Reviews
ISSUE 2004 . 3 PAGE 8
Chess Book Reviews
A First Book of Morphy
by Frisco Del Rosario . Reviewed by Eric Schiller Trafford , 2004 . 213 pages . $ 18.95
Frisco Del Rosario , former editor of the California Chess Journal , possesses considerable skills as a writer and teacher . This collection of annotated games benefits greatly from his excellent prose . The author combines Morphy ' s games with instructional chess concepts from Reuben Fine and Cecil Purdy . The volume is chock full of helpful tips and advice ( with some exceptions , noted below ). Explanations are available for all important moves , and this is without doubt the most accessible and readable collection of Morphy games . In addition , entire sections are devoted to explaining key concepts of the game , and the author doesn ' t hesitate to use examples from other players when necessary . The layout of
the book is very readable .
Unfortunately , there are a few things which render the book inappropriate for beginners , making the title of the book a bit misleading . For some reason , abbreviated notation without capture or check indicators is used , and the diagrams do not include coordinates . Morphy ' s games are ideal for beginners , no doubt about it . However , some of the games are presented in chapters headed by " rules " that have long been discredited . For example , we see such things as " Don ' t move the same piece twice in the opening if you can help it ." This of course rules out 4 . Ng5 in the Two Knights , a very popular and effective opening for beginners . Develop knights before bishops ? That hasn ' t applied for a long , long time . " The easiest endgames to win are pure pawn endgames " is just nonsense ! The easy endgames are things like queen and rook vs . bare king . Pawn endgames can be tremendously complex , unless you have a few extra . The uncritical repetition of bad or unjustified advice really takes the book down a peg . Many of the rules are just advice . How can you have a rule " develop with threats " when in most cases that simply isn ' t possible . I have dealt with many of these issues in my Encyclopedia of Chess Wisdom , pointing out numerous cases
where the ancient chestnuts don ' t apply , or are simply wrong .
I highly recommend this book to players with a skill level high enough not to be misled by some of the " rules ". Most students who have achieved a rating of 1000 or higher will benefit most from the book . The book can be used in courses or private instruction , as long as there is a teacher who can warn against some of the misleading " rules ". Get it as a well-written collection of Morphy games , ignore the " rules ", and you will
have an enjoyable learning experience .
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