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"

Rochade Europa Magazine

"All systems are clearly listed and presented, without losing itself in endless variations."

FreeChess.com

Content:
005 Preface

006 Glossary of chess symbols

009 Introduction

Minor Defences: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4

014 2...Nc6 and 2...b6

015 Budapest Gambit 2...e5

020 Old Indian (with... Be7)

025Minor Defences after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5

028 Benko Gambit

029 Benko Gambit Declined - 4. Various

034 Benko Gambit Accepted

042Modern Benoni Defence

045 Fianchetto Variation

047 Variations with Nf3

049 Variations with f2-f4

054 Minor variations after 6.e2-e4 g7-g6

058 Bronstein Variation 7...a6!?

059 Main line

069Catalan Opening

070 Open Catalan

076 Semi-Open Catalan

080 Closed Catalan

086Blumenfeld Gambit

090Bogo-Indian Defence

099Queen's Indian Defence

106 Petrosian Variation 4.a3

114 4.g3 Variation

137Nimzo-Indian Defence

143 Kasparov Variation 4.Nf3

147 Sämisch Variation

153 Variation 4.f3

160 Capablanca Variation 4.Qc2

172 Rubinstein Variation 4.e3

182 Rubinstein Variation with 4...0-0

192 Classical Main Line

197Grünfeld Indian Defence

200 Fianchetto Variation with g3

204 Minor Lines after 3.Nc3 d5

210 Exchange Variation

213 Exchange Variation with 7.Nf3

222 Exchange Variation with 7.Bc4

231 Main line of the 7.Bc4 Variation

238 Russian Variation

248King's Indian Defence

249 Fianchetto Variation

261 Minor Variations

274 Averbakh Variation

280 Sämisch Variation

298 Classical Variation

304 Main Line

309 Mar del Plata Variation

333 Index of Players