Fed up with getting difficult positions with the black pieces? Tired of always having to keep up with all the latest developments. Take a break from the mountains of opening theory and play 1...b6! With the move, preparing a bishop fianchetto, Black immediately directs the game into relatively uncharted territory, one where White players are not able to sit back and rely on their 'opening book' knowledge.

The real beauty of 1...b6 is that it can be played against virtually every single first move by White, so it is a perfect choice for Black players with neither the time nor inclination to memorise a multitude of different defences. Despite being relatively unexplored, 1...b6 has been the weapon of some dynamic and uncompromising world-class players, including Britain's first Grandmaster, the late Tony Miles.

In this revolutionary book, Christian Bauer reveals for the first time the secrets of how to play 1...b6 with success. He takes an in-depth look at both the main lines and White's more offbeat tries, creating a comprehensive repertoire for the Black player and highlighting the tactical and positional ideas for both players.

• Written by a 1...b6 expert

• All of White's possibilities are covered

• Full explanation of the most important thematic ideas

Christian Bauer is a young Grandmaster from France who has a string of tournament successes to his name. He is a former national champion and has represented France in numerous team tournaments, playing top board at the 2000 Istanbul Olympiad. He is a regular columnist for the renowned French chess magazine Europe Echecs . This is his first book for Everyman Chess.

List of Content

005 Introduction

007 1 1 e4 b6

007 1 e4 b6: Introduction

024 1 e4 b6 2 d4 Bb7 3 Bd3

042 1 e4 b6 2 d4 Bb7 3 Nc3 e6 4 Nf3 Bb4 5 Bd3

061 2 1 d4 b6

061 1 d4 b6: Introduction

072 1 d4 b6 2 c4 Bb7 3 Nc3 e6 4 a3 f5

092 1 d4 e6 2 c4 b6 3 Nc3

103 1 d4 e6 2 c4 b6 3 e4 Bb7

125 3 1 c4 b6

125 1 c4 b6: Introduction

151 1 c4 b6 2 Nc3 Bb7 3 e4 e6 4 Nf3

177 4 1 Nf3 b6

177 1 Nf3 b6: Introduction

193 1 Nf3 b6 2 g3 Bb7 3 Bg2 g6 4 0-0 Bg7

215 Index of Complete Games

222 Index of Variations