Chess Opening Essentials is an accessible primer and a reference book at the same time. It gives a flavour of how every opening works and explains the similarities with other openings as well as the differences. In addition, it also points at the various middlegame plans that apply after the opening has ended.
Grandmasters Dimitri Komarov and Stefan Djuric, and International Master Claudio Pantaleoni do not propagate forcing tactical variations to be memorized mechanically, but explain what you should actually be trying to achieve when playing the opening of your choice. They include the main alternative responses and give clear indications for further study.
This thorough, understandable, and very readable manual gives you a foundation on which to build your repertoire. Beginning and improving chess players should get this powerful book before they buy any other chess opening book!
"Not only is the main line explained and the reader made hungry for more, but he gets enough strategic knowledge and insider-tips to get, even if he plays the opening for the first time, into the middlegame safely"
Content
005 Preface
006 Glossary of chess symbols
009 Introduction
1.d4 Other 0131.d4: Unusual Lines
016 1.d4: Minor Defences 016 Pseudo-Benoni
017 Keres Variation
018 English Defence
019 Modern Defence
024 Defence 1...d6
027 Franco-Benoni & Schmid-Benoni
08 Old Benoni
031 Dutch Defence 036 Leningrad Dutch
045 Classical Dutch
046 Ilyin-Zhenevsky
050 Stonewall Dutch
059 1.d2-d4 Queen's Pawn Game without c2-c4
059 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit
061 Pseudo-Trompowsky
062 Veresov
068 Trompowsky Opening 080 Colle System
085 Torre Attack
090 London System
097 Minor Defences after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 098 Chigorin Defence
101 Albin Counter-Gambit
106 Baltic Defence
Queen's Gambits 112 Slav Defence
112 Variation 3.Nc3
115 Exchange Variation
118 Alternative Minor Lines
121 Modern Variation 4...a6
127 Classical Variation 4...dxc4
131 Main Line 5...Bf5
147 Queen's Gambit Accepted
147 3.e3 Variation
148 3.e4 Variation
153 3.Nc3 a6!? Variation
155 Gambit Variation 4.Nc3
157 Classical Variation: 4.e3
170 Queen's Gambit Declined
171 Tarrasch Defence
172 Schara-Hennig Gambit
173 Minor Lines
175 Main line 6.g3
186 Minor Variations after 1.d2-d4 d7-d5 2.c2-c4 e7-e6 3. Nb1-c3
190 Queen's Gambit Declined Exchange Variation
198 Queen's Gambit with Bc1-f4
206 Queen's Gambit Declined Eingorn Variation
207 Queen's Gambit with ...Bf8-b4 208 Ragozin Variation 5...h6
209 Westphalia Variation (a.k.a. Manhattan Variation) 5...Nbd7
212 Pseudo-Westphalia
213 Vienna Variation 5...dxc4
218 Semi-Tarrasch Defence
224 Semi-Slav Defence
225 Marshall-Alekhine Gambit
226 Noteboom Variation
230 Anti-Meran 5.Bg5
231 Moscow Variation 5...h6
233 Botvinnik System 5...dxc4
237 Meran Defence
237 The Anti-Meran Variation Qc2
250 Cambridge Springs Defence
263 Queen's Gambit Declined with ...Bf8-e7 263 Peruvian Gambit
264 Dutch Gambit
265 6...h6 7.Bxf6 Variation
268 Lasker Defence 7...Ne4
271 Tartakower Variation 7...b6
275 Orthodox Defence 6...Nbd7
285 Index of Players
Grandmasters Dimitri Komarov and Stefan Djuric, and International Master Claudio Pantaleoni do not propagate forcing tactical variations to be memorized mechanically, but explain what you should actually be trying to achieve when playing the opening of your choice. They include the main alternative responses and give clear indications for further study.
This thorough, understandable, and very readable manual gives you a foundation on which to build your repertoire. Beginning and improving chess players should get this powerful book before they buy any other chess opening book!
"Not only is the main line explained and the reader made hungry for more, but he gets enough strategic knowledge and insider-tips to get, even if he plays the opening for the first time, into the middlegame safely"
Content
005 Preface
006 Glossary of chess symbols
009 Introduction
1.d4 Other 0131.d4: Unusual Lines
016 1.d4: Minor Defences 016 Pseudo-Benoni
017 Keres Variation
018 English Defence
019 Modern Defence
024 Defence 1...d6
027 Franco-Benoni & Schmid-Benoni
08 Old Benoni
031 Dutch Defence 036 Leningrad Dutch
045 Classical Dutch
046 Ilyin-Zhenevsky
050 Stonewall Dutch
059 1.d2-d4 Queen's Pawn Game without c2-c4
059 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit
061 Pseudo-Trompowsky
062 Veresov
068 Trompowsky Opening 080 Colle System
085 Torre Attack
090 London System
097 Minor Defences after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 098 Chigorin Defence
101 Albin Counter-Gambit
106 Baltic Defence
Queen's Gambits 112 Slav Defence
112 Variation 3.Nc3
115 Exchange Variation
118 Alternative Minor Lines
121 Modern Variation 4...a6
127 Classical Variation 4...dxc4
131 Main Line 5...Bf5
147 Queen's Gambit Accepted
147 3.e3 Variation
148 3.e4 Variation
153 3.Nc3 a6!? Variation
155 Gambit Variation 4.Nc3
157 Classical Variation: 4.e3
170 Queen's Gambit Declined
171 Tarrasch Defence
172 Schara-Hennig Gambit
173 Minor Lines
175 Main line 6.g3
186 Minor Variations after 1.d2-d4 d7-d5 2.c2-c4 e7-e6 3. Nb1-c3
190 Queen's Gambit Declined Exchange Variation
198 Queen's Gambit with Bc1-f4
206 Queen's Gambit Declined Eingorn Variation
207 Queen's Gambit with ...Bf8-b4 208 Ragozin Variation 5...h6
209 Westphalia Variation (a.k.a. Manhattan Variation) 5...Nbd7
212 Pseudo-Westphalia
213 Vienna Variation 5...dxc4
218 Semi-Tarrasch Defence
224 Semi-Slav Defence
225 Marshall-Alekhine Gambit
226 Noteboom Variation
230 Anti-Meran 5.Bg5
231 Moscow Variation 5...h6
233 Botvinnik System 5...dxc4
237 Meran Defence
237 The Anti-Meran Variation Qc2
250 Cambridge Springs Defence
263 Queen's Gambit Declined with ...Bf8-e7 263 Peruvian Gambit
264 Dutch Gambit
265 6...h6 7.Bxf6 Variation
268 Lasker Defence 7...Ne4
271 Tartakower Variation 7...b6
275 Orthodox Defence 6...Nbd7
285 Index of Players