Berlin Defense..So Hot Right Now?

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Avatar of ChessCamper

We just had the third game in the world championship with a Berlin defense in the Ruy Lopez.  Checking back through the more recent World Championships, this is an anomaly.

Will we be seeing more information on the Berlin Defense forthcoming?  That is, checking amazon.com, I find few opening books dedicated to just this variation of the Lopz, but lots of books dedicated to various variations of the Sicilian.  Will there be a market for pure Berlin Defense books soon, such as by the publisher Everyman Chess? 

Avatar of kikvors

There is a great book on it out, The Berlin Wall by John Cox.

I have some doubt that there is a huge market for more books, because that book is so good, but mostly because it's typically an opening that's popular at GM level but not at lower levels. Most amateurs would be completely at sea trying to play black in those queenless middlegame lines.

Edit: oh, and to contradict myself: there's also apparently The Berlin Defence by Lysyj.

Avatar of kikvors

And also, 1.e4 was hardly played in the matches in between (only Kramnik-Leko), so it's not surprising that the Berlin wasn't seen much.

But before the 2001 match, the Berlin was an oddball sideline that no grandmaster took seriously. Everybody thought the endgame line was simply +=.