The Dynamic English : The aggressive player's guide to a traditional chess opening

by Tony Kosten

Grandmaster Tony Kosten concentrates on aggressive treatments of the English - an approach that has brought him great success in tournament play. His book provides everything you need to start attacking with the English Opening, supplying players of the white pieces with a set of weapons that will equip them to challenge any opponent they face. There is an ideal balance of explanation and analysis, and practical examples illustrate the key themes.

Genres: Chess

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

Reviews

[zed · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am crap at chess. I spent a lot of money on books that I thought would at least make me competitive. Nothing worked. I think these chess books will all sit in a box gathering dust and one day I might get the urge to rejoin the local club and get butchered by 12 year olds so then may have a further look. (Generic review for all half finished chess books I will never finish)

[Serge Pierro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a revelation. I've become very comfortable in playing this opening. Kosten does a good job explaining the different variations. Though, there are times when I question his assessment of certain lines.

[Pete Farlam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've come to rely on Kosten's guide and have had some good wins with The English but also many losses. I agree with previous reviewers that TK can be a bit overly generous when evaluating some lines. For it's time though (first published 1999) it's an excellent guide to an interesting and challenging opening. But in the days of easily accessed computer analyses, quite a few of the lines don't seem to work. For example the Agincourt defence (e6) can be tricky as well as the Keres system.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally bought this as I used to play the English as white before switching to the King's Indian Attack for a year and it sort of made sense to have an alternative that I know. The similarities are the fianchetto of the King's Bishop. I like the book although I think Korsten is slightly generous in his assessment of some of the positions White ends up playing - there were a few where I'd pick the black pieces (a KID set up with pawns on e5 and f5) over white's position, if only because their strategy is more obvious.