About this item
Highlights
- The Philidor Defense is a most popular opening at all levels.
- Author(s): Trigo Urquijo
- 452 Pages
- Games, Chess
- Series Name: Modernized
Description
Book Synopsis
The Philidor Defense is a most popular opening at all levels. In this first book Sergio brings a no-nonsense opening repertoire for players of all strenghts.
You will find this book nor only a useful handy guide but find it also loaded with an indispensable source of inspiring ideas.
Review Quotes
Those who favor positional play and
who have good endgame skills will want to take a look at The Modernized
Philidor Defense by
Spanish FIDE Master Sergio Trigo Urquijo.
The move order route to the mains
positions of the Philidor is via 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 as the older 1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 is strongly met by 4.dxe5 Nxe4 5.Qd5 Nc5 6.Bg5 and Black has
no way to equalize. The modern move-order does allow White to force a
queen-less middle game where Black has lost the right to castle via 1.e4 d6
2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8. After the further 6.Bc4 Be6 7.Bxe6
fxe6 White has also inflict doubled isolated e-pawns on the second player, and
yet practice has shown these positions to be quite playable for Black. His king
is closer to the center for the endgame and his e-pawns control many squares.
The author of The
Modernized Philidor Defense is not
well-known but has done an excellent job of covering not only the main lines of
the Philidor but the sidelines leading up to it.
claim that White has no forced draw in the Philidor. This is pretty much true,
but to the author's credit he does point out the following exception:
As played in Z. Ma
- Motylev, China 2013, and a half dozen other games. After 21.Ba7 or 21.Re1
White can pretty much complete the job of emptying the board. Of course, such
possibilities are found in pretty much all openings and have no effect on the
theoretical well-being of the Philidor.
IM John Donaldson, US Chess, 09.2021.
