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Trouble with MCO 15

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knightwriter2000
knightwriter2000
Feb 28, 2011
0
#1

I'm just starting to look at various openings and bought the MCO 15, being told that it is the most complete compilation. I'm having trouble reading this book however. I can follow the main moves but the tables that are presented underneath the main moves are baffling to me. I can see how they represent later moves, but I can't quite get it.

Does anyone have some suggestions on how to read this book? Thanks in advance.

Hypocrism
Hypocrism
Feb 28, 2011
0
#2

The moves in the table work downwards. When there is a dotted line, that represents an alternative variation. For example, page 53:

1               2                 3                4                  5

4. Nc3..................................d4.............d3(u)

fxe4.......................Nd4(o)      fxe4              fxe4

5. Nxe4                      Ba4 (p)       Bxc6 (s)         dxe4

Nf6.............d5         Nf6 (q)       dxc6              Nf6

 

Represent the following variations:

The annotations (a),(b),(c) etc... are for minor lines / small inaccuracies that are dealt with in the annotations at the bottom, normally following an example game.

TheOldReb
NM TheOldReb
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Feb 28, 2011
0
#3
uhohspaghettio wrote:

MCO-15 is the best single-volume openings book there is.

Pay no attention to that poster or to the relatively low score on Amazon, they are talking about specifically the 15th Edition compared to the 14th Edition. If you read their reviews you will see this. They are NOT talking about the MCO as a whole. Look at the reviews for the 14th Edition and you'll see how highly regarded they are. 

If anyone is lying to you and misrepresenting things here it's Fezzik. MCO is widely regarded as the best Openings book out there. A number of members here including me have had trouble with Fezzik, beware that he says and take it with a grain of salt.

Seriously, I'm sick of this vile RUBBISH that he's coming out with. How dare he accuse that person of "lying" to you just because he doesn't like MCO, and he himself like muck like the ECO. He's troll, slightly less blatant than the usual one, but comes out with outrageous statements like this sometimes and unfortunately there seems to be almost no moderation around here.  

Now that that troll remark is done with, I will try to answer your topic:  

The MCO 15 presents the openings in a tabular layout. You do not have to know the variations for every opening in chess!!!! Nobody does. What you do is you learn the main lines of all the openings that you are going to prepare for and you learn the ideas and all the types of positions and types of moves you might see.

For one particular opening, you may if you wish, eventually know every line in the MCO about it. However, this isn't really recommended either... what's recommended is you get a proper book to understand your own openings (at a pinch you can look up the internet and play blitz games to understand them), and continually cross-reference back to your opening in the MCO.

You know the mainlines given at the top? Those are the important ways to start the match and unless your opponent plays something unusual you should try to follow most of those variations. 

I was like you, in fact I got my MCO YEARS ago and practically just gave up on it, it's only recently I started going through it again, going through the variations on Babaschess and really appreciating it.

This is only your opinion and nothing more. Unless you own ALL single volume openings references you cant even truthfully claim this, do you ? I don't own them all so I cant say which is best but I can tell you of the one's I do own I prefer NCO. I have MCO, NCO and BCO , I also have the ECOs but they are several volumes and not just one. I do not have FCO , perhaps I should get it ? 

rigamagician
rigamagician
Closed: Fair Play
Feb 28, 2011
0
#4

I don't have a copy handy, but my impression from flipping through it in the bookstore is that Van der Sterren's Fundamental Chess Openings is not an encyclopedia in tabular format, but rather an "ideas behind the openings" book targeted at lower rated players.

I still like NCO although it is growing increasingly out of date.  MCO hasn't had a thorough update for decades.  I don't think there has been a good one volume opening encyclopedia released for quite a while now.  Sahovski's Small ECO is somewhat new but patchier than NCO.

knightwriter2000
knightwriter2000
Feb 28, 2011
0
#5

Thanks for all the input. I will heed all the advice given here. Thank you!

NimzoRoy
NimzoRoy
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Feb 28, 2011
0
#6

I agree with uhohspaghettio, mostly. MCO-XV is a good reference book and pretty up-to-date, ©2008 and compiled by GM de Firmian, who seems to be well-qualified.

If money is no object I'd invest in Nunn's Chess Openings (NCO) next, it is consdierably more detailed than MCO but also  more dated © 1999. Of course GM Nunn is also well-qualified to edit an opening manual as well.

Once you figure out what openings you like/dislike and which openings seem to work for you you can buy a few specialized books on specific openings, books entitled "Understanding the French Defense" or whatever as opposed to books featuring tons of unannotated games or really dense analysis you may not understand and probably won't remember.

TheOldReb
NM TheOldReb
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Mar 1, 2011
0
#7

The best thing is to just buy them all !  Wink

Hypocrism
Hypocrism
Mar 2, 2011
0
#8
ajedrecito wrote:

The most common one.

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 e6 11.Bf4 Qa5+ 12.Bd2 Bb4 13.c3 Be7 14.c4 Qc7

This position. I understand some positions are discussed with Ngf6 inserted where Black castles queenside, but in the mainlines Black castles kingside, and these are not considered to my knowledge.

 That is indeed the mainline and it's in both MCOs

Dragec
Dragec
Mar 2, 2011
0
#9

When looking from commercial side, decision would be pretty easy.

85$ for 12 year old book, or 18-19$ for either of 2 newer ones (1,5 years and 3 year old).

TheOldReb
NM TheOldReb
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Mar 3, 2011
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#10

Has anyone checked to see if the line in question is covered in the ECO ?  I only have the first editions and rather doubt its in there...

rigamagician
rigamagician
Closed: Fair Play
Mar 3, 2011
0
#11

I think 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 e6 11.Bf4 Qa5+ 12.Bd2 Qc7 was/is the main line.  ECO 5th ed. mentions this with the note, see 10...Qc7 where it considers 11.0-0-0 Ngf6 12.Ne4 to be the main line.

TheOldReb
NM TheOldReb
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Mar 3, 2011
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#12
RainbowRising wrote:
Reb wrote:

Has anyone checked to see if the line in question is covered in the ECO ?  I only have the first editions and rather doubt its in there...

The first edition?? Jesus, how old are you!?

Old as dirt.... 

PAUZOVZKI
PAUZOVZKI
Jan 17, 2021
0
#13
Hypocrism escreveu:

The moves in the table work downwards. When there is a dotted line, that represents an alternative variation. For example, page 53:

1               2                 3                4                  5

4. Nc3..................................d4.............d3(u)

fxe4.......................Nd4(o)      fxe4              fxe4

5. Nxe4                      Ba4 (p)       Bxc6 (s)         dxe4

Nf6.............d5         Nf6 (q)       dxc6              Nf6

 

Represent the following variations:

 

The annotations (a),(b),(c) etc... are for minor lines / small inaccuracies that are dealt with in the annotations at the bottom, normally following an example game.

Thank you a lot happy.png

 

Charizard_637
Charizard_637
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May 6, 2024
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#14

I guess I'm the first one to speak in years

62-Polymath
62-Polymath
Jul 2, 2024
0
#15

Guys I am back, after about taking 7 months for studying sense my last thread, much more experienced "still a beginners though" but I understand much more than I did 7 months ago. For one I have pretty much mastered "Modern Chess Openings" after going through it 2-3 times

And now, after seeing the trouble that beginners are having with the charts in this book, I am going through it again putting ALL the tables in a PGN file that you all can just follow along with the book using chess.com's Analysis engine. I everything is transcribed, along with comments and personal notes by me so hopefully this will make learning the openings and what the book is explaining much more easier. You can check out the video on my channel 62-Polymath and I actually go through about 5 books in total and I will be putting everything in all the books into PGN format which I will have available.

If you are a beginner, and chess is difficult for you to understand as a beginner myself and a Polymath I'm sure I can make it much easier for you to understand and together "as beginners" we can help each other out and getting much better in chess.

62-Polymath