The debate is still raging to this day: what is the best material to study? Some argue in favor of online videos/lessons while others (like me) prefer books. Regardless of the format, there’s no question that one can always learn a great deal from the wins of modern Grandmasters. It takes a lot to win a game at the elite level, and playing through these wins (with good analysis, of course) can no doubt be very beneficial.
With this in mind, I highly anticipated Zenon Franco’s new series on Magnus Carlsen. Carlsen is unquestionably the best of the best (with the title to prove it) and regularly finds creative ways to eke out wins that confound even his greatest peers. This series consists of two books, Magnus Wins With White and Magnus Wins With Black, examining Carlsen’s wins on both sides of the board. The author tends to focus on recent games, ranging from 2004 at the very earliest to Tata Steel 2020.
Before diving into the series, some background about the author may be helpful. I had only heard the name Zenon Franco Ocampos peripherally, having seen ads for his other books. He is not only a well-known writer (with nine books to date), but was also the first Grandmaster in Paraguay. I had not read any of his books prior to this series, but it is clear to me that he is an accomplished writer.
Franco strikes a very good balance in these books between instructive analysis and long variations. His annotations are extensive, but not overly heavy on variations. He mostly explains the ideas behind the moves played and the reasons a different move would be better. But it is also true that Franco doesn’t shy away from longer lines when needed. Indeed, when a positionally correct idea needs to be justified by concrete tactics, a long variation is not necessarily a wrong variation.
Franco also very effectively sprinkles each game with exercises at critical moments in a manner that allows readers to learn from Carlsen while playing in his shoes (or at least as close as one might get). The “lessons” section after each game is also a great addition, neatly reinforcing the key points of each game. While the series may get a bit simplistic for higher rated players (perhaps 2200+ USCF or 2100+ FIDE), these books are nonetheless full of raw knowledge that’s there for the taking – even at the Master level.
With comparatively few books written yet about Carlsen, Magnus Wins With Black and Magnus Wins With White are a solid choice for those interested in learning from the games of the current World Champion.
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