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The Modernized Grunfeld Defense will be extremely helpful for any chess player looking for a reliable lifetime repertoire against White’s 1.d4. It will benefit current Grunfeld players as Yaro unveils his analysis and numerous novelties waiting to be played over the board.

The Janowski Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined arises after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 a6. Black plays ...a6 to prepare the queenside expansion ...b5, aiming to challenge White’s c4 pawn and gain space. The idea was introduced by the Polish-French grandmaster Dawid Janowski around the turn of the 20th century.

Compared with classical QGD lines, this variation is less theoretical and offers flexible development for Black. White usually responds by strengthening the center and preventing ...b5, often with moves like a4, Nf3, or cxd5. The resulting positions typically feature a strategic battle between White’s central control and Black’s queenside expansion.

Above all, the Averbakh is a very rewarding opening. White’s piece development follows classical principles. In general, White is not lagging in development. Even without the theoretical knowledge of certain variations, he should be able to find his way. Best of all, the Averbakh promises you a head-start at the end of the opening, without the mess our KID opponents love to create on the board!

The Mar Del Plata is probably the single most comprehensive variation of the King’s Indian in terms of the volume of possibilities and strategic richness. Even aside from players who wish to incorporate the King’s Indian into their repertoire, I believe that study of these positions is essential for all chess players, as the attacking and defensive ideas on display are such a fundamental and universal part of playing chess. Learning how to evaluate and compare the strength of each side’s attacking potential is a paramount skill which can be applied all throughout your chess career.

Although the London System has been known for a long time, it has only surged in popularity in the last decade or so. This rise can likely be attributed to many players’ desire to focus more on the practical aspects of chess, emphasizing positional understanding over the heavy use of engines and memorization of long theoretical lines. The London System has seen not just an increase in the number of games but also a deeper understanding of the positions it produces. Historically, it was sporadically used, with only a few regular practitioners, such as grandmasters Milorad Knezevic and Vlado Kovacevic from the former Yugoslavia, and the English GM Tony Miles.

Today, players like Gata Kamsky and Magnus Carlsen frequently employ the London System, and it has become a staple in the repertoires of many other grandmasters and non-grandmasters alike. The system’s various move orders and the resulting transpositions make it unique, adding a layer of complexity not as prevalent in other openings.

My personal experience with the London System has been mixed. After losing a game to Grandmaster Volkov in the Rilton Cup, I initially decided that the resulting positions were not to my liking. However, in 2019, I revisited the London System during a game in a World Senior tournament and played exceptionally well. Like any opening, it can lead to both good and bad games, but the London System has undeniably become a significant part of 1.d4 theory.

This book is about the Marshall Attack and the lines which can be grouped together under the banner of the so-called Anti-Marshall. The theory has developed so much in the last decade that there is more than enough material to be going on with just in those areas, but I also decided to include a detailed look at an important line in the Exchange Variation. Black’s key concept in the Marshall is giving up a central pawn in return for activity, and I have tried to give as many lines as possible which adhere closely to this principle. Why is this so significant? Well, for starters, usually in the Ruy Lopez Black is looking for long, slow games in solid, closed positions. The Marshall flips this on its head and Black tries to accelerate the play and radically change the character of the game at an early stage. Let’s briefly discuss the material of the book itself and the lines that I have decided to give. First of all, I started off with the standard Marshall Attack, after the initial moves: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d5. I have given direct analysis wherever possible and I have tried to cover all the essential lines. Of course, with the passing of the years and the continual development of theory we can see how the popularity of some positions has shifted and, in some cases, how certain lines have simply been rendered obsolete. I also discovered, to my surprise, that there are still new, unexplored, and interesting paths for further analysis.

Over time, my attention focused on the Modern Benoni. In this opening, the bishop on g7 is the same icon that is the basis of the King’s Indian, but here it can operate on the whole a1-h8 diagonal instead of being locked in by its own pawn on e5, as usually happens in the King’s Indian. Black’s plan is outrageously simple: with pawns on d6 and c5, and sometimes b4, he creates a breakwater that opens up space for his favorite on g7. My expectations from the opening were reinforced by two games by the greatest chess romantic of all time, Mikhail Tal. It seems to me that these games will help you, dear reader, to be imbued with love for this extraordinary opening.

Times are changing (as even the Wild West at some point became industrialized) and theory has developed on everything. It has therefore become possible, inter alia, to try and write a rigorous opening manual on the Modern. What I mean is not that equality has been found and this should be your exclusive opening choice for all time to come (I would be lying to you if I said that) but rather that there is now a roadmap as to how you should study this opening. About time, given the number of 1.e4 repertoires that have been written and which contain anti-Modern recommendations (usually in the ‘Other’ or ‘Miscellaneous’ section towards the back!) that nobody has taken the time to combat rigorously. Furthermore, there has been a sea change in the ethos of Modern players (and also Pirc players): we no longer wish to get something totally new, or redefine the concept of development in Hippo style, but usually these days we want to get a Sicilian structure! That is to say, a position where Black gets to play …cxd4 (or have White play dxc5) and thereby obtains a central majority that will stand him in good stead for the long term. That has now become the intellectual gold standard, a trend that has progressed in tandem with the inclusion of this opening in more players’ repertoires and its slow shift in towards the mainstream from the fringes of what is acceptable. As artisans (for we must never forget our roots) on this moving fringe, it is important to have your bearings. Nowadays (and however much you feel like playing it freehand) if you want to include the Modern in your repertoire you should do some study. You should know, for instance, where White can get a safe plus (in my opinion, just chapter III.2), where White can get a less-safe plus (chapter IV.4), and where there are routes to equality, dynamic or otherwise (essentially the rest of the book!)

The Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defence is so popular that the total number of games played in this line exceeds the number of games played in many complete openings! It has been the favourite line of many world champions and grandmasters. Famous lines such as the Poisoned Pawn, the Polugaevsky Variation, the Sozin, the English Attack, to name just a few, are known to all chess players as belonging to the Najdorf Sicilian. Learning the Najdorf will help all players to understand Sicilians in a better way. Different aspects of chess such as defence, attack and sacrifice, positional themes and tactical storms, can be found in this book.

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

There is no doubt that the Nimzovich Defense is one of Black’s most inspiring openings after 1.e4. Black strives to unbalance the position by creating new problems for White from move two, giving himself every opportunity to fight for the initiative from the outset. It is no surprise that 1…Nc6 appeals ambitious players who relish a complicated battle. In this book, GM Christian Bauer explains how to use this powerful weapon drawing from his own successful experiences. He is not shy to show you the fundamental ideas, the traps, the pitfalls and naturally the move order subtleties which play such an important role in our modern game of chess. We are convinced this book will give you plenty of confidence and make your opponent think more than twice.

The O’Kelly is the 5th most popular response to 2.Nf3 in the Sicilian. It is a sound weapon and still contains a lot of surprise value. You will notice this in the time White generally takes for his third move when you play on one of the internet platforms. With some general knowledge about the Sicilian Defence and good theoretical preparation, built on the basis of the lines presented in this book, you will have an excellent starting point to obtain good results in this intriguing chess opening.