"I've been consulting Richard Moody on various chess openings for about
25 years. Today, Richard is an unrelenting opening researcher, well skilled in using all tools of the trade -- books, databases,
Fritz. His book is another proof that one doesn't have to be a Master to make important discoveries. And making your own opening
theory is one of the surest paths to success in chess." - Lev Alburt, International Grandmaster, Three time U.S. Champion
Review by John Jerz
The first thing you notice when you open Richard Moody's Magic
is the large number of diagrams of chess positions. For a book composed of analysis of many new variations, this is a great
idea. I had half-expected to have to play out all of Moody's lines on my chessboard, but the diagram concept allows the reader
to "surf" through the many variations presented and to decide which ones are of interest. Anyone presenting analysis of variations
in the game of chess should follow Moody's lead and use lots of diagrams - it makes things easier for the reader.
Moody uses Fritz 8 to examine many opening variations, and uses long time
controls to let the machine fully explore the possibilities. Perhaps Moody can re-examine some of his lines with Rybka and
confirm that his analysis holds. I am still plowing through many of the variations and will have to report back here when
I have more concrete conclusions on the accuracy of his analysis. It just takes time to confirm whether the analysis is accurate.
For example, Moody looks at the Berliner variation and analyzes 13.Qf2 Nb4 14.Na3 and concludes that this line is bad for
white because he (playing white) lost to Fritz 8 some 80 out of 81 times. However, AJ Goldsby and I have analyzed variations
stemming from 14.Bxb5+, which are an improvement for white.
What you get: a lot of great ideas. Why someone has not done this before
is beyond me. A.J. Goldsby has an extensive collection of analysis of previously played games, but new ideas in opening theory
is generally not found in this depth.
Moody presents his conceptual view of chess and chess theory, which includes
his view that chess in not a science, and that codifying one's beliefs does not make one a scientist. The true test of his
analysis may come from correspondence chess games, where the players have time to let Rybka or other top chess software run
for many dozens of hours.
Even if you just play chess over the board, Magic contains ideas
that can be tried against unsuspecting opponents. Time will tell how magical these lines are. The world of chess
should have more people like Richard Moody, who are willing to explore the untested waters of modern opening theory.
