The Nimzo-Indian Defence continues to be one of the most important chess openings, both at club level and with top players. In recent years it has undergone a number of significant changes and it’s high time for a thorough look at the current state of affairs.
Top grandmaster Ivan Sokolov is the perfect authority to do so.
The Strategic Nimzo-Indian: A Complete Guide to the Rubinstein Variation is the first of a two-part series. In this ground-breaking and clearly structured first volume, Sokolov investigates all lines after the move 4.e3. Volume 2 will be about 4.a3, the Sämisch Variation.
Inspired by great masters like Mikhail Botvinnik, Ivan Sokolov has played the Rubinstein Variation all his life, and he has even beaten World Champion Garry Kasparov with it.
Although play can become very sharp, the Nimzo-Indian requires a profound positional understanding. Ivan Sokolov does not simply give variations, but provides clear explanations of the structures and plans in the various branches, and presents new ideas and resources for both Black and White.
Each chapter ends with a summary containing key strategic and tactical advice.
Ivan Sokolov is a top grandmaster who was born in Bosnia in 1968. He was Yugoslav champion in 1988 and Dutch champion in 1995 and 1998. He rose to the number 12 spot in the FIDE world rankings. In his rich career Sokolov has beaten world chess champions like Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik and Viswanathan Anand.
Carsten Hansen, ChessCafe:
"This book is simply far superior to anything else I have seen written on this opening – my own book included (..) The narrative, the explanatory prose, the analysis, the countless improvements, new ideas and so on, makes this book phenomenally splendid. If you want to understand how to play this opening, then this book is a perfect place to start."
GM Glenn Flear:
"The author is constantly pointing out the positional consequences of the various thematic ideas throughout the lines (..) There are times when his research will almost certainly change the future course of theory (..) Whatever your connection to the Nimzo, make sure that you get hold of a copy. An absolute must."
John Donaldson, Chess Today:
"An outstanding book (..) Sokolov backs up [his] verbal assessments with concrete variations, but the prose is much more valuable for the layman rated below 2400, who will remember the helpful advice long after the analysis has been forgotten."
Joe Petrolito, Australasian Chess Magazine:
"There is a lot of explanatory material to complement the analysis and orientate the reader (..) [Sokolov] is not afraid to challenge previous analysis, even describes some old analysis by Botvinnik as 'wishful thinking'! (..) A dense but readable book on a mainstream opening that can only enhance Sokolov's growing reputation as an author."
Nagesh Havanur, Chess.com:
"I am fascinated. To begin with, this is a repertoire book for d4 players who meet the Nimzo-Indian. But other players reaching d4 d5 positions would also find this useful. There is a serious effort to find an edge for White in every line. The author of course knows that it is not an easy task as the Nimzo-indian is a sound system. Hence, he resists the temptation of finding convenient wins for White."
Gary Lane, Chess Moves Magazine:
"Very readable, with clear, precise comments (..) Sokolov reveals his secrets in the Rubinstein Variation so everyone can be a winner."
Max Euwe Center, Amsterdam:
"A monumental work with lots of explanations, while paying attention to historical games as well as the current state of affairs."
In Mazukevich's Madness, Black stuns White with a piece sacrifice on move 5, completely changing the direction of the game of this otherwise solid and rather predictable opening.
FIDE Master, FIDE Trainer, and opening specialist Carsten Hansen carefully analyzes all options for White after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 Nxe4!, showing that Black not only is doing fine, but can often start pushing for more if White doesn't play accurately.
In addition to this analysis, in the second half of the book, Hansen presents a complete repertoire for Black against all other lines of the Four Knights, including the main lines 4.Bb5 and 4.g3, the modern 4.h3, 4.a3, and 4.a4, the sharp Belgrade Gambit, a favorite of Naroditsky's 4.Nd5, as well as other minor lines for White.
The Budapest Gambit 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5) is an aggressive, dynamic approach for meeting 1.d4 and is a great line for throwing opponents onto their own resources. It is certainly double-edged as Black moves the same piece twice early on and also sacrifices a pawn. This pawn is often quickly regained but one of the great advantages of the Budapest is that if White tries to hang on to the pawn (and many players do) Black can quickly whip up a ferocious attack. A great number of materialistic but unprepared White players have found themselves swiftly demolished by Black’s tremendously active pieces. When White is more circumspect and allows Black to regain the pawn, play proceeds along more sedate strategic lines where Black enjoys free and easy development. Experienced chess author and coach Andrew Martin examines all key variations of the Budapest. There is an emphasis on typical middlegame structures and the important plans and manoeuvres are demonstrated in numerous instructive games. – Includes complete repertoires for Black with both 3...Ng4 and 3...Ne4; – Comprehensive coverage featuring several new ideas; – Take your opponents out of their comfort zone!
The Sicilian Defence is the most attractive and most complicated opening in chess. If you don't play the Sicilian with White or Black, you miss much of the beauty and the challenges our royal game offers. For White 1.e4 players, building a repertoire against 1...c5 should be their priority.
Croatian top grandmaster Ivan Saric is one of today's greatest Sicilian experts. He plays 1.e4 with White and the Najdorf with Black! With The Open Sicilian, based on his highly acclaimed Chessable course, he has managed something impressive: a watertight repertoire against the Sicilian of just over 400 pages. But reading this one volume, your knowledge of this opening and chess, in general, will make a spectacular jump.
The Open Sicilian is not a phonebook crammed with computer lines but a textbook full of 21st-century chess wisdom. Saric covers the entire range of Sicilians, from obscure sidelines to the main lines: the Najdorf, the Taimanov, the Rauzer, the Kan, the Sveshnikov, and the various Dragons. His approach, firmly based on the ideas of the English Attack, is very ambitious, and he supports his claims with deep analysis and illuminating and elaborate verbal explanation.
Saric has written a book that will serve as a standard work for many years. He offers you the content to be fully armoured against all the intricacies of all the topical Sicilian lines.
Ivan Saric (1990) is a Croatian chess player who became an International Master at 17 and a Grandmaster at 18. He became U18 European Champion in 2007, U18 World Champion in 2008, and won the European Individual title in 2018. Saric beat Magnus Carlsen for his country at the 2014 Olympiad in Tromsø.
GM Matthew Sadler (New In Chess magazine)
"...a pretty good book with plenty to interest the aggressive 1.e4 player looking for repertoire ideas in the Open Sicilian."
Muchos años han pasado desde que en 1914 Nimzowitch desarrollara e introdujera a nivel magistral la Defensa Nimzoindia.
Como uno de los padres de la corriente Hipermoderna de pensamiento ajedrecístico, Nimzowitch se dio cuenta del enorme potencial que tenía la idea del control del centro con piezas en lugar de la forma tradicional con peones. De esa manera se podía dejar la estructura flexible para posteriormente situarla como más conveniese. A pesar de las críticas de algunos de sus coetáneos como Tarrasch, Nimzowitch siguió su propio camino desarrollando ideas que hoy forman parte del arsenal habitual de los jugadores de Nimzo, nombre coloquial que le damos a la Nimzoindia, como la creación del complejo de peones doblados en c y posterior ataque a c4 o el juego de bloqueo de la estructura enemiga con d6-e5.
Hoy se puede decir que el tiempo le ha dado la razón en la corrección de sus ideas y su defensa es una de las que mejores estadísticas consigue, siendo un arma habitual de los jugadores de élite.
Opening Originals focuses on both sound and dangerous opening ideas that have escaped wide notice.
This book is the result of twenty years of teaching chess to students of all ages, distilling practical lessons from a lifetime of experience into one accessible guide. It emphasizes that chess is a game of endless learning, where no player—not even world champions like Magnus Carlsen—can ever “know everything.”
A central theme of the book is the importance of study, growth, and humility, highlighting the difference between casual players and serious students of the game. Drawing inspiration from Tigran Petrosian’s belief that true appreciation of chess comes through study, the author underlines the value of deep understanding over surface knowledge.
At its core, the book focuses on mistakes and blunders—the true deciding factor in most games. And where better to start than with the classical 1.e4 e5!
In Volume 1 we covered the most frequently played lines after 1.e4 e5!
From beginners to grandmasters, every player makes errors. What separates strong players from the rest is not perfection, but the ability to recognize, punish, and learn from mistakes, ensuring they never lose the same way twice. Through practical examples, including games by top-level players like Alex Stripunsky, the book explores these universal lessons and shows how improvement begins with understanding failure.
Many gambit lines, where one or more pawns are sacrificed for the initiative, have to be taken seriously, but Ivan has succeeded in finding many new ideas and theoretical improvements. The result is the neutralisation or refutation of most of these common and well known 'Gambits'.
Do you struggle to score against the Hedgehog and find it difficult to break the Black fortress? This opening manual, which could double as a positional middlegame manual, will show you how White can use a space advantage in this chess opening with maximum results.
The Hedgehog System, a personal favourite of many club players, is important to understand for all White players as the positions are near-universal. They can arise from the English Opening, the Nimzo-Indian and Queen’s Indian Defences and the Sicilian Opening. The Hedgehog is a flexible defence as Black can undermine your centre with …b6-b5 or …d6-d5. Black can attack your kingside dark squares with a queen-and-bishop battery or go after your king by launching the g-pawn.
That’s why Beating The Hedgehog System focuses on the most airtight variations, taking the sting out of Black’s counterplay and making White’s space advantage count. You will learn the general strategies but also essential features such as:
– how to get the ideal queenside formation versus the Hedgehog
– how to use x-rays and little tactics to stop Black’s …d6-d5 break
– how to provoke Black’s e-pawn to move to e5
– when to push your a-pawn to the fourth rank… and when to hold it back
Included are fifteen model games and thirty strategy and tactics exercises to fine-tune your feel for this Opening. This book has been adapted from the MoveTrainer® and video Chessable course with the same name.
Hanna Ivan-Gal is a top-100 player in Hungary, Woman FIDE Master and an experienced coach. She is also the presenter of the Hedgehog video course on Chessable.
Laszlo Hazai from Hungary is an International Master, a lifetime FIDE Senior Trainer, a former coach of the Polgar sisters, and a distinguished opening theoretician who wrote dozens of Opening Surveys for New In Chess Yearbook.
A comprehensive guide through the Najdorf Sicilian jungle that enables you to find your way to security and initiative with the black pieces.
The so called “rare lines” have become extremely popular in recent times, so we offer you a single volume “solution” to all the nuances and complications that may arise in these less common lines.
Over the years some of the variations covered in this book got a strong following among the professionals and amateurs alike (6.h3 in particular), while some remained less explored and essayed only by the very elite (6.a3, or 6.Qd3).
IM Szuhanek presents you his deep and diligent analysis of all the possible (and reasonable) White tries with focus on more common lines. Throughout the book you will find many improvements for both sides, but with author’s clear preference for the black side.
Now you got a highly practical weapon to tackle all the White’s pesky Najdorf options!
Five years after the first edition, the book was completely rewritten and redesigned. While remaining true to the original structure, this new edition underwent major changes
The Ragozin Complex is a flexible and versatile chess opening system. This important variation in the Queen’s Gambit was employed by great champions of the 20th century like Alekhine and Capablanca and it remains a dangerous weapon in the hands of modern top-level players like Levon Aronian, Vladimir Kramnik and Vasily Ivanchuk.
But what exactly is The Ragozin Complex? Amazingly, this has never before been explained in a comprehensive book. Acclaimed chess author Vladimir Barsky has now filled this gap. He pays tribute to the legendary Soviet player and writer Isaak Lipnitsky whose ideas on the Ragozin were a part of his famous Questions of Modern Chess Theory, published in 1956.
While many of Lipnitsky’s ideas are still of value today, The Ragozin Complex sizzles with fresh and topical material from recent times, systematically collected in seven chapters that explain all the plans and counterplans in the critical lines.
For the first time, amateurs can acquaint themselves with the intricacies of the Ragozin system and start playing this flexible opening with confidence. But also professional chess players will see many secrets of this system unveiled by this practical overview.
Vladimir Barsky (1969) is an International Chess Master, a successful coach and an experienced journalist from Russia. He has written several successful books on chess openings: The Modern Philidor Defence (2010), A Universal Weapon 1.d4 d6 (2011), and, together with grandmaster Alexander Morozevich, The Chigorin Defence According to Morozevich (2007).
"With a significant volume of original analysis and improvements over existing theory. The chapters are loaded with detailed explanations of strategic and tactical ideas based on pawn structures and piece play. Barsky has written an amazing book."
Peter Doggers, ChessVibes:
"A wonderful guide (..) It's quite amazing that there hadn't appeared a book on the Ragozin before (..) One of the better opening books I have seen in recent years."
IM John Donaldson, at jeremysilman.com:
"It seems hard to believe that a popular and well respected defense is receiving full-fledged treatment for the first time in half a century! (..) Presently this system is seen predominantly at the professional level but this book should make this aggressive defense popular with those in the amateur ranks."
Martin Rieger, Europa Rochade Magazine:
"A delightful freshness keeps the reader in thrall (..) A fantastic opening book and a labor of love."
Phil Adams, 3Cs Book Reviews:
"One can learn a great deal from this book, both from Lipnitsky's insights and the more up-to-date theory provided by its 21st century author, IM Barsky, for whom this book was clearly a labour of love (..) For many players this will provide a good answer to the question of what to aim for when White avoids the Nimzo-Indian by playing 3.Nf3."
Lubomir Kavalek, The Huffington Post:
"Vladimir Barsky brought Lipnitsky's work into the 21st century, enhancing the original ideas with new games and new developments, and creating a unique opening manual."
Marshtower Chess Reviews:
"Those with the Nimzo-Indian and QGD (and even QGA) already in their repertoire may find some useful transpositions with which to annoy their unsuspecting opponents."
Glenn Flear, Yearbook 102:
"A fascinating blend of history and modern theory, 'The Ragozin Complex' is the author's best book yet."
"Barsky offers a good blend of variations and commentary on the basic ideas (..) A fine example of how a quality opening book
To lose a game of chess in the opening or the early middlegame is especially annoying. However, this is something that happens not only to novices, but also to experienced masters.
A knowledge of opening disasters and of the correct replies to sharp continuations is imperative, if a player is to master this difficult phase of the game, in which much is still shrouded in mist.
Time and again unexpected combinative themes occur, striking the opponent like a bolt from the blue. A player who has studied the material here can hope for some quick and pretty victories, and it will also spare his nerves, if the opponent should wildly attack.
With its clear explanations and recommendations, this book provides an excellent grounding in chess opening theory.
In many 1.d4 openings, Black has trouble getting his bishop on c8 into play. Former Russian Chess Champion Alexey Bezgodov presents a radical solution to this nagging problem; liberate your bishop right away and put it on f5 on the second move!
Award-winning author Charles Hertan knows what kids really need to know (and want to know) about getting their pawns and pieces ready for action.
Traditional chess opening books concentrate on the variations in different openings. Charles Hertan believes that for beginners and advanced beginners memorizing lines is not only boring but also a waste of time.
Hertan’s approach is different.
He helps kids to develop a solid understanding of the fundamental opening principles. What are the properties of each chess piece, and how can they be mobilized effectively to work together and get a strong position on the board?
In his trademark humorous and kidfriendly way, Hertan teaches what you should actually be trying to achieve at the start of a game. Kids will love learning how to avoid The Five Most Common Opening Mistakes.
This is a fun, easy-to-use, down-to-earth and accessible chess opening primer.
Charles Hertan is a FIDE Master from Massachusetts who has been teaching kids for more than thirty years. He won the ChessCafe Book of the Year Award and authored the best-selling Power Chess for Kids books.
Sean March, CHESS Magazine (UK):
"I like the way in which Hertan breaks down the section on development to focus on each individual piece (..) The explanatory notes are perfectly accessible to juniors and novices (..) A very accessible book for juniors to take thier first steps into opening theory."
Max Euwe Centre, Amsterdam:
"In his newest book Hertan discusses good opening play. He starts with basic principles such as development and activitiy. Hertan also gives advice on how to play certain openings and tips on errors he sees children make. An entertaining book."
IM Dirk Schuch, Rochade Europa Magazine:
"Very good for trainers or parents with a chess background."
GM Paul Motwani:
"Excellent. Ideal for young players who already have basic knowledge of the rules of the Royal Game, including how the chess pieces and pawns move, and are now looking to improve to the next level and beyond."
John Hartmann, Chess Life Magazine (US):
"Hertan's basic strategy --investigating what each piece 'likes' to unpack good piece play-- is solid and his ideas-based approach of the opening is good for beginners."
Kees de Groot, Reformatorisch Dagblad:
"Hertan's clear explanations are never infantile. That's why this book will also appeal to adults."
Grandmaster Dejan Antic and International Master Branimir Maksimovic have written a book that will change the way chess players look at the French Defence, one of the most popular chess openings.
Black players in a French Defence have sound options like undermining the White center or playing against a damaged pawn structure. Once you have really mastered the black side in the French, you possess such a powerful weapon that even strong players will think twice what to play against you.
This is a complete and up-to-date book for players of all levels, with brand-new concepts in topical modern lines such as the Steinitz, McCutcheon and Morozevich Variation. Antic and Maksimovic explain strategic concepts and methods of attack, and present numerous novelties and new tactical ideas in all French main lines. But they have also developed several sidelines into deadly surprise weapons. The conclusion is clear: Black is OK in the French!
White players who enjoy playing the Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5) often expect to have an easy time in the opening. Numerous Black systems allow White to complete development with natural moves which often results in a small but clear advantage. Not so The Schliemann. The Schliemann (3...f5) is a ferocious beast that immediately takes the fight to White. The swift counter with ...f7-f5 is undoubtedly risky but has the advantage of disturbing White’s equanimity and setting difficult problems to solve as early as move three. Any White player who is not highly attuned to the nuances of this system can quickly find themselves in very hot water. This makes the Schliemann an ideal practical weapon for the aggressively-minded tactical player.
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