The Colle (Starting Out Series) [Paperback]

As far as I know this is by far the best and the most complete book covering the "Colle System".

In the introduction the author is honest to say that the "Colle System", the "Colle" for short, is an easy opening to learn and with knowledge of a little theory and some typical motifs, one can be pretty successful with it up to a certain level".

"Quite simple at + 2600 level, the likely absence of strategically middle game mistakes in the Colle, aligned to good theoretical knowledge and defensive technique, means that White's wining chances are pretty slim in comparison with the sharper e4 and d4 main lines in vogue at the highest level".

So if you are not a titled player but just a poor mortal - like me - the "Colle" by Richard Palliser is a God sent gift.

Palliser avoids one trap that many authors of previous "Colle" books have fallen into - which is over simplify things for White and just ignore the critical replies available for the Black pieces conductor.

Palliser in this 5 stars book gives the reader all tools to take up the "Colle" with a small amount of theory and lots of instructive and deeply analyzed games, with an objective and balanced presentation and discussion of suggestions and ideas for BOTH sides.

As Palliser wrote "the key challenge to your author is to instruct the reader in the main ideas of the Colle, while at same point not neglecting Black's best defenses and ways for White to then play the resulting positions".

At this point I would like to quote GM Nigel Short foreword in "Play the Ruy Lopez" book by GM Andres Greet, which should apply 100% - in my opinion - to any and all openings manuals : "I will let you into a little secret: objective speaking, Andrew's book is not the complete answer to White's search for a guaranteed opening advantage. That should not worry you though. The most important thing, at any level, is to know more than you opponent. By studying this book and understanding, the ideas and not just attempting to remember precise sequences of moves, you will be very well placed. Enjoy it".

Keeping in mind this excellent piece of advice, please note that Palliser's book is presented as follows, after a bibliography and a very instructive introduction.

PART ONE

1 - Black Plays ... c5 and ... Nc6.

(Note: after discussing the early moves and transpositions - in my opinion this is the back bone of the book - Palliser goes deeply into the "8 dxc5" variation and into the "endgame").

2 - The Main Line with 9 ... Qc7.

(Note: The high lights of this Chapter, after the introduction, are "white plays Qe2", "restraining e5 with 10 ... Bd6" and the "modern defence: "10 ... h6").

3 - Black Plays ... c5 and ... Nbd7.

(Note: Here the author main concern is the various ... Bd5 and ... Be7 set-ups, plus the "Stonewalling").

4 - Other Black Set-ups after 3 ... e6.

(Note: Here the author deals mainly with the Black Queen Bishop fianchetto, either on move four or latter on, and with what he calls passive answers on move 4 like ... Be7,... a6 and 4... c5).

PART TWO

5 - Black's Third Move Alternatives.

(Note: Here the author analyzes the so called "Anti-Colle" third moves, ... Bg4,...Bf5, ...g6 and ... c5).

6 - Black delays ...Nf6.

(Note: Here the author concentrates in second moves alternatives for Black like ...Bf5 - Baltic Style -, ... Nc6 - Chigorin Style -, ...c5, ... Bg5 and ...e6 - when Black deviates from the Colle main lines at an early stage of the game -).

Basically every Chapter starts with an easy to follow "Main Ideas" discussion, with lots of helpful tips and warnings, followed by a "Theoretical Conclusion" paragraph and is ended with the deeply annotated illustrative games section (there are 31 complete games presented in the book).

Besides that I must say that Palliser wrote the book in a very colorful and instructive language, as he was friendly addressing face to face to the reader. This is a big plus for chess fans like me that - as everybody already knows - are not native English speakers.

All in all every chess student above the complete novice level up to 2,200 Fide rating will definitively considerably improve his her understanding of the Royal Game after studying this rare piece of jewelry.



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For years, "Winning with the Colle System" was the "Bible" for Colle Players, and Gary Lane did a decent update of that in "The Ultimate Colle." Palliser, however, is really the first person in a long time to devote an entire book to the c3-Colle. (Note, if you are looking for the b3-Colle, the Colle-Zukertort, you might be interested in my book instead:Zuke 'Em-The Colle Zukertort Revolutionized: A chess opening system for everyone, now bullet-proofed with new ideas)

Palliser does something that is very rare in books on offbeat openings: he is honest with the reader. Because he is also looking for generally easy-to-remember ideas, and hence does not go in for the most ambitious options all the time, this means he has to admit that White has landed in an "equal" position pretty often. (For example, after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e3 Bf5 he does not officially suggest the best line, 4.c4, but rather the easier to study 4.Bd3. True to his nature, he even admits that 4.c4 is better and gives a little coverage for those who wish to play it.)

This book is excellent if you are looking for a single system to use against everything, even if it means not getting as good a position as you could. You can't have it both ways. You can either write a book that marries the Colle to a few other systems to flesh out a more ambitious repertoire, or you can build a mentality of using the Colle all the time, even when it isn't the greatest system. Palliser generally does the second, but he gives ideas and side-bar type excursions for those who want to play something more ambitious during those lines when the Colle might not give great results.

The one fly in this ointment is that the layout and presentation is simply awful! I can hardly do justice to how bad this book looks as you read through it. I'm not talking about the overall "high-level" organization here; Palliser does a fine job with that. I'm talking more about the presentation, typefacing, and the low-level organization within each chapter. On every other page there are diagrams that pop up in the midst of one train of thought or variation but are actually showing the picture of another line on another page!
The ideas and language are good, but it looks like someone took a well-organized book with good analysis and clear language...then did a bunch of random cut and pastes every few pages and then just decided to wreak havoc with the fonts to make the whole thing look like it was published in the 1960s or something.

Let me get back to what Palliser does well, for this really is a great book. (In general, Palliser writes very good books. He and Matthew Sadler are just amazing.)

In this book you will find:
i) The only full-length treatment to the c3-Colle available anywhere. (Many books bizarrely put the two different colle's in the same book.)
ii) Honest evaluations of the lines.
iii) A pretty complete repertoire that even shows you how to make the most out of a bad situation when your opponent plays an "anti-Colle"
iv) Original ideas and solutions to known problems for Colle players
v) A very nice "focus" on club-level players.

To give an example of these last points, Palliser suggests as one option a way to reach the Gruenfeld after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nf3 g6. Some would say "Why would I want to play a standard Gruenfeld setup here? That's very far outside the realm of the Colle system." This is true, but Palliser points out that most club players who know the Gruenfeld are unlikely to play 1...d5. [Of course, at higher levels, you could get your face eaten off thinking this way...which is one reason 3...g6 is a real problem for Colle Players.]

If you are a club player who wants an easy-to-learn opening system, this book is as good as any and better than most.

"Starting out: The Colle," by Richard Palliser is another one in publisher Everyman Chess's Starting Out series. Palliser is a British International Master with a rating of 2407. The Colle is an opening system for White. There are 2 main variations of the Colle, the Colle-Koltanowski and the Zukertort. This book covers the Koltanowski.

Palliser wrote this book for the club player. "Club" players are those basically under master level and above beginner, who play primarily for fun. They might be members of a local chess club, or just play on-line or against friends. Anyone with a basic knowledge of chess can understand and follow the text. He uses a lot of chess terminology, but anyone with a basic knowledge of chess can understand and follow the text.

The book is well organized in a sort of "Dummies Guide" layout complete with warnings and helpful hints. The index of Variations in back is nicely outlined and easy to use. For the move variations, it references the specific page for the text and example games. His explanations in the Theoretical Conclusion sections and the points to remember are very understandable.

The opening lines covers seem pretty thorough to me. Not just master level opening moves, but also the others that are played at the club levels. And there is not a lot of really grand master level in-depth analysis that loses the average player. Palliser shows both the best moves for White and Black. So the player facing the Colle also can use this. I would have liked to see more in the Anti-Colle chapters, however the material is enough to keep you in the game.

I found the book's enthusiasm refreshing and the ideas understandable and usable. At may level, understanding where and when to attack is just as important as what to watch out for. "Starting out: The Colle" does just that, and I have started using the Colle myself!

(Review by Steve, my husband.)

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