Opening Reviews and Other Articles

This section of the site will gradually expand to include relatively large articles on a range of chess topics and is designed to compliment the topics discussed in the generally much shorter monthly articles.

Building your own database-discusses the pros and cons of chess study using databases and the advantages of building your own base (a zipped Word document). September 2001.

A review of the Tarrasch Gambit -a detailed discussion of this unexplored way for white to meet the Tarrasch Defence (a zipped Chessbase .cbv file). December 2001(games to August 2001).

Experiences with and analysis of the Von Hennig-Schara Gambit-a review of some lines of this very sharp reply to 1.d4 (a zipped .pgn file). March 2002.

The Zollner Gambit against the Sicilian -a review of this under-rated line against the Dragon or Accelerated Dragon openings (a zipped Chessbase .cbv file). March 2003.

Example Articles from Correspondence Chess News-comprising mine (A Little Bit of Nostalgia-Chess in War Time Britain 1943-45) and Michael Jensen's (Gambiteer's Apology) contribution to issue 100 (zipped .pdf format). December 2003.

A Postal Chess Method-a summary of the method I used (and still use) to increase my rating to International Master level in correspondence play (zipped Word document). November 2004.

Svenonius' line (7...cxd4 and 8...Bc5) of the Tarrasch Defence-a review of this sharp and complex black line favoured by Keres and in which black often sacrifices the d5 pawn (a zipped Chessbase .cbv file) August 2005.

The Rise of Women in Chess-This series part published in the e-zine "Chess Chronicle" comprised 5 parts as follows. Part 3 is offered as a small tribute to the talent of the late Jessie Gilbert (as a zipped Word document), whilst Part 5, my loss to WGM and World Correspondence Championship finalist Ingrida Priedite  (as a zipped Chessbase .cbv file), remained unpublished due to the demise of this magazine. (other parts comprising wins versus Policewoman K.Donaghue (Part 1 ), a win versus WGM and World Correspondence finalist Mary Jones (Part 2), and my loss against WGM/IM Jovanka Houska (Part 4) are available on request). September 2006.

The Pros and Cons of Tripled Pawns- a theoretical treatment of tripled pawns which occurs much more frequently in practice than I had initially realised before writing this article. This study of advantages and disadvantages of this type of pawn structure was originally published in Correspondence Chess News 67.  This edition of CCN also includes other articles such as New Ideas in the Dragon by IM Marius Ceteras. February 2010.