Chess Explained: The Nimzo-Indian
By Reinaldo Vera
Reinaldo Vera comes from Cuba and gained his grandmaster title in 1988. He has won the Cuban Championship on two occasions and was a member of the Cuban national team for more than two decades. Vera graduated from Havana University, and has written for many chess magazines, including New in Chess, Jaque and Peon de Rey. He is also a FIDE Senior Trainer, and the coach of the Cuban team.
Chess Explained books provide an understanding of an opening and the middlegames to which it leads, enabling you to find the right moves and plans in your own games. It is as if you were sitting at the board with a chess coach answering your questions about the plans for both sides, the ideas behind particular moves, and what specific knowledge you need to have.
The Nimzo-Indian is one of the most important of all chess openings, and popular at all levels of play. Together with the Queen's Indian (also covered in this series), the Nimzo has provided the backbone of the opening repertoire of a large portion of the world's top players over the last 80 years. It is considered a fully reliable defence, and provides winning chances for both sides as it leads to structures of great strategic variety and complexity. Key battlegrounds in the Nimzo include the blockade, IQP positions, the handling of unbalanced pawn-structures, and the struggle between bishop and knight. All these topics are covered in depth in this book, and an understanding of them will prove valuable in a much broader context than just the Nimzo-Indian.
Vera splits the Nimzo-Indian into 7 sections...
1. Samisch Variation: 4.a3 or 4.f3
2. Capablanca Variation: 4.Qc2 d5!?
3. Capablanca Variation: 4.Qc2 0-0
4. Rubinstein System: 4.e3 0-0: Variations with Ne2
5. Rubinstein System: 4.e3 0-0 with Bd3 and Nf3
6. Fianchetto Variation: 4.g3 or 4.Nf3 c5 5.g3
7. Leningrad Variation (4.Bg5) and Other Lines
As customary with this series there is a short introduction where Vera tells a little about the ideas and different plans that can be adopted. In addition each chapter has a more indepth look at the basics of its line and the sub variations considered. Next up are the annotated games. This is the meat of the book - the games are mostly all recent high level encounters which gives nice up to date material. At the end of each chapter is a conclusion where Vera sums up the content of the chapter and offers a few concluding ideas.
All together it is a great work. Vera does an excellent job of explaining the ideas and plans not just giving raw analysis. This makes the book interesting and informative. Definitely a good investment for anyone wishing to work on this important and complex opening.
NSG Rating = 9.2 of 10