Opening Books

In the last of three volumes on 1.e4, GM John Shaw completes his state-of-the-art White repertoire by tackling the biggest challenge of all: the main lines of the Sicilian Defence. Including the Dragon, Taimanov, Sveshnikov and concluding with the nefarious Najdorf, this book provides everything you need to face all the major Sicilian systems with confidence.

This book is a collection of games played by the best players in the world in which either White or Black wins in 15 moves or less either a result of brilliant chess tactics, an accumulation of mistakes or blunders. The chess opening variations covered in this volume include: 1) Scotch Game, 2) Italian Game & Evans Gambit, 3) Two Knights, 4) Ruy Lopez, 5) Three & Four Knights 6) King's Gambit, 7) The Petroff, 8) Philidor & Minor Defenses, 9) Various Gambits

The Nimzo-Indian and Queen’s Gambit Declined are among Black’s soundest and most universal answers to 1.d4. In his trademark style, Milos investigates the most positional ways to proceed after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6

Play 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6!

The Queen’s Gambit Declined is the most classical and dependable way to meet 1.d4: with 1...d5 and 2...e6 Black builds a solid, flexible structure that has anchored the repertoires of World Champions for over a century. This book turns it into a complete, modern Black repertoire.

Every recommendation is chosen in line with current top-level practice, so you are playing the same lines the world’s best grandmasters trust today rather than dusty theory. The coverage is thorough: the main QGD systems after both 3.Nc3 and 3.Nf3, the important Catalan lines that arise when White fianchettoes with g3, and a dedicated section of sharper ...a6 set-ups for when a win is required and Black needs to unbalance the game.

In the Chess Stars house style, the lines are presented clearly and supported by complete annotated games, so you absorb the typical plans, pawn breaks, and piece manoeuvres rather than just a list of moves.

A reliable, low-risk repertoire for club players and above who want a sound answer to 1.d4 that will serve them for years — with enough bite in reserve to play for the full point when the occasion demands.

How Ulf Beats Black

In his prime in the 1970s and 80s, the Swedish grandmaster Ulf Andersson was a world top-ten player with an instantly recognisable style: he almost never lost, and he kept grinding out wins from positions that looked utterly quiet. This book reveals the secret — those positions only looked quiet.

Cyrus Lakdawala, who has played Andersson’s lines for decades, presents them as a complete White repertoire and explains the deep strategic understanding behind them. Andersson detected and exploited hidden chances better than almost anyone, and his openings glide smoothly from opening to middlegame and often straight into a favourable endgame — so this is far more than an opening manual; it is a course in positional squeezing.

The repertoire is built on the flexible 1.Nf3/1.c4/2.c4 move orders and covers everything Black can try: the King’s Indian, the Queen’s Indian and Hedgehog, the Catalan and Tarrasch structures, the Symmetrical English, the Modern and Pirc, the Dutch, and the Exchange Slav. The recommendations rest on understanding rather than memorised theory, so opponents can’t catch you with a novelty.

Lakdawala’s lucid, entertaining explanations make it ideal for club players who want to win the way Andersson did — quietly, positionally, and relentlessly.

In the first full book to examine 2.b3 against the Sicilian, French and Caro-Kann, mainlines, interesting sidelines and current theory are reviewed. In addition, what actually happens in modern practice is surveyed. The authors are optimistic for White, and concentrate on the best continuations while trying to be objective. It is in that spirit that they conclude that 2.b3 is sound against the Sicilian, fun against the French, and curious against the Caro-Kann. In all three cases, the objective is to sabotage Black’s play, to take him out of his comfort zone.

After 1.e4 e5, the early bishop move to c4 has quietly become one of the most fashionable choices at every level — the modern elite has rediscovered the slow Italian and the Bishop’s Opening as a way to sidestep heavy theory and simply play good chess. This book turns that approach into a complete White repertoire.

The recommendation is built around the Giuoco Pianissimo and Bishop’s Opening structures, reaching them by various move orders (2.Bc4 and 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4) with a flexible d3 set-up. White delays committing the centre, develops harmoniously, and aims for a small, durable edge and a rich middlegame rather than a forced theoretical duel.

Coverage runs through the main set-ups Black can choose — early ...c6 and ...d5 breaks, the ...h6 and ...a6 systems, plans with Bg5, and the lines after 5.0-0 0-0 6.c3 d5 — in the Chess Stars three-part format of Main Ideas, Step by Step, and annotated games.

A practical, modern repertoire for club players who want a sound, low-maintenance way to meet 1...e5 and outplay opponents from a quiet position.

Despite the Najdorf’s great popularity and reputation as a theoretical labyrinth, Bryan Smith believes it is possible to play it “by the light of nature,” with experience providing a guide. The play is concrete and sharp, but original positions can be obtained fairly early. The twenty-nine annotated games in this book were carefully selected for their instructional value, their theoretical relevance, and – most of all – their esthetic appeal. Designed both for players of the Najdorf and for those facing it, The Najdorf in Black and White is a collection of creative and unique battles that you can use to learn the ins and outs of this opening.