Good Chess Openings Books For Beginners and Beyond – Chess.com

here is a sample of good chess opening books, especially suitable for improving chess fans, from beginners to experts, and beyond. If you’re looking for an introduction, overview, or review of a specific opening beyond the books listed here, check out the “Getting Started…”, “…Step by Step,” and “Getting Started” series of books. .”. books published by everyman chess, as well as the “…explained” series by gambit publications.

Be sure to also check out my blog article on chess opening resources for beginners and more advanced.

You are reading: Best chess books for openings

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recommended chess books

** Click on the titles for additional information, reader reviews, etc., of the book on amazon.com. google books is useful for previewing book excerpts. see also – https://www.chess.com/blog/russbell/scribd-com-for-online-chess-book-reading **

discovering chess openings: developing opening skills from basic principles

by john emms. this is a must read for beginners. simply the best book to learn the basic principles of chess openings. Please note that this is not an opening reference or an opening variations manual; it is not intended to provide complete coverage of specific openings. however, if you are unsure about opening fundamentals or what to think and do during the opening, this book does an outstanding job of addressing and clarifying these issues.

chess openings

by mike basman. a well written instructional book, aimed at the beginner-novice, focusing on the application of opening principles and techniques. does a better than average job of explaining not only how to play the opening, but also why the moves are made. Features tutorial overview chapters on the following openings: Piano Giuoco, Sicilian Dragon, Queen’s Gambit, Nimzo-Indian Defense, and Morra Gambit. this would be a good supplement-companion to “discovering chess openings…” by john emms (above). see also “youth chess openings” and “winning in the opening”, both by j.n. (john) walker.

back to basics: openings

by carsten hansen. provides an introductory overview of not only basic opening principles and theory, but also a comprehensive survey of virtually all chess openings. while the treatment of each opening is superficial, it is helpful in assessing what the opening is about, providing enough perspective and exposition to help decide which openings you might be interested in digging deeper into. see also “winning chess openings” by yasser seirawan.

also, for those who have a penchant for chess history and don’t mind dealing with old “descriptive” chess notation, I highly recommend the tutorial (albeit dated in terms of the latest theory, as published originally in 1935) “how to play chess openings” by eugene a. znosko-borovsky. the book is a treasure trove of chess opening pearls of wisdom and, like all z-n books, a delight to read.

chess openings: traps and zaps

by bruce pandolfini. a two-volume series introducing the king’s pawn openings (those starting with 1.e4). as the title indicates, the focus of the books is exclusively on opening tactics and traps. every beginner should become familiar with typical opening mistakes and how to exploit and/or avoid them. For additional instructions on opening tactics and attacking play, see Bruce Pandolfini’s “The Way To Win” and Fred Wilson’s “Simple Plans Of Attack”.

openings for amateurs

by pete tamburro. an opening guide, with repertoire suggestions, for amateurs up to expert level. lots of practical advice, dos and don’ts in the game of openings and recommendations on openings to play. Since the content of this book is relatively more advanced than the previous opening manuals, it would be more appropriate as a continuation or complement to them.

fco: fundamental chess openings

by paul van der sterren. Possibly the best single-volume opening reference. extremely well written. covers all main openings. For a good but more succinct treatment, see “Understanding Chess Openings” by Sam Collins.

chess opening fundamentals

by stefan djuric and dimitry komarov. a four-volume series. the entire series comprises a well executed survey of all openings, aimed at the class club level player. well written, with instructive commentary. be sure to check out all four volumes.

master chess openings

by john watson. a four-volume series. a comprehensive and well-written treatment of opening theory, principles, plans, and themes for most major openings. if one is seriously interested in understanding openings and opening theory in general, these are some of the best references for that purpose. congratulations to im watson for this valuable addition to the chess opening literature.

the ideas behind chess openings

by ruben fine. a classic. focuses on explaining the underlying ideas behind all the main openings. While some of the analysis of the end of specific lines may be challenged by recent opening theory, by focusing on the ideas discussed, your understanding of openings will certainly improve.

chess pawn structure

by andrew soltis. a classic. Although not strictly an opening book per se, Soltis describes and discusses the main pawn structures that emerge from the opening and their implications on how to plan. see also “chess structures: a guide for grandmasters” by Mauricio Flores Rios; “success in chess: planning after the opening” by neil mcdonald.

master the opening strategy

by johan hellsten. a structured course on the strategic concepts of the opening game, presented in a collection of games from the masters with instructional annotations. The book is intended for experienced players, intermediate and above, who are familiar with the concepts and techniques of strategic-positional chess. Student exercises, with solutions, are presented at the end of each chapter. An index of the openings examined is included at the end of the book, as well as an index of players.

understand before you move

by herman groten. three volumes…

understanding before moving 1: ruy lopez – italian structures

understand before moving 2 – queen’s gambit structures

understand before moving 3 – sicilian structures – part 1: najdorf & scheveningen

each volume is specifically dedicated to explaining the ideas: the thematic pawn structures, the strategies and the techniques of the respective opening systems. I highly recommend these books, especially if your goal is to play any of these openings at a high level.

first steps: 1 e4 e5

by john emms. Aimed at the beginning-intermediate player, it provides an instructive introduction and overview of the ideas, plans, tactics and strategies of all the major double king pawn openings, including the Italian game, Evans Gambit, Two Knights Defense, Ruy Lopez , four horse game , Scottish game and others. this is another fine effort from one of the best chess authors. For a detailed and continuing introduction to these openings, see “Getting Started: Open Games” by Glenn Flear.

chess openings for black, explained: a complete repertoire

by lev alburt et al. this is the second in a two-volume series, which together with its companion “explanation of chess openings for white”, make up a complete repertoire of openings aimed at the beginner and intermediate player.

for lev alburt’s black repertoire (“chess openings for black, explained”), the main line against 1.e4 is the Sicilian defense – accelerated dragon, and against 1.d4 , Black will play the Nimzo-Indian defense, given the opportunity.

also from black’s perspective in the “open game” (1.e4 e5) see “playing open games as black” by john emms; “Overcoming Open Games, 2nd ed.” by mihail marin; “how to beat open games” by sverre johnsen; “opening repertoire: open games with black” by martin lokander; “bologan’s black weapons in open games…” by victor bologan; “playing 1.e4 e5” by nikolaos ntirlis; “playing 1 e4 e5: a complete repertoire for black in open games” by nigel davies.

for lev alburt’s white repertoire (“chess openings for white, explained”), the main line in open play (1.e4 e5) includes the Scottish gambit, the game Italian/giuoco piano, or two-knight defense, depending on how Black responds; against the Sicilian defense White plays the attacking grand prize (1.e4 c5 2.nc3 – with f2-f4 soon to follow); against the caro-kann defence, white plays the exchange variation (1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5); against the French defense (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5) White responds with 3.nc3.

also from White’s perspective – with 1.e4 see “overcoming 1 e4 e5: a repertoire for white in open games” and “attack with 1 e4”, both by john emms; “winning with slow (but poisonous!) Italian” by muller & souleidis; “overcoming unusual defenses 1 e4” by andrew greet.

my first chess opening repertoire for white

by vincent moret. here is a dynamic repertoire of openings for white based on 1.e4, aimed at the beginner-intermediate player. the approach is somewhat different from that of most repertory books. the author’s stated intent is to present a set of aggressive yet solid openings that can be learned with “minimal” study. that is, he has deliberately restricted the amount of material to what is sufficient to understand the main themes of the recommended variations. the presentation focuses on selected variations that have a higher probability that White can play them, while avoiding the myriad lines that have less probability. this significantly reduces the amount of material to study. if he needs more information related to the openings you present, he should refer to resources that cover them more fully. but the author’s intention is that you start playing the recommended lines as quickly as possible by learning themes and plans, rather than memorizing many variations (ie “theory”).

The author also does a better than average job of explaining not only what you should be trying to do in each line (the themes), but also taking the time to clarify why you’re doing the recommended moves (as opposed to others, alternative movements), and in many cases it establishes the procedure of how the lines should be played. many authors don’t go out of their way to explain things so thoroughly. in fact, he will learn a lot about how to play chess well from this book.

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what lines are covered in the book?

White’s main line in open play will be the Italian game – giuoco piano – 1.e4 e5 2.nf3 nc6 3.bc4 bc5. There is also an answer to the two-knight defense (3…nf6), when White will reply with 4.ng5. the Italian game is an opening you can grow and play with for the rest of your chess career, even at the highest levels*.

against the Sicilian defence, White will play the attacking grand prize – 1.e4 c5 2.nc3 – following up with a quick f2-f4. moret’s instructions on how to play the grand prize attack with white are outstanding, the best I’ve ever seen.

against the French defense – 1.e4 e6 – White responds with the King’s Indian attack.

against caro kann’s defence, white will play the advanced variation – 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 looking to follow up with e6 and the so-called night attack.

against pirc/modern defenses – 1.e4 d6 2.d4 nf6 3.nc3 g6 – white will go for st.george attack/yugoslav attack.

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briefly covers other Black responses, for example the Scandinavian Defense, Philidor’s Defense, and Petroff’s Defense.

Overall, this is a fun yet effective repertoire of blank openings, presented in an instructional manner, that the target audience can quickly learn to play, with “minimal” study required. here is an excerpt from the book preview. for interactive online learning, be sure to check out the chess course based on the book.

* for an advanced treatment of the italian game, i recommend the excellent “winning with the slow but poisonous italian” by karsten muller & georgios souleidis. this repertoire focuses on the 4.c3/5.d3 variation of the Italian game, which is a “slower” version of the “faster” Italian game 4.c3 / 5.d4 featured in the Italian game repertoire of moret for white.

Last but not least, there is another very good introductory repertoire book on the Italian game written by John Emms: “Win 1 e4 e5”. similar to the approach in the muller & souleidis, the emms repertoire focuses on the “slow” variation 4.c3 / 5.d3. emms also includes a chapter dealing with the bishop’s opening move order (1.e4 e5 2.bc4) to enter the Italian game, which avoids Black’s petroff defence. according to emms, “the only way white can guarantee getting a development system with bc4, d3 and nf3 is by using the bishop’s opening move order.”

Together, the above three books should teach an amateur player (and beyond) essentially everything they need to know to play the Italian game at a high level.

from black’s perspective, see “my first chess opening repertoire for black” by vincent moret. Against 1.e4, Black’s repertoire features the Scandinavian Defense, Portuguese Variation; Against 1.d4, the Albino Counter Gambit and the Dutch Stonewall Defense are introduced, depending on how White responds. Moret in the book’s introduction explains his choice of repertoire as follows: “I have deliberately chosen aggressive variations. Playing aggressive openings allows the development of one’s tactical vision in open positions, which can only benefit progression.” I think that this repertoire for Black could be especially useful for rapid chess (bullet, blitz, rapid), not only because of the aggressive nature of Black’s responses, but also because White will usually not be waiting, nor well prepared to optimally deal with these particular defenses. here is an excerpt from the book preview. and a chess course based on the book.

the intention of moret’s two opening repertoires, for whites and blacks, is to promote an interesting, dynamic and aggressive game where understanding relatively simple themes and plans, rather than memorizing countless disparate lines, is the goal. focus of the presentations.

keep it simple 1.e4 & keep it simple 1.d4

by cristof sielecki. two volumes. the titles say it all. as simple as it can be for white complete and complete opening repertoires for 1.e4 & 1.d4 players. for details on the specific openings used in these books, I suggest checking them out on chessable, or on the publisher’s website (new in chess).

best chess openings

by jef kaan. this provides a complete repertoire of openings for white and black, accessible to beginner and intermediate players and more. for white, repertoires based on 1.e4 (with ruy lopez) and also 1.d4 (you can choose!) are offered. for Black, against 1.e4 the repertoire recommends 1…e5 for beginners-novices and 1…e6 (French Defence) for intermediate players. Against 1.d4, 1…nf6 (queen’s gambit – qgd/qga and Indian defenses – nimzo/bogo) appear. All in all, this is a solid and comprehensive opening repertoire that will stand the test of time and can be played for the rest of your chess career. the amazon kindle ebook edition has the title “learning chess openings” by the same author.

an idiot-proof chess opening repertoire

by graham burgess. a complete repertoire of openings for black and white, aimed at the intermediate and superior player. for white, burgess presents the english opening – 1. c4. for Black against 1.e4 we have the Scandinavian Defense which features the 3…dd6 variation, while against 1.d4 the featured defense is a hybrid of the accepted Queen’s Gambit and the Slav Defense, and various other systems depending on how White answers. Lines against other important responses from the opponent are also presented.

an ingenious repertoire of chess openings for White

by graham burgess. for the advanced, intermediate and superior player. Burgess presents a flexible opening repertoire for White based on 1.d4/2.nf3 and continues with a choice of three development systems, depending on how Black responds, be it an early 1) bf4 (hybrid setup of the gambit system queen/london), or 2) bg5 (rook attack), or 3) white kingside fianchetto setup against king’s indian, grunfeld and related black defences. See also “The Gambit Guide to the Rook Attack” by Graham Burgess, and “Getting Started: The Trompowsky Attack” by Richard Palliser, both of which feature White’s early bg5.

a strategic repertoire of chess openings for White

by john watson. an opening repertoire for White based on the 1.d4/2.c4 queen’s gambit lines, aimed at the advanced player.

kaufman’s new repertoire for black and white

by larry kaufman. a complete repertoire of openings for both white and black, aimed at the advanced player. for white the opening is 1.e4 with the ruy lopez or the italian game (your choice). for Black, 1…e5 against 1.e4 – aiming at the marshall attack or breyer defense (your choice) against the ruy lopez (Spanish opening), and 1…d5 against 1.d4 – aiming at the grunfeld defense . For aspiring teachers, this may be the only opening book you need!

from the publisher except with details of the repertoire…

play 1…d6 against everything

by erik zude & George Hickl. a complete Black repertoire with the Antoshin variation of the Philidor Defense against 1.e4 and the old Indian Defense against 1.d4. the authors say that there are only a limited number of plans, ideas, and structures that you need to learn. a similar repertoire book (i.e. the old Indian against 1.d4 and the Philidor defense against 1.e4) for Black and White with 1…d6 for Black, with an identical pawn structure (reversed colors ) for White, it’s step aside main line theory by gerard welling & Steve Gidens. see also “the old indian: move by move” by junior tay; “a 1.d4 d6 universal weapon” by vladimir barsky.

play 1…nc6!: a complete repertoire of chess openings for black

by christoph scheerer. a repertoire of openings for Black. It features the Nimzowitsch Defense (1.e4 nc6) and the Chigorin Defense (1.d4 d5 2.nf3 nc6). While considered somewhat unconventional, these defenses allow you to pull the rug out from under your opponent early on, and play the opening on your terms! see also “the dark knight system: a repertoire with 1…nc6” by james schuyler.

dealing with d4 deviations: fighting trompowsky, rook, blackmar-diemer, stonewall, colle and other problematic openings

by john cox. presents a consistent repertoire of openings for black against the so-called queen’s pawn openings: the colle, london, trompowsky, rook and veresov systems and the blackmar-diemer gambit. see also “overcoming 1.d4 sidelines” by boris avrukh; “winning unusual chess openings…” by richard palliser; “overcoming minor openings” by victor mikhalevski; “taming wild chess openings…” by john watson and eric schiller. at least one of these books is almost essential for black! for white 1.d4 players, see “1.d4 – beat the guerillas!” by valeri bronznik.

a repertoire of chess openings for blitz & fast

by evgeny & vladimir sveshnikov. the subtitle of the book reads: “sharp, striking, forced lines for black and white.” this is a repertoire for white and black designed specifically for quick games, against the opponent’s main opening attempts. White’s repertoire against 1.e4 e5 features the vienna game- 1.e4 e5 2.nc3; against the Sicilian defense – 1.e4 c5 2.b3; against expensive kann – 1.e4 c6 2.nc3; against the French defense – 1.e4 e6 2.nf3. Black’s repertoire against 1.e4 features Alekhine’s defense – 1.e4 nf6; against 1.d4 the queen’s gambit accepted – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4; against the English opening – 1.c4 c5; against retreat – 1.nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 and 1.nf3 d5 2.b3 bg4.

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how to build your chess opening repertoire

by steve giddins. a book to guide you through the considerations involved in choosing your openings – the title says it all. for some opening repertoire suggestions see…

alterman tactics guide

by boris alterman. Playing gambits is fun, but more importantly, doing so will hone your attacking and tactical skills, while learning the importance of taking and maintaining the initiative. it is a series of 3 volumes in which the author offers a repertoire of selected tactics for both white and black. the treatment of covered gambits is very instructive. The first volume covers White Gambits (G.) as follows: Danish G., Urusov G., Cochran G., Evans G., Morra G., and Milner-Barry G.. Several other openings are covered, including the morphy attack vs the two knight defense, the max lange attack and the panov-botvinnik attack. the second volume features black gambits against 1.d4 and 1.c4, mainly the benko g., blumenfeld g. and vaganian g.. the third volume continues with black gambits against 1.e4 and 1.f4 – the marshall attack, hector g., traxler counterattack, frankenstein-dracula g., falkbeer counter g., and from’s g. see also “open gambits” by george botterill. a site dedicated to gambits: http://www.ianchessgambits.com/

king’s gambit

by john shaw. the most comprehensive book on the king’s gambit. the opening begins 1.e4 e5 2.f4. If you want to play an exciting opening that emphasizes open positions, with highly tactical attacking chess, play the King’s Gambit! see also “the fascinating king’s gambit” by thomas johansson.

play the evans gambit

by tim harding and bernard cafferty. the opening starts 1.e4 e5 2.nf3 nc6 3.bc4 bc5 4.c4. Along with the King’s Gambit, the Evans Gambit was one of the most popular “romantic” King’s Pawn openings of the 19th century, and neither has yet been disproved. Though rarely seen at elite levels today, Evans remains a dangerous weapon in the hands of the well-prepared first-player, while offering dynamic and entertaining gameplay for both players. also by tim harding see “evans gambit and a system versus the two knights defense” (2nd revised ed.); “alterman gambit guide – white gambits” by boris alterman (see quote above); “the great evans gambit debate” by michael rohde. while each of these books is certainly worth a look for the serious, e.g. player, i highly recommend rhode’s book as, at least in terms of theory, it’s probably the most up to date.

the modern game of vienna

by ovetchkin & soloviov. an aggressive, attacking White opening that many consider to be an improved version of the King’s Gambit. the game starts 1.e4 e5 2.nc3 when white will soon deploy pawns on d3 and f4, along with bc4 & nf3. see also “the vienna gambit for the club player” by colin payne & mike reid; “vienna game” by gary lane.

getting started: the scotch whiskey game

by john emms. a solid opening for White that starts with 1.e4 e5 3.nf3 nc6 3.d4. This opening has been played at the highest level, notably by Kasparov in his world championship match against Karpov. relatively easy to learn, interesting to play. see also “the scottish gambit: a forceful and aggressive system for white” by alex fishbein; “play the ponziani” by taylor & Hayward. note: lev alburt’s opening repertoire book for white (below) features the scottish gambit.

ruy lopez: play by play

by neil mcdonald. an instructive introduction to the “king of chess openings”! all chess players should eventually become familiar with this opening (also known as the “Spanish opening”) – you will become a better chess player thanks to it. see also “ruy lopez easy guide” by john emms; “play the ruy lopez” by andrew greet; “ruy lopez main line” by glenn flear.

a Spanish repertoire for blacks

by mihail marin. a repertoire of black against the spanish game (aka the ruy lopez). the recommended primary variation is the chigorin. a typically painstaking and instructive work of gm marin.

how to play against 1 e4

by neil mcdonald. Regardless of the ambiguous choice of title, this book is a highly instructive introduction to the French Defense, aimed at the novice-intermediate player. GM McDonald, a French expert, does an excellent job of explaining the reasoning behind the moves and how they contribute to the themes and plans of each variation. Also instructive are “Mastering French” by Neil McDonald and “Getting Started: French” by Cyrus Lakdawala. see also “play the french” by john watson; “the French even more flexible…” by viktor moskalenko; “chess explained – the french” by eingorn & bogdanov; “Modern French: A Complete Guide to Black” by antic & Maksimović; “french defense the solid rubinstein variation”, 2nd ed., by hannes langrock. For an aggressive approach to the opening, see “attacking chess the french” by simon williams.

win with the caro-kann

sverre johnsen & tr hansen. a complete repertoire in the caro-kann defense to 1.e4. see also the repertoire “playing the caro-kann” by lars schandorff. in the classical main line of defense, both books feature the sharp and aggressive korchnoi variation: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.nc3 dxe4 4.nxe4 nf6 5.nxf6 exf6, which should appeal to players who prefer dynamic counterplay like the black ones. . for a repertoire of caro-kann with the elegant and solid capablanca variation of the main line – 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.nc3 dxe4 4.nxe4 bf5 – see “Opening repertoire: the caro-kann” by jovanka houska and grandmaster repertoire 7: the caro-kann by lars schandorf. To be clear, in addition to the main lines mentioned above, all of these books address all of White’s main responses/variations to Caro-Kann.

Understanding Scandinavian

by sergey kasparov. a defense (1.e4 d5) that allows Black to dictate the course of the opening from his first move. With the move 1…d5, Black avoids all the popular king’s pawn openings White can employ, and forces White to play the opening on Black’s terms! See also John Emms’s “The Norseman” and Jovanka Houska’s “Getting Started: The Norseman”. the previous three books cover all variations of Norse. for the 3…qa5 variation, see “the modern scandinavian” by wahls, muller & langrock, which is probably the most comprehensive book on this particular variation. see also “the scandinavian for club players” by thomas willemze. for books dealing exclusively with the 3…qd6 variation see “scandinavian defense: the dynamic 3…qd6” by michael melts , “the Scandinavian: move by move” by cyrus lakdawala, and “the safest Scandinavian” by vassilios kotronias, who provides a very complete repertoire in variation 3.. .dd6. For the 3…Qd8 Variation, see “The Scandinavian 3…Qd8: Simple and Strong” by Daniel Lowinger. For those who prefer a sharp counter-attacking style, check out “Smerdon’s Scandinavian” by David Smerdon, which features the Portuguese and Icelandic 2…nf6 gambit variations.

beginning: alekhine’s defense

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by john cox. the alekhine is a sharp counterattacking defense (1.e4 nf6) for black that usually quickly leads to a highly tactical style of play. the defense tends to appeal to the second player who seeks to dictate the course of the opening from the start, bypassing White’s opening preparation. see also alekhine’s defense by nigel davies and alekhine alert! by timothy taylor.

philidor files

by christian bauer. the philidor defense is an answer to 1.e4, where black plays …d6/…nf6/…e5 typically within the first three moves. it can be played strategically, positionally or tactically. Bauer’s book strives to provide definitive coverage of this strong defense. it also deals exclusively with the philidor “a cunning chess opening for black” by sergey kasparov.

beginning: the Sicilian

by john emms. a complete study/summary of all the variations of the most popular of Black’s defenses to 1.e4: the Sicilian Defense (1.e4 c5). this book will help you decide if the Sicilian is for you. see also danny kopec’s “mastering the sicilian defense” and levy & o’connell – macmillan chess library publishers.

starting: the sicilian dragon

by andrew martin. Some introductory books on specific variations of the Sicilian Defense to get you started: “The Sicilian Dragon: Move by Move” by Carsten Hansen; “play sicilian dragon” by edward dearing; “getting started: the revved up dragon” by andrew greeting; “the sicilian scheveningen move by move” by lorin d’costa; “easy guide to sicilian scheveningen” by steffen pedersen; “beginning: sicilian najdorf” by richard palliser; “easy guide to najdorf” by tony kosten; “plays najdorf scheveningen style” by john emms; “sicilian taimanov move by move” by john emms; “beginning: sicilian sveshnikov” by john cox; “The Sicilian Assassin: Fighting 1e4 with the Kalashnikov” by Tony Rotella; “meeting 1e4” by alexander raetsky; “The Chameleon Variation: Confronting the Sicilian on Your Own Terms” by Carsten Hansen; “the lazy sicilian” by valeri bronznik & steve giddin.

experts in the anti-Sicilian

by jacob aagaard and john shaw. a sicilian repertoire for black against most of the standard anti-sicilian weapons white can employ, including the c3 sicilian, grand prix attack, closed sicilian, king’s indian attack, bb5 systems, morra gambit and others . each chapter is written by an expert on that particular variation. see also “fighting the anti-sicilians” by richard palliser, “anti-sicilians a guide for black” by d.rogozenko and “beating the anti-sicilians “ of vassilios kotronias.

experts vs. the Sicilian

by jacob aagaard and john shaw. a repertoire for White in the Sicilian Open. the chapters covering each variation are written by different authors, experts in that particular variation. see also “dismantling the sicilian” by jesus de la villa; “Sicilian attacks” by yuri yakovic; “modernized: the Sicilian open” by amanov & kavutskly.

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getting started: the sicilian c3

by john emms. an anti-Sicilian weapon for White. play 1.e4 c5 2.c3 and avoid the open Sicilian Variations that Black hopes to play!

how to beat the sicilian defence: an anti-sicilian repertoire for white

by gawain jones. an anti-Sicilian repertoire for White based on 2.nf3 and 3.bb5. it also covers the king’s indian attack if black plays 2…e6. see also “the bb5 sicilian” by richard palliser.

starting: sicilian grand prix attack

by gawain jones. an anti-Sicilian weapon for White based on 2.f4 or 2.nc3 followed by 3.f4. see also “the grand prize attack…” by evgeny sveshnikov.

starting: Sicilian cerrado

by richard palliser. an anti-Sicilian weapon for White. He prevents Black from playing his favorite Open Sicilian Variation by playing the Closed Sicilian with the setup 1.e4 – 2.nc3 – 3.g3 – 4.bg2 – 5.d3. Note the similarities between White’s initial pawn placement in the Closed Sicilian and in the King’s Indian attack (below).

The King’s Indian Attack: Move by Move

by neil mcdonald. a universal opening development system for White that can be played against virtually any Black defence, including 1…e5, 1…c5, 1…c6, 1…e6, 1…d5 , 1…nf6, and 1…f5. as such, it can be employed as a “one stop shop” opening repertoire for the white player. White’s starting setup features the moves: nf3 – g3 – bg2 – d3 – o-o – nbd2 – e4. the order of the moves will vary depending on how Black responds. therefore, it is relatively easy to learn White’s basic setup and plans. See also “Getting Started: King’s Indian Attack” by John Emms.

starting: the colle

by richard palliser. a queen’s pawn opening system for White that starts with 1.d4. there are two main variants of the colle. This volume focuses on the Colle-Koltanowski configuration. for the other main variant, see “getting started: d-pawn attacks: colle-zukertort, barry and 150” palliser’s attacks. See also “A Spectacular Chess Opening Repertoire (2010 ed.)” by Aaron Summerscale & sverre johnsen, who presents the colle-zukertort setup for white.

earn with the london system

johnsen & kovacevic. comprehensive coverage of the london system, a queen’s pawn (1.d4) opening system for white with an early bf4, and a setup designed to generate attacking opportunities on the kingside. a relatively “easy” opening system for White to learn, while not particularly enjoyable for Black to defend! See also “The London System in 12 Practical Lessons” by Oscar de Prado; “the london agile system” by romero & of meadow; “winning with the modern london system” (2 volumes) by nikola sedlak; “the london system – rightly interpreted” by marcus schmucker; “play the london system” by cyrus lakdawala; “fight against the london system” by kiril georgiev.

the london jobava system

by simon williams (also known as ‘ginger gm’). At the time of this writing (August 2022), this is the best (and essentially the only) book for those who wish to learn and play this interesting variation of the London system. In contrast to the standard london system which features nf3 and bf4 early, the jobava london usually features nc3 on white’s second move, followed by bf4 early on. the author does a good job of explaining the various themes and plans, which are presented in the context of full, annotated games (which I prefer).

queen’s gambit rejected

by matthew sadler. a defense for Black against the queen’s gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4); this is a very instructive introduction to qgd (and winner of the 2000 british chess federation book of the year award). See also “Getting Started: The Queen’s Gambit Denied” by Neil McDonald; “First Steps: The Queen’s Gambit” by Andrew Martin; “starting: 1 d4!” by john cox; “reject the queen’s gambit” by john cox; “Chess Explained: Queen’s Gambit Declined” by James Rizzitano: and “How to Beat 1.d4” by James Rizzitano, which covers the Queen’s Gambit Accepted. also, “beginning: the Slavic and the semi-Slavic” by glenn flear; “the slave” and “the semi-slave”, both by matthew sadler.

starting: the king’s india

by joe gallagher. The King’s Indian Defense has historically been one of Black’s most popular, as well as most aggressive responses to White’s opening sequence 1.d4/2.c4, the Queen’s Gambit. the opening normally starts: 1.d4 nf6 2.c4 g6 3.nc3 bg7 4.e4 d6. see also “playing the king’s indian” by joe gallagher, “understanding the king’s indian” by mikhail golubev, “attacking chess in the king’s indian” (2 vols) by david vigorito, “modernized the king’s indian defense” by dejan bojkov, “bologan’s king’s indian” by victor bologan.

the nimzo-indian: move by move

by john emms. the Nimzo-Indian is one of Black’s strongest and most popular defenses against the queen’s gambit. the nimzo-indian defense begins 1.d4 nf6 2.c4 e6 3.nc3 bb4. see also “startng out: the nimzo-indian” by chris ward; “easy guide to nimzo-indian” by john emms; “mastering the nimzo-indian” by tony kosten; “play nimzo-indian” by edward dearing; “opening repertoire: nimzo and bogo indian” by christof sielecki. as an alternative to bogo-indian and queen-indian defenses (when white plays 3.nf3 instead of 3.nc3) for those who prefer to play more nimzo-indian style (i.e. with a …bb4 see “the ragozin complex” by vladimir barsky, and “playing the ragozin” by richard pert.

starting: the lady’s india

by john emms. a black defense against the queen’s gambit typically employed when white tries to avoid the nimzo-indian defense by playing early nf3 instead of nc3. the qid starts 1.d4 nf6 2.c4 e6 3.nf3 b6. Also see “Chess Explained: The Queen’s Indian” by Peter Wells.

chigorin defense play by play

by jimmy liew. the chigorin defense begins 1.d4 d5 2.c4 nc6, where black’s second move is a relatively unusual response to the queen’s gambit compared to many of the popular defenses presented above. as such, his opponent is less likely to be as well prepared against the chigorin as he would be for more conventional defenses. As a counterattacking defense that relies on active piece play to challenge the opponent’s center, the Chigorin Defense lends itself easily to a sharp, tactical style of play. see also “the chigorin defense” by valery bronznik, and “the chigorin defense according to morozevich” by alexander morozevich.

Getting started: the Dutch defense

by neil mcdonald. introduction to a defense game against the queen’s pawn where black responds 1.d4 f5! Black immediately announces his intention to play the opening on his terms – bypassing White’s plans and preparation! there are three main variations of Dutch that allow for a spectrum of styles of play. the leningrad variation is the most aggressive, allowing for fight and counter chess from the start. the stonewall is more solid, positional, but also with attacking intentions. the classic variation takes the middle ground, with maximum flexibility. see also “play the dutch” by neil mcdonald, which covers the leningrad variation; “leningrad system: a complete weapon against 1 d4” by stefan kindermann”; “win with the stonewall dutch” by sverre johnsen & ivar bern; ” dutch stonewall” by jacob aagaard; “the killer dutch” by simon williams, which deals exclusively with the classical variation, and “the diamond dutch” by viktor moskalenko , covering all variations.

the benko gambit revealed

by neil mcdonald. This is a very instructive introduction to the Benko Gambit, Black’s aggressive but respected defense against White’s attempt to play the Queen’s Gambit. the opening begins 1.d4 nf6 2.c4 c5. if you find other defenses to 1.d4/2.c4 somewhat boring, tedious or uninspiring, this might be your cup of tea. according to gm mcdonald, “when you play the benko gambit, you give white the astonishingly difficult task of exploiting the extra pawn…so white’s responsibility is to ‘do something’. this is too much pressure on the most players, even grandmasters, and what they ‘do’ is often horrendous”. Jan Pinski’s “The Benko Gambit” and Junior Tay’s “The Benko Gambit Play-by-Play” are also instructive. If you find the Benko Gambit appealing (I do!), and especially if you intend to make the Benko Gambit one of your main weapons, I would highly recommend the following book by Valery Aveskulov which offers a complete repertoire against 1.d4 for the black. introducing the benko gambit…

attack with black

by Valery Aveskulov. It must be emphasized that the operative word here is attack! this provides a dynamic but solid gambit repertoire for Black against all of White’s attempts starting with 1.d4. the repertoire is based on the blumenfeld and vaganian gambits and, mainly, the benko. An excellent companion to this would be “The Alterman Gambits Guide – Black Gambits 1” by Boris Alterman (see above), which deals instructively with the same gambits. from white’s perspective, see “squeezing the tactics: the benko, budapest, albin and blumenfeld” by kiril georgiev.

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For a wide selection of chess books in eBook format, I recommend checking out everyman chess and forward chess.

I also recommend checking out chessable for its excellent interactive online courses (including openings), many of which are online versions of popular chess books.

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See Also: Buy Textbooks | Bronco Bookstore

For more articles on other chess topics, including helpful resources and more recommended chess books, check out my chess.com blog….

for example…

Chess opening resources for beginners and more advanced

good chess books for beginners and more advanced

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See Also: Buy Textbooks | Bronco Bookstore

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