Standard Chess Openings

by Eric Schiller

Book by Schiller, Eric

Genres: Chess

768 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1998

Reviews

[Corey Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Widely criticized in comparison to other single-volume opening books like MCO, Eric Schiller's Standard Chess Openings actually takes a very different approach. The fact is, no single book can come close to being a comprehensive treatise on openings. And with today's computerized databases, this purpose is obsolete anyway. Schiller's book, in contrast, attempts to explain the key ideas behind the major openings with a small set of illustrative games. If you like to memorize variations, don't buy this book. If you like reviewing master games and want a single volume reference that provides a broad overview of the major opening systems, then you may want to take a closer look.

[Buffalonickel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agree with the other reviewers. Doesn't even come close to the detail and variations found in other chess opening books (ex. Modern Chess Openings).

Still, there's a flip side to this coin.

This book is actually kind of fun to read. You aren't just looking at countless variations of openings, but you are seeing real games utilizing those opening along with Schiller's instructive and thoughtful commentary regarding the same.