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The Essential Center Counter: A Practical Guide for Black
The Center Counter can be aggressive and dangerous. It immediately challenges White from the get-go (1. e4 d5!) and it is making a comeback! Because of Andrew Martin's 2... Qxd5, the Center Counter also doesn't require a mountain of memorization nor knowledge to learn it and use it.
In 10 chapters you are guided through declined and accepted variations. Transpositional variations from non-CC games such as the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit are not just investigated, they are taken apart.
36 games are annotated in the friendly style that Andrew Martin is known forhis writing makes you want to play this system!
- GenresChess
Paperback
Published September 1, 2004
About the author
Andrew Martin
33 booksLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 18, 2023
Excellent book.
The book focuses on 3...Qa5 Var. It's not a theory dump with vast amounts of GM lines. It's a practical approach to the Center Counter defense
Mr. Martin approaches the Defense with a few specific lines, and details Black's options when White deviates. I'm not a high rated player, so I was looking for a Book that would teach me the "why's i.e. the concepts... not blast me with high level theory that is way above my playing level. Mr. Marttin explains the concepts of the defense in laymen's terms, writing in an entertaining format also. Because the book was so good... I went front cover to back cover, for me, that's pretty rare for a chess book. I often go back to it as a reference (& write notes in it)
I think it's one of the best Chess opening books I have read, hence the review.
The book focuses on 3...Qa5 Var. It's not a theory dump with vast amounts of GM lines. It's a practical approach to the Center Counter defense
Mr. Martin approaches the Defense with a few specific lines, and details Black's options when White deviates. I'm not a high rated player, so I was looking for a Book that would teach me the "why's i.e. the concepts... not blast me with high level theory that is way above my playing level. Mr. Marttin explains the concepts of the defense in laymen's terms, writing in an entertaining format also. Because the book was so good... I went front cover to back cover, for me, that's pretty rare for a chess book. I often go back to it as a reference (& write notes in it)
I think it's one of the best Chess opening books I have read, hence the review.
Displaying 1 of 1 review