From the Publisher
About 10 months ago, Nery approached me. We already knew each other; Nery
had been my student in group online classes for about 2 years. Nery’s main goal
and desire is to help chess lovers like himself. Let’s say we don’t know the theory
beyond moves 8-10 and, in many cases, after 5-6 moves we find it difficult to make
the right choice. We are also not interested in studying all these complex and long
variations, it does not bring us pleasure, and we only want to understand the criteria
that we can rely on in choosing a move or plan in opening positions that are
critical for us. Nery came to this idea thanks to numerous positions from many of
his games in which he found it difficult to make a quick and correct decision. The
analysis of these positions after the game, and the conclusions made together
with his coach or the computer, or even independently, brought invaluable experience
for making further correct decisions in the opening.
Dear chess friends, he wants to share this experience with you.
I’m sure you will enjoy reading this book.
Play chess and love chess!!!
GM Vitali Golod, May 2024.
I am sure we are all familiar with the uncomfortable experience of cramming in a large amount of opening theory into the memory banks, only to be surprised and disappointed when our opponents vary from the main lines very early on, leaving us not only regretting spending so much time memorizing so many moves but also wondering how we are supposed to get the better of the position to punish our opponents for their ‘crimes.
One problem is that theory books won’t spend time and space covering very early deviations in any kind of depth. Another problem is that even if they do, we tend to skim over the material very quickly, believing we could easily find the best rejoinders over the board. Everything seems much easier ‘in the quiet of our study.’ It takes discipline to start thinking differently about the problem and to try then and fix it, enabling us to exploit the small deviations from theory.
Moves 3 to 10: Understanding the Opening Phase for Improving Chess Players by Nery Strasman, deals exclusively with the problem – and how to meet it head-on instead of ducking away. The reader is tested, via a series of positions – without any clues – on how to get the better position if the opponent tries to vary from the standard opening moves. It is usually not a large advantage – we are talking about big, early blunders here – but it is often enough to enable us to look forward to the middle game with more confidence.
In other positions, it is all about not stumbling over early problems and slipping into a poor position. Essentially, this book will prove helpful to anyone who ever finds themselves feeling uncomfortable between the third and tenth moves, even if it is only infrequently. That probably applies to every chess player in the world! It is worth spending some time studying each of the positions in the book, as they are all very instructive and some of them will undoubtedly be familiar to club and tournament players. The answers take the time to explain why certain tempting moves are not as effective as the correct answers.
You will have to buy the book to read and enjoy the full explanations (and to discover the other 148 positions), but I think it would be a very worthwhile purchase. I think this is an excellent and unusual book, which will repay serious study. Next time your opponent plays an early move you recognize as not part of the mainline theory, you will have more opportunities to turn the position in your favor.
Sean Marsh, August 2024, Forward Chess.
First off, it is not a theoretical treatise in any way, shape or form. The reader isn’t here to learn screeds of variations he or she is not going to understand. Rather, it consists of 150 opening positions where the reader is invited to consider what is going on and find a move for White or Black, then see whether it is right, wrong or anywhere in between. The author again: ‘My suggestion is to try and think which moves are best to play but also why others may be mistakes.’ This might not be as easy as it sounds, and our inexperienced friend will have to invest some time in doing so.
The real value of the book lies in the author’s clear, detailed explanations of what is going on in each one and what might lead a player to the right or wrong continuation. To this end there is LOTS of lucid prose which couldn’t fail to help newbies and less experienced players understand what is required when considering what move, or type of move, they should be looking for in a given position.
The book is superbly produced, a sturdy, attractive hardback with clear text and diagrams in single-column format. There is an index of openings which allows readers to identify (if they know the names!) which opening a given position arose from and how often a particular opening might produce a position or type of position worthy of deeper consideration. If the author’s name isn’t familiar (it wasn’t to me), he is an amateur player and student of Israeli GM Vitali Golod who provided the foreword. His sole aim in writing the book was to share his experiences in decision making with other chess lovers – and he does it well.
It’s the sort of book I wish I’d had when I was starting out, and I recommend it wholeheartedly to newcomers (of any age!) to our wonderful game or any inexperienced players taking their early steps in club or competitive chess. Absorb the lessons contained herein and enjoy the resulting improvement.
Ian Marks, Scottish Chess, March 2025
