it's full of good games and a wealth of ideas that can be used against all the Black fianchettoed defences.

Simon Gillam once gave me a copy of a Streatham and Brixton in house magazine (it was very good)
They reviewed the book pointing out as a joke a missed trick claiming Tony left it out so he could use it himself.

OK here we go, the Chandler Memory in action. I think it was this line.



I may have the move order wrong but the finish, the Queen sac and Rook sac is correct.

A good magazine that, it was from there I got the Estrin Gambit v the Dragon which I fine tuned into a good weapon.


John Townsend
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Re: Best Bob Wade era Hardback Batsford book

Post by John Townsend » Tue Jul 06, 2021 4:04 pm

Further to Geoff Chandler's post (earlier today, timed at 10:29 am), please note that Edward Winter discusses the CHESS articles and letters at https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/ext ... literature.

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Re: Best Bob Wade era Hardback Batsford book

Post by Geoff Chandler » Tue Jul 06, 2021 5:05 pm

Hi John,

Mr Winter does not give his 1984 Chess article in full, which as as I said is good but perhaps too long.

He does mention the article adding a part of Ray's reply saying it was '‘... severely weakened by factual inaccuracies.’
It came to light the only error being the 50 Sicilian books joke which Ray 'corrected.'

Mr Winter does end his original piece by saying British chess books are still the best in the western world
and Ray starts of his reply saying Mr Winter's motives are excellent.

You get the feeling if these two did not posses such huge personalities the ensuing war or words could have been avoided.
After Ray's reply Mr Winter struck back...and how!
It got quite heated with Mr Winter scoring with every letter but after a while the readers were getting fed up with it.

Who won? Mr Winter quite heavily on points, there was no knockout because B.H. Wood
(eventually) threw them both out of the ring, though he did let Mr Winter get in the last word.
In July 1986 we find Mr Wood apologising to his readers for keeping a 'rashly made promise' to Mr Winter that
he would publish yet another letter on this two year old debate, even then B.H. said he had trimmed it down a bit.

Two years! If this had been a twitter row it would have been over in two days.

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Matt Mackenzie
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Re: Best Bob Wade era Hardback Batsford book

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Tue Jul 06, 2021 5:13 pm

Twitter rows can most certainly last for years, young man :mrgreen:
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)

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Re: Best Bob Wade era Hardback Batsford book

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Tue Jul 06, 2021 5:22 pm

New In Chess sent me an advert for Nigel Short's new book, with some sample pages. If you look at the introduction, you will find mentions of Bob and HC Thomas.

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwy ... f/8450.pdf

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Re: Best Bob Wade era Hardback Batsford book

Post by Geoff Chandler » Wed Jul 07, 2021 10:48 am

Matt Mackenzie wrote:
Tue Jul 06, 2021 5:13 pm
Twitter rows can most certainly last for years, young man :mrgreen:
Hi Matt,

That does not surprise me. I do not have a twitter account.

Been calling around my 2nd bookshops and expect to get my Batsford 50 today. I was up at Pitlochry a few days ago
and saw a few in a bookshop there but I already had them. Also saw these giant stone chess pieces. £85.00 each.

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Nick Ivell
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Re: Best Bob Wade era Hardback Batsford book

Post by Nick Ivell » Wed Jul 07, 2021 11:05 am

Another good one is The Unknown Capablanca. Also, I learnt a lot from Aberbakh & Maizelis on K & P; bought for me by the late John Ripley.

The opening books never floated my boat, although I still have about 15 of them.

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Re: Best Bob Wade era Hardback Batsford book

Post by Geoff Chandler » Wed Jul 07, 2021 2:49 pm

Got it! My 50th. Batsford! It was sitting there in the Misc. Section along with other chess books.

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Already have 5 or 6 on the KID, Andrew Martin's is good. No reams of analysis, just ideas, encouragement and good luck. Perfect.
But it's not a Batsford (it is Caissa books) 'Tactics in the KID' by Gennady Nesis is a Batsford and also good.

I have 'Mayhem in the Morra.' by Marc Esserman, all opening books should be written in this style.
So I left that one alone. (though I may pick it up when and if ever I decide to for a century of Batsfords.)

The non-Batsford is the Goering Gambit. Batsford's 'Open Gambits' does a good job on pulling it's teeth.

So I went with the Budapest Gambit to make up my 50.
Because a lot of the dull faces these days now play the London (I play a KID v everything 'cept 1.e4.) I doubt if I'll even open it.
That book, some Sci-fi books, a few DVD's and CD's, haggled and got the lot for £7.00.

Is the Unknown Capablanca a Batsford? No, just checked, it a Dover. (bless them, they did some great books.)

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Re: Best Bob Wade era Hardback Batsford book

Post by Nick Ivell » Wed Jul 07, 2021 3:10 pm

My Unknown Capa is Batsford. Hardback.

As I recall, Dover were all paperbacks. They probably deserve a separate thread, but my favourite was the Tarrasch games (by Reinfeld I think).

Does anyone read the Batsford opening books now? I only keep them because they look nice on the shelf.

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Re: Best Bob Wade era Hardback Batsford book

Post by Geoff Chandler » Wed Jul 07, 2021 7:48 pm

Nick Ivell wrote:
Wed Jul 07, 2021 3:10 pm
Does anyone read the Batsford opening books now? I only keep them because they look nice on the shelf.
Hi Nick,

So Batsford did do an 'Unknown Capablanca', (that was unknown to me)
Dover must have bought it and brought out a revised paperback.

BC0, MCO and NCO. I take them out every now and then to see the sights.
Here they are at the statue to Greyfriars Bobby

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and at the museum.

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feeding the pigeons.

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Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Best Bob Wade era Hardback Batsford book

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Wed Jul 07, 2021 10:16 pm

"Does anyone read the Batsford opening books now? I only keep them because they look nice on the shelf."

I think a lot of them were useful at the time, (as that's all you had), unless you kept your own opening files. I recently found 20 ring binders worth and chucked them out... Now you can download up to date games and get chessbase (e.g.) to tell you what % score relates to each move, maybe less so. However, Chessbase doesn't explain the ideas, which is where books can still be useful. Also, you can still catch people out by playing 1970s opening theory which is not on databases.

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Matt Mackenzie
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Re: Best Bob Wade era Hardback Batsford book

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Thu Jul 08, 2021 12:10 am

Or even better if possible, pre mid-1960s theory that isn't in Informators.
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)

Tim Harding
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Re: Best Bob Wade era Hardback Batsford book

Post by Tim Harding » Fri Jul 09, 2021 4:40 pm

Nick Ivell wrote:
Wed Jul 07, 2021 3:10 pm
My Unknown Capa is Batsford. Hardback.

As I recall, Dover were all paperbacks. They probably deserve a separate thread, but my favourite was the Tarrasch games (by Reinfeld I think).
,..
Dover is a reprint house. They don't publish original titles but quite often have incorporated revisions and additional material in their editions.
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