Chess Explained is a new series of books about chess openings. They are not theoretical works in the traditional sense, but more a series of lessons from a chess expert with extensive over-the-board experience with an opening. You will gain an understanding of the opening and the middlegames to which it leads, enabling you to find the right moves and plans in your own games. It is as if you were sitting at the board with a chess coach answering your questions about the plans for both sides, the ideas behind particular moves, and what specific knowledge you need to have.

• 25 recent and highly instructive games discussed in detail
• Chapter introductions and conclusions emphasize the key points
• Full indexes of games and variations
• Extensive verbal explanations of plans and manoeuvres

The Queen's Indian is an important and popular opening at all levels of play. Black's flexible stance allows him to choose between a range of solid and dynamic structures. In turn, White can play flexibly, opposing Black's fianchetto, or can try to force the pace in the centre and start a hand-to-hand fight. It is an opening rich in nuances, and many of the modern main lines involve moves that look extravagant, but are backed up by a deep underlying logic.

004 Symbols

005 Introduction

008 1 4 g3 Bb7

026 2 4 g3 Ba6: Introduction and Alternatives to 5 b3

038 3 4 g3: The Modern Main Line 4...Ba6 5 b3

065 4 4 a3: Introduction and 4...Bb7 5 Nc3

087 5 4 a3: Alternatives to 4...Bb7

100 6 4 Nc3: Introduction and 4...Bb4 - the Queen's Indian / Nimzo Hybrid

114 7 4 e3 and Minor 4th-Move-Alternatives

124 List of Games

125 Index of Variations