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Last update: Friday June 3, 2005 9:44
by Gary Lane
Everyman, 144 pages,
£14.99
The Vienna
Game remains a slightly under-rated line against 1 e4 e5. This work should,
however, go some way to readdressing that view, and Lane shows that the Vienna
can be a fairly easy line to learn and understand for the club player.
The Vienna is a opening which suits all types of players, as White can either opt for a quiet struggle with much maneuvering, or go for one of a number of sharp gambits. Black may be well placed in the 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 f4 d5 line, but instead 3 g3 appears to offer White excellent chances for an edge. This work is also important for those who opt for the Bishops Opening with 2 Bc4, as this often transposes to 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Bc4 Nc6 4 d3 when White has chances for an edge with 4...Bc5 5 f4 or 4...Bb4 5 Nge2. In both these lines, and also often after 3.g3, White may appear to be playing fairly quietly but should Black remain passive then he is likely to be blown away on the kingside.
Overall Lane does a good job of updating Vienna theory, such as by showing that the Pierce Gambit (2 Nc3 Nc6 3 f4 exf4 4 Nf3 g5 5 d4), which can also be reached via a King's Gambit move order, is now rather unsound. Throughout he explains the main ideas behind each line very thoroughly and clearly, but in some places, and especially in the chapter on the well-named Frankenstein-Dracula variation (2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Bc4 Nxe4 4 Qh5 Nd6 5 Bb3 Nc6 6 Nb5 g6 7 Qf3 f5 8 Qd5 Qe7 9 Nxc7+ Kd8 10 Nxa8 b6), a little more detailed analysis would not have gone amiss. For those wanting an easy to play line offering attacking potential against 1 e4 e5 then this work should help, whilst there are many tricky sidelines which should serve readers well as dangerous surprise weapons.
Richard Palliser