Opening Books

In the Alekhine Defence, contrary to the classical methods of playing in the opening, Black does not fight for the centre with his pawns, but begins to exert immediate pressure against White’s centre. Black’s knight on f6 attacks the pawn on e4, and if it advances, then Black’s d-pawn joins into the attack against it. The Alekhine Defence is particularly applicable in encounters against players who are inferior in class, as well as in games with a short time-control. This opening is not used so often in practice, so your opponent might lose plenty of time to recollect the opening theory. That might prove to be a very negative factor for him in the forthcoming fight.

(FREE RE-DOWNLOADABLE FOR THOSE WHO PURCHASED THE FIRST EDITION) Contrary to what the critical pessimists might say, the Reti opening is an ambitious weapon for White. By avoiding the main theoretical debates, White tries to reach an unbalanced position from an early stage of the game, with many different plans being available.

This book series is about that central question: what matters in the opening? What plans are on hand? Which (hidden) concepts are concealed in the current position that has arisen just after the opening? Volume 2 in a new series by Herman Grooten covers Queen’s Gambit Structures.

Understanding Before Moving: Part 1

What actually matters in the opening? Which plans are available, and what hidden ideas are concealed in the position you reach just as the opening ends? Those questions — far more useful to an improving player than another twenty moves of memorised theory — are the subject of Herman Grooten’s series, and Part 1 applies them to the Ruy Lopez and Italian structures.

Grooten’s premise is that you should understand before you move: grasp the typical pawn structures and the plans they dictate, and the individual moves start to make sense on their own. The book opens with chapters on how to study openings and what really goes on "behind the scenes," then builds a clear overview of the structures arising from the Ruy Lopez and the Italian Game.

The ideas are then cemented through carefully chosen model games — where you see the plans played out in full — and a set of exercises to test your understanding.

A genuinely instructive bridge between raw opening theory and practical middlegame play, ideal for club players who keep reaching the middlegame with no idea what to do. Part of an ongoing series covering the major structures.

The strategic part of the book consists of thirty-two fully-annotated games divided into five chapters, with the fifth chapter divided into four subchapters. In this strategic part I have given an insight into the historical development of the variation and have tried to help the reader understand the most common plans and concepts for both sides. My own practical experiences in this variation date back to 1994, and over the years I have tried it with Black versus greats like Kramnik, Shirov and Grischuk. Some of these experiences are included in the book. The Chigorin Variation is rich in ideas which can be used in a range of middlegame positions arising from different variations. Understanding the strategic ideas of this complex variation is also a middlegame improvement ‘tool’ and a must for anyone wanting to take his or her chess to the next level. The current trend, developed in recent years, is for Black to capture on d4 with his e-pawn, aiming for Benoni-type pawn structure positions which lead to rather double-edged positions. These modern developments and the current theoretical state of affairs in general are dealt with in the theoretical part of the book by my friend, Ivan Salgado. This ‘Chigorin bible’ aims to be the ultimate improvement ‘tool’ for club and tournament players in the variation. The first part provides the reader with a good understanding of general plans and strategic concepts and the second part provides direct theoretical knowledge.

The Dutch defense is a highly popular opening nowadays with the idea to get a sharp and assymetrical position against 1.d4. Together with the second part, the book gives the reader a full Dutch repertoire with black. The first volume will be useful for players who want to play the Stonewall, the Ilyin-Zhenevsky or the Hort systems without allowing the French or the Pirc defences.

Queen's Indian Defense

The Queen’s Indian is one of Black’s most reliable and respected defences after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6, and its most important main line is the fianchetto with 4.g3, where White contests the long diagonal with his own bishop. This book is a deep, dedicated study of that system, the one most often seen at the very top level.

International Master Maxim Chetverik examines the 4.g3 complex in exhaustive detail — alongside the related Petrosian System (4.Nc3 with a3), the 4.e3 and 4.Bd2 set-ups, and the Catalan-flavoured transpositions — so the reader gets a complete picture of the structures rather than a single narrow line.

The book is built around 181 complete games plus several hundred analysed fragments, all with detailed original commentary. Rather than pushing one verdict, Chetverik aims for balanced, honest evaluations of these famously subtle positions, where small differences in plan and move-order decide the game.

A thorough reference for club players and above who play the Queen’s Indian from either side, or who want to understand one of the cornerstone openings of modern grandmaster practice.

Sielecki always clearly explains the plans and counterplans and keeps you focussed on what the position requires. Ambitious players rated 1500 or higher will get great value out of studying this extremely accessible book.

The Queen's Indian Defence has the reputation of a very reliable system for Black. Although his chances of obtaining sharp double-edged positions are restricted, good knowledge of piece set-ups and different plans should offer Black chances of seizing the initiative even in calm variations. The opening monographs on the QID, as a rule, focus on the move order 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6. What is Black supposed to do if the opponent wishes to avoid the QID and begins the game with the moves 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4, or 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3?. How should Black deploy his pieces and what should he aim for in the middlegame? The book of the grandmaster from Saint Petersburg and chess-coach Evgeniy Solozhenkin answers these questions!

In this companion volume to the author’s highly-regarded The Nimzo-Indian Defence, the starting point is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6. The main focus is on 3.Nf3 b6 while Roiz also covers 3.g3 (Catalan) and miscellaneous options."

(Free re-downloadable for those who purchased the first edition!) One of the remarkable things about the Accelerated Dragon is its appeal to players with vastly different styles. In this book International Master Raja Panjwani presents a repertoire for Black demonstrating a dynamic way to fight 1.e4 from the second move.