Boris Avrukh's original 1.d4 books — published by Quality Chess in the late 2000s — became known as "The Opening Bible" among serious club players, and the phrase "to Avrukh" entered chess vocabulary to mean obtaining a comfortable opening advantage through one of his recommendations. Both books were translated into several languages.
This volume is not an update of those works. As Avrukh explains in his preface, six years of top-level practice and computer scrutiny have rendered enough of his original analysis obsolete that a complete reworking was necessary. The earlier two-volume set has been reorganised into four volumes (1A, 1B, 2A, 2B); this is the first. Avrukh works as a trainer for some of the world's top players and has incorporated the novelties and improvements developed through that work throughout.
The opening moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 define this book's scope. The main focus is the Catalan proper after 3...d5, covered across 16 chapters that address every significant defensive try Black can employ — from the Open Catalan (taking on c4 immediately) to the various closed systems. The Bogo-Indian (3...Bb4+) and Benoni structures arising from 3...c5 are covered in the remaining nine chapters, completing White's coverage of all Black responses in this move order.
This is an advanced text with dense concrete analysis. It rewards serious study rather than casual reading. Volume 1B covers the Queen's Gambit systems.
The Polar Bear System starts after 1.f4 (the Bird opening) and then fianchetto of the King’s bishop.The system is for players who like interesting and original positions and want to avoid memorizing a lot of theory..
This volume concludes Emanuel Berg’s ambitious three-part Black repertoire in the French Defence. Where the first two books built the aggressive Winawer (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4) into a complete weapon, Volume 3 covers everything else White can throw at the French — so that, taken together, the series answers 1.e4 e6 in full.
The heart of the book is the Advance Variation (3.e5), the most thematic French structure of all, where White grabs space with the d4–e5 pawn chain and Black undermines it with the standard ...c5 break. Berg gives Black a fighting, well-worked-out response to all of White’s tries here — 4.c3, 4.dxc5, 4.Qg4 and 4.Nf3 — along with complete coverage of the Tarrasch (3.Nd2), the Exchange Variation, the King’s Indian Attack, and the various sidelines that avoid 3.Nc3.
As a Grandmaster Repertoire title, the treatment is deep and concrete: this is serious, theory-rich analysis aimed at players who want to meet 1.e4 with the French as a genuine winning attempt, not merely a solid equaliser. Berg explains the typical plans and pawn breaks alongside the lines.
At 472 pages, it is a demanding book for ambitious club players and above. With Volumes 1 and 2 it forms one of the most complete and uncompromising French repertoires available to Black.
Kotronias on the King's Indian Fianchetto Systems
Of all the ways to meet the King’s Indian, the quiet g3 fianchetto is the one that frustrates attackers most: White avoids the wild Mar del Plata races and aims for a small, safe, lasting edge. This book — the opening volume of Vassilios Kotronias’s monumental King’s Indian series — gives Black a complete, fighting answer to it.
Kotronias is one of the world’s foremost King’s Indian theoreticians, and the treatment here is correspondingly deep. He covers the full range of fianchetto set-ups: lines where White holds back c4, the systems with an early ...c5 counter, and the main lines after ...Nbd7 and ...e5, including the critical 8.Qc2, 8.e4 and 8.b3 battlegrounds and the sharp Mozny Variation.
Throughout, the goal is not merely to equalise but to give Black active, double-edged positions with real winning chances, backed by original analysis and a clear explanation of the plans behind the moves. A set of exercises helps drill the key ideas.
This is an advanced, theory-heavy repertoire book for dedicated King’s Indian players who want to meet the fianchetto with genuine ambition rather than passively accepting White’s slow squeeze.
Solid knowledge of pawn structures is crucial for any player as these structures often influence the nature of the game by dictating piece placement and shaping strategic decisions. In this indispensable guide, Mauricio Flores Rios thoroughly studies and analyzes the 28 most common pawn structures in chess practice.
The author has carefully selected and organized model games showing each structure’s main ideas and plans, arising from various openings. The readers will enhance their strategic vision and learn what pitfalls to avoid. They will also be able to test their newfound knowledge with 50 engaging positional exercises, complete with detailed solutions.
This book is excellent for Intermediate-advanced players looking to deepen their understanding of chess strategy and improve positional play. Even players unfamiliar with certain openings will find immense value in studying these pawn formations and significantly improve their positional understanding.
This ebook is a part of Bundle: Pawn Play Bundle
Ever since its inception in 2008, the Grandmaster Repertoire series has produced some of the world’s best opening books, but an elite repertoire with 1.e4 has always been missing – until now.
In this, the second volume of the Grandmaster Repertoire – 1.e4 series, Indian superstar Parimarjan Negi tackles the fearsome Sicilian Najdorf, presenting his own world-class repertoire with 6.Bg5. Building on a foundation of tried-and-tested main lines, the author unveils a wealth of new ideas against the Poisoned Pawn and other critical variations, making this an essential addition to the library of every ambitious player.
Parimarjan Negi is a former child prodigy who is the second-youngest player of all time to obtain the Grandmaster title. He was Asian Champion in 2012, and played on Board 1 for the Indian team which won bronze medals at the Tromsø 2014 Olympiad.
In this, the third volume of the Kotronias on the King’s Indian series, grandmaster Vassilios Kotronias presents the second part of his world-class repertoire against the famous Mar del Plata variation, starting from the position after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0–0 6.Be2 e5 7.0–0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7, with the focus on 9.b4, 9.Nd2 and all other sensible alternatives to 9.Ne1.
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