Quickstar So 1

(1) Introduction - Introduction
1.e4 [Hello everyone! First of all, thank you for checking out my 1. e4 Lifetime Repertoire for White. My
goal here is to provide the student with a complete set of variations that will hopefully be good enough to
last a lifetime! Chessable What made me decide to make this repertoire series? I had such a pleasant
experience working on my first Chessable course for Fischer Random Chess that it was easy to persuade
me to do another one! I also decided to make the 1. e4 Repertoire series because I wanted to explore it a
bit more. In this first course, we’ll discuss all Black variations except for the Sicilian, French and Caro-
Kann defences. These will be dealt with in the second course. My 1. e4 repertoire is specifically based on
securing a space advantage or quick piece development early on. For example, against the Caro-Kann,
Alekhine and 1... Nc6 openings, we typically advance our pawns to d4 and e5, grabbing space. I used
Correspondence Database, Mega Database, and researched the latest games as a reference for this
repertoire. For analyses, I mostly used the engine asmFish StartBracketwhich is a port of
StockfishEndBracket. Take Control As you can see from the size of the course, this is a
tremendous amount of work but hopefully, the results will be as beneficial to you as they were to me. 1.
e4 is the most popular first move for White and the reason is clear. With e4, we immediately take control
of the very center of the board, and we fight for the initiative right at the beginning of the game. I tried to
make the repertoire as cohesive as possible, to make it easier to learn. I want to stress that
understanding is more important than memorization. It will be good to know the typical plans and ideas,
where to put the pieces, how to improve your position and so on. Chess improvement is a continuous
learning process, and there are no shortcuts. To get the most out of this repertoire series, the student
should not rush, and instead, try to grasp the ideas behind the moves. Increase your understanding with
1. e4 openings. Study model games, study the classics! Play seriously, analyse your games and learn
from your mistakes! Understand the essence and ideas behind your variations. Do not rely on
memorization. Opening variations come and go, novelties and new computer engines are always
updated, but your chess strength and understanding is permanent! It does not matter one bit if you can
get an advantage out of the opening, but always fail to convert. Openings are just the first step towards
getting good results and improving your rating. About Me I learned chess at the age of six. Back then I
was relying on chess books for computer engines were not nearly as strong they are now. I became a
Grand Master at the age of 14 which made me seventh youngest at the time. I achieved my highest rating
of 2822 during the first half of 2017. It was good enough for #2 in the world back then. My greatest
tournament victories were the Fischer Random World Championship and maybe my Olympiad
performance in 2016… there have been several other events memorable for various reasons and not just
because I won. Early Influences Let me confess that until I was about 15 years I exclusively played 1. e4.
After all, it is 'Best by Test' according to Bobby Fischer! The first chess book I ever read was Chess
Openings: Traps and Zaps by Bruce Pandolfini and it showed some aggressive openings starting with 1.
e4 which very much impressed me. Some of my favourite early books were Attacking with 1. e4 (Emms) ,
I probably read this book 10 times over from cover to cover!, Beating the Sicilian (Nunn and Gallagher)
and The Chess Advantage in Black and White (Kaufman) 2004 (!) version. These books helped
tremendously in shaping my style, back in the days when computers were not helpful for preparation. I
also read Opening for White according to Anand (all 14 of them!) which was written by GM Alexander
Khalifman. That was the basis of my repertoire when I was a teenager. It was the best opening series out
there at the time. It’s a bit outdated now, but still a great book. Some of these made it to my repertoire as
well, in some lines. For example, my recommendation against the Philidor, the Alekhine or the French 3.
Nd2 have been recommended in some past opening books. But in general, I prefer to choose the
variations myself without getting swayed by other manuals. Lead by Example I play 1. e4 in a majority of
my games. Especially this year 2020, where most of the games are being held online. There are less
tabiyas than on other first move openings, and I can guess better which openings are going to happen on
the board. However, on a competitive level, it is important to switch between several openings, because
computers are very strong nowadays! They can analyse all the way to a clear draw easily. And the
surprise factor is a very important and underrated competitive tool. A well-prepared surprise can be
psychologically unpleasant to face, as the opponent has to rely on his skills and not on memory which
less and less players are prepared to do these days. I can definitely use my recommendations in my own
games too! I am pretty confident about the stability and validity of the lines I chose in this 1. e4 repertoire
series. Confident enough to play it against anybody. I have played it already in smaller online events, and
practice games and I can say that I am very pleased with the results out of the opening. I hope I can lead
by example, and make this repertoire work against the strongest players in the world, when I get the
chance to compete against them. It's Your Turn I’m not necessarily saying that White gets an advantage
in every single line, but in general, I can assure you that you'll most likely get positions that are easier to
play, or ones in which hopefully you find yourself on some familiar ground. Over the years millions of
games have been played, but even now there are still improvements to be found for both sides. This is
my first repertoire recommendation and I’ll be happy if it stands the test of time. Over my career, I have
played many games with 1. e4 and I hope you will have as much fun playing it as I have! Wesley So,
Minnetonka, Minnesota August 2020]
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(2) Quickstarter Guide - Owen's Defence (1... b6) #1

1.e4 b6 [This is the Owen's Defence. Black prepares to fianchetto his Queen's Bishop on b7, from where it
will exert pressure on e4 and on our center. He hopes to create sufficient counterplay to compensate for
his lack of space. After all, he allows White to occupy the center firmly with his pawns. The Owen's has a
dubious reputation and is currently mostly seen in games with faster time controls. Still White needs to be
well prepared with some ideas against it, otherwise it's easy to get too comfortable and lose your way.]
2.d4 Bb7 3.Bd3 [The tricky move]
3...f5 [is as old as the Owen's Defence and has been refuted a long time ago:]
4.exf5 Bxg2 5.Qh5+ g6 6.fxg6 Bg7 [6...Nf6 is even worse, as Black is mated right away with Bg6.7.gxh7+
Nxh5 8.Bg6]
7.gxh7+ Kf8 [And now the fastest way to win is]
8.Nh3 Bxh1 9.Ng5 Nh6 10.Nc3 [White is simply preparing Bd2 followed by Queenside castling, or in some
cases to move the Knight to g6 via Ne2–f4. Black has no defence, as ...Qe8 always runs into Bg6.]
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(3) Quickstarter Guide - Owen's Defence (1... b6) #2

1.e4 b6 [This is the Owen's Defence. Black prepares to fianchetto his Queen's Bishop on b7, from where it
will exert pressure on e4 and on our center. He hopes to create sufficient counterplay to compensate for
his lack of space. After all, he allows White to occupy the center firmly with his pawns. The Owen's has a
dubious reputation and is currently mostly seen in games with faster time controls. Still White needs to be
well prepared with some ideas against it, otherwise it's easy to get too comfortable and lose your way.]
2.d4 Bb7 3.Bd3 [Solidly supporting the e4–pawn and developing the Kingside. White is preparing to castle
Kingside quickly and support his center with Nf3, O-O, Re1, c3 etc. Black is known to be fine in the old
main line after 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 Bb4 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.Bg5 6.Qe2 d5 7.exd5 Qxd5 8.O-O Bxc3 9.bxc3 Nbd7 in
this game Magnus Carlsen beat Pavel Eljanov with Black in 2017.6...h6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.O-O Bxc3 9.bxc3
d6 10.Nd2 e5 11.f4 In this position, White was having really good results until Black improved with exf4 !
after which theory shows that White has nothing.]
3...e6 4.Nf3 [Just for the record, the idea 4.Nc3 followed by Nge2 is also simple and good for White.]
4...c5 5.c3 Nf6 6.Qe2 d5 [This is the main idea for Black. He aims for a closed French pawn structure
hoping to repel White's early initiative.]
7.e5 Nfd7 8.0–0 [White may also consider 8.Bg5 !? with the idea to disrupt Black's development or else
trade dark-squared Bishops favourably: Be7 9.Bxe7 Qxe7 10.O-O Nc6 11.Re1 O-O 12.Nbd2 White has a
small but stable edge thanks to his solid space advantage. Later on, he can improve his position with a2–
a3, protecting the b4–square. Eventually White will try to attack the Kingside.]
8...Be7 9.Na3 [This is a nice move. White wants to bring his Knight to b5 to create pressure on the c7 and
d6 squares, and if Black prevents that it can go instead to c2, firmly protecting the d4–pawn.]
9...a6 10.Ne1 [This is a typical idea. White frees up the diagonal e2–h5 and prepares to play Qg4 next,
which is the most natural square for the Queen.]
10...Nc6 11.Qg4 [This attack on g7 is very difficult for Black to meet: he has a choice between weakening
the dark-squares on his Kingside with ...g6 or using his King to defend g7.]
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(4) Quickstarter Guide - Nimzowitsch Defence (1... Nc6)

1.e4 Nc6 [The Nimzowitsch Defence. This is a somewhat unusual and very rarely played opening. This
move has not been analysed well enough yet, and Black hopes to avoid huge amounts of theory while
getting a playable game.]
2.d4 [One possibility is]
2...e5 [but here I like]
3.dxe5 [3.d5 Nce7 is not as clear because Black has easy play and good squares for his Knight on f6 and
g6. He also has good control over the dark-squares and the a3–f8 diagonal. I couldn't find a clear cut way
on how to get a good position for White.]
3...Nxe5 4.Nf3 [This variation is very pleasant for White. His pieces come to their ideal squares very
naturally. Now Black has to make a decision whether to trade his Knight or support it on e5.]
4...Nxf3+ [can be met by the simple recapture of the Queen, but even stronger is]
5.gxf3 [Opening up the g-file while supporting White's e4 center. White does not mind the weakening of
his pawns, for he is planning to castle Queenside anyway.]
5...Bc5 6.Rg1 [White immediately puts pressure on the g7–square.]
6...Qh4 7.Qe2 Ne7 8.Nc3 [White has annoying pressure on Black's position. 8.Rxg7 leads to a complex
position after Ng6 as the Rook on g7 finds itself trapped.]
8...0–0 9.Bg5 Qxh2 10.Rg2 Qd6 11.f4 [White has a close to winning initiative in Krauss,H -Bender,K 2017.
Although it doesn't look clear at first, his threats of Qh5, Qg4, or f4–f5 are very difficult to meet.]
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2.d4 [This is my recommendation. The idea is not to refute Black's opening, but simply to control the
center better and to develop our pieces to their natural squares. Most opening books and opening
materials recommend the move 2.Nf3 which is the other good reply to 1... Nc6. However, I'd rather not
give Black the option of playing 2...e5 ! , transposing to normal 1. e4 e5 Openings.]
2...d5 [This is the main reply for Black and it's his best move. He does not allow White to gain any more
space in the center and fights for control of the light-squares.]
3.e5 [White advances his pawn forward, gaining space for his pieces while limiting Black's mobility. This is
my preferred choice as Black's position is cut into two, and the position is relatively simple to play with
White. It is known that it's not so simple to gain an advantage after 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.d5 Ne5 5.Bf4 Black is
also fine after 5.Qd4 Ng6 6.Qxe4 Nf6 7.Qa4+ Bd7 8.Bb5 a6 when the arising endgame is approximately
equal: 9.Bxd7+ Qxd7 10.Qxd7+ Nxd7 11.Nf3 O-O-O 12.Be3 Nge5 = Black has ideas of ...g7–g6 or
even ...Ne5–g4 attacking White's Bishop on e3. Black has no problems in this position. 5...Ng6 6.Bg3 a6
Black takes away the b5–square from White's pieces. Next he can play ...Nf6 or ...e7–e5, with a
completely fine position.]
3...f6 [can be met by]
4.Bb5 [pinning the Knight and threatening to weaken Black's Queenside pawns at an opportune moment.
After]
4...fxe5 5.dxe5 e6 [Black has gained some stability over his center, but now the diagonal h3–c8 is 'closed'
for his Bishop.]
6.Nf3 Nge7 7.c3 [Taking the b4– and d4–squares away from Black's pieces.]
7...Ng6 8.Qe2 [White's development is harmonious and easy to implement. The pawn on e5 is very
annoying and it disrupts Black's ability to develop his pieces freely.]
8...Bc5 9.b4 [Gaining a tempo by attacking the black Bishop and forcing it to decide whether it wants to
remain on the g1–a7 diagonal, or drop back to e7. White gets a strong initiative in all variations, as we will
see in the main course starting from variation 2... d5 3. e5 f6 #8. One example variation is 9...Be7 10.h4 !
O-O 11.Bd3 leaves Black's Kingside vulnerable as well. 11...a6 12.a3 Bd7 13.h5 Nf4 14.Bxf4 Rxf4
15.Nbd2 White has the possibility to attack the vital h7–pawn later with Bc2 and Qd3. Meanwhile, the
pawn on e5 is well protected and the Bishop on d7 remains passive for the time being.]
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2.d4 [This is my recommendation. The idea is not to refute Black's opening, but simply to control the
center better and to develop our pieces to their natural squares. Most opening books and opening
materials recommend the move 2.Nf3 which is the other good reply to 1... Nc6. However, I'd rather not
give Black the option of playing 2...e5 ! , transposing to normal 1. e4 e5 Openings.]
2...d5 3.e5 [White advances his pawn forward, gaining space for his pieces while limiting Black's mobility.
This is my preferred choice as Black's position is cut into two, and the position is relatively simple to play
with White. It is known that it's not so simple to gain an advantage after 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.d5 Ne5 5.Bf4 Black
is also fine after 5.Qd4 Ng6 6.Qxe4 Nf6 7.Qa4+ Bd7 8.Bb5 a6 when the arising endgame is
approximately equal: 9.Bxd7+ Qxd7 10.Qxd7+ Nxd7 11.Nf3 O-O-O 12.Be3 Nge5 = Black has ideas
of ...g7–g6 or even ...Ne5–g4 attacking White's Bishop on e3. Black has no problems in this position.
5...Ng6 6.Bg3 a6 Black takes away the b5–square from White's pieces. Next he can play ...Nf6 or ...e7–
e5, with a completely fine position.]
3...Bf5 [Play is similar to the advanced Caro-Kann with the Knight on c6 instead of having a pawn there.
This has both advantages and disadvantages. With the Knight on c6 Black exerts more pressure on the
e5 and d4–square hereby making his counterplay of ...f7–f6 much more effective. On the other hand, his
typical break of ...c5 is almost non-existent here and in addition, the Knight can be pinned on the a4–e8
diagonal by Bb5.]
4.c3 [Solidly defending the d4–pawn and taking away the square b4 from Black's Knight.]
4...e6 [Black opens up the a3–f8 diagonal for his Bishop and prepares to develop the rest of his pieces.]
5.Nd2 [The idea of this move is to bring this Knight quickly to action in the Kingside to f3 (preferably after
f2–f4) , which supports White's center and the e5 and g5–squares. While the g1–Knight has other
purposes. It will be developed to e2, from where it supports the d4 and f4–squares. That way White can
bring all his troops much faster to their ideal squares.]
5...f6 6.f4 Nh6 [Activating the Knight and preparing to develop his Kingside with ...Be7 followed by O-O.]
7.Ngf3 Be7 8.Be2 0–0 9.0–0 [I like this move as White keeps the option to take on f6 or keep the pawn
chain on d4, e5 and f4. We have reached what is considered to be probably the main line of the
Nimzowitsch Defence 1. e4 Nc6 2. d4 d5 3. e5. Black has a solid but a bit cramped position and both
sides have to play accurately as it can be easy to drift and get outplayed in this position.]
9...fxe5 10.fxe5 Qe8 [Black is activating his Queen to the b1–h7 diagonal.]
11.Ne1 [Controlling the light-squares in White's camp, and preparing to improve the position of his Knight
by moving it to d3.]
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(7) Quickstarter Guide - Alekhine: 4. Nf3 c6

1.e4 Nf6 [The Alekhine's Defence. It is a provocative opening where Black allows his Knight to be attacked
at such an early stage of the game while allowing White to form an imposing pawn mass in the center, but
in return Black hopes that he can later undermine and attack this pawn structure. The position becomes
very unbalanced, so it's an opening that suits aggressive, fighting players. This opening was first
introduced by World Champion Alexander Alekhine StartBracketadditionally one of the Best
Chess Players ever, I consider him to be in my Top 5 of all timeEndBracket in 1921. Currently,
the opening is not very popular. White has proven ways to get a small but stable advantage against it.
Nevertheless, some very strong players try it from time to time.]
2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 [This is my recommendation, the so-called Modern Variation. It is also the most
common variation against the Alekhine Defence. White hopes that his spatial advantage will be sufficient
to give him the more pleasant game. In this game we'll look at 4... g6 and other alternatives, while in the
next games we'll look at the main lines 4... Bg4 and 4... dxe5.]
4...c6 [while at the same time opening up the a5–d8 diagonal and freeing c7 for his Knight in case it needs
to retreat. However, I don't fully understand what the purpose of this move is. We can simply play 5. Be2,
or go for]
5.c4 Nc7 [The Knight's position on c7 looks very weird to me.]
6.Nc3 [When encountering a rarely seen variation it is not a bad idea to just develop naturally and put our
pieces on their ideal squares. We wait and see what Black is intending to do.]
6...dxe5 7.Nxe5 Nd7 8.Nxd7 Bxd7 9.Be3 [White has a more pleasant position with comfortably placed
pieces and a space advantage. I think he can be satisfied with the outcome of the opening.]
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(8) Quickstarter Guide - Alekhine: 4. Nf3 Nb6

4...Nb6 [This prophylactic move used to be quite popular but now is very rarely seen
StartBracketthe Alekhine is a rare opening anyway!EndBracket. However, we need to
take a look at it briefly just in case, and also according to my database GM Hikaru Nakamura has
employed it seven times in his career StartBrackettrue, most of these were blitz
gamesEndBracket so we should give this move the respect it deserves. Black moves his Knight
to a safer square, anticipating that White would have attacked it anyway from d5 later with c4 or Bf1–c4.]
5.a4 [Not giving Black any respite. White threatens to play a4–a5, and if Black prevents this by
playing ...a7–a5 himself then later White can use the b5–square for his pieces.]
5...a5 [This is his only reasonable reply. There is no way he can allow White to gain lots of time by letting
him kick away the Knight from b6.]
6.Nc3 [Developing the Knight while at the same time controlling the squares b5 and d5.]
6...g6 [This is what people mostly play in practice.]
7.exd6 [If Black takes with the c-pawn]
7...cxd6 8.Bb5+ [then White has permanent control over the b5–square. After]
8...Bd7 9.h4 [White suddenly launched an attack on Black's Kingside. An interesting example from the
main course is 9...Bg7 10.h5 Nc6 11.h6 !? Bf6 12.Ne4 O-O 13.O-O Bg4 14.Nxf6+ exf6 15.c3 Qc7 the
pawn on h6 makes Black's King feel uncomfortable. Later this far advanced pawn could help in building
an attack on the King: 16.Bf4 Na7 17.Be2 Rfe8 18.Re1 Re4 19.Qd2 Rae8 20.Bd3 Mary, P -Schwenk, H
2010. In this game the weak backrank contributed to Black's problems.]
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(9) Quickstarter Guide - Alekhine: 4. Nf3 g6 #1

4...g6 [This system used to be quite popular. Fischer played it in his Match of the Century against Boris
Spassky in 1972. Black fianchettoes his dark-squared Bishop, continuing his development and hoping to
counter-attack later in the center with his pieces. We will also take a look at other possibilities here:]
5.Bc4 [White attacks the Knight, but also indirectly puts pressure on the crucial square f7. Later on, we
can try to hit f7 with even more pieces by Ng5 and eventually Qf3.]
5...c6 [This is also a solid continuation. Black supports and preserves his Knight on the stable square d5.
Whenever we capture on d6 he takes back with the Queen, and reinforces the Knight on d5 by all means.
Black hopes to get a solid position with this line. We can also castle first before taking on d6, and it should
transpose.]
6.exd6 Qxd6 7.0–0 Bg7 8.Re1 [Putting the Rook on the half-open file and applying pressure on e7. We
could also have played instead the move 8. h3, followed by Re1. In this case, Black does not have the
option to pin our Knight with ...Bg4. However, I think that 8. Re1 is even more ambitious than this, as often
we have the idea Bc1–g5, forcing Black to decide how he is going to defend the e7–pawn. Later on, this
Bishop on g5 can reroute itself to g3 via h4.]
8...0–0 9.Bg5 [Applying maximum pressure on e7, hoping to provoke Black into creating new weaknesses
for himself. In the meantime, White will develop his pieces comfortably with Nbd2–e4 or Bg5–h4–g3, etc.]
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counter-attack later in the center with his pieces. We will also take a look at other possibilities here:]
5...Nb6 6.Bb3 Bg7 7.Ng5 [This is the critical line for Black and it leads to complex positions.]
7...e6 [Closing the a2–g8 diagonal and protecting the f7–pawn. In the meantime, Black keeps the pressure
on e5. This is the main line.]
8.Qf3 Qe7 9.Ne4 dxe5 10.dxe5 [This is my recommendation instead of the main line 10. Bg5.]
10...h6 [Black has to play this, as otherwise Bg5 would lead to an early opening catastrophe for him.]
11.Nf6+ [This is the idea that I'd like to show you. White gives this annoying check, preventing Black from
being able to castle and the Knight on f6 controls a lot of squares deep in the enemy camp.]
11...Kf8 12.Qc3 [Protecting the crucial e5– and f6–squares and preparing to play Be3, Nd2 etc. This
variation starting with 10. dxe5 is very rare in practice and not yet well-known. However, in
Correspondence games it has been played quite a lot with White scoring an enormous 72%. Though I
don't use statistical values as often in chess, I believe that this is a good sign and that this line should be
good for White.]
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counter-attack later in the center with his pieces.]
5...Nb6 6.Bb3 Bg7 7.Ng5 [Black's main defence is 7... e6, but he could also play]
7...d5 [closing the position. In return White gets the center and a lot of space there and the Kingside. This
is Black's main alternative to 7... e6. There have been a lot of games played with this variation.]
8.f4 [Seizing space and solidifying the pawn wedge on e5. White could also castle short first, and then
play f4 next move. It is a matter of taste.]
8...0–0 [Black continues his development. Delaying castling does not really bring Black any benefits.]
9.0–0 f6 10.Nf3 Bg4 [In practice White almost always plays 11. h3 here, forcing Black to trade off his light-
squared Bishop. However, I like the move]
11.Qe1 [unpinning the Knight and preparing to bring the Queen closer to the Kingside. Black has to solve
some problems still. For example 11...Nc6 12.c3 fxe5 13.dxe5 e6 14.Qg3 After 14...Bxf3 15.Rxf3 White
has a good position. He has the Bishop pair and the simple idea to bring his pieces closer to the Kingside
by Nd2–f1 or Bc2, etc. 11.c3 is also a very solid move. White simply supports the d4–pawn and next he
wants to develop logically by Be3, Nbd2 etc, supporting the crucial square f3.]
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(12) Quickstarter Guide - Alekhine: 4. Nf3 Bg4 #1

to give him the more pleasant game.]
4...Bg4 [This is the classical main line for Black. He develops his Bishop while at the same time pinning
our Knight on f3. He also prepares to play ...e7–e6 and ...Be7, finishing the development of the rest of his
pieces.]
5.Be2 [Logically, we relieve our Knight from the annoying pin. In the beginning White used to play 5.h3
right away, but then Black found the antidote Bxf3 6.Qxf3 dxe5 7.dxe5 e6 followed by ...Nc6, which gave
him very decent results overall.]
5...e6 [Opening the diagonal for his dark-squared Bishop and solidifying the position of his Knight. This is
most logical, and Black hardly has any good alternatives in this position:]
6.0–0 Be7 7.c4 Nb6 8.h3 [White can also play without h2–h3 by playing 8.Nc3 O-O 9.Be3 d5 Perhaps Black
should prefer 9...Nc6 when after 10.exd6 cxd6 11.d5 exd5 12.Nxd5 Nxd5 13.cxd5 Bxf3 14.Bxf3 Ne5
15.Be2 Black is only slightly worse because he gave up the Bishop pair. In return he remains very solid.
10.c5 Bxf3 11.gxf3 Nc8 12.f4 we have similar play as in the main line, but without the move h2–h3. Later
when he starts his Kingside attack, he might be able to use this square later for his Queen or his Rook as
a launching square. White scores a whopping 68% from this position.]
8...Bh5 9.Nc3 0–0 10.Be3 d5 11.c5 Bxf3 [Black gives up the Bishop pair, giving White a difficult choice.
Should he allow the enemy Knight to jump to c4, or allow the ruining of his Kingside pawns? In addition,
his Bishop on h5 was not doing much anyway in the closed position, and it could be attacked with gain of
tempo by g2–g4 etc.]
12.gxf3 [White decides to prevent the black Knight from being able to jump on c4. The alternative is
12.Bxf3 maintaining the flexibility of the White pawns. The critical position of this variation arises after Nc4
13.Bf4 b6 13...Nc6 !? 14.b3 N4a5 is another line. Black is preventing b3–b4 for the moment. 14.b3 Na5
15.b4 Nc4 16.Rc1 c6 17.Be2 b5 18.a4 a5 ! And this is the critical position of 12. Bxf3. I'm sure White can
fight for an advantage here, so if you're interested to look for an alternative then I'll suggest you to play
and analyse this line. It really is a matter of choice on how you want to recapture on f3.]
12...Nc8 13.f4 g6 [has been known many for many years to lose by force after the powerful]
14.f5 [opening up files in return for the pawn: If]
14...gxf5 15.Qb3 b6 16.Kh2 [the attack along the g-file with Rg1 should be decisive. In addition, Black has
to watch out for a Knight sacrifice on d5 or possible attacks on his weak c7–pawn by Nc3–b5.]
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(13) Quickstarter Guide - Alekhine: 4. Nf3 Bg4 #2

4...Bg4 [This is the classical main line for Black. He develops his Bishop while at the same time pinning
our Knight on f3. He also prepares to play ...e7–e6 and ...Be7, finishing the development of the rest of his
pieces.]
5.Be2 [Logically, we relieve our Knight from the annoying pin. In the beginning White used to play 5.h3
right away, but then Black found the antidote Bxf3 6.Qxf3 dxe5 7.dxe5 e6 followed by ...Nc6, which gave
him very decent results overall.]
5...e6 [Opening the diagonal for his dark-squared Bishop and solidifying the position of his Knight. This is
most logical, and Black hardly has any good alternatives in this position:]
6.0–0 Be7 7.c4 Nb6 8.h3 [White can also play without h2–h3 by playing 8.Nc3 O-O 9.Be3 d5 Perhaps Black
should prefer 9...Nc6 when after 10.exd6 cxd6 11.d5 exd5 12.Nxd5 Nxd5 13.cxd5 Bxf3 14.Bxf3 Ne5
15.Be2 Black is only slightly worse because he gave up the Bishop pair. In return he remains very solid.
10.c5 Bxf3 11.gxf3 Nc8 12.f4 we have similar play as in the main line, but without the move h2–h3. Later
when he starts his Kingside attack, he might be able to use this square later for his Queen or his Rook as
a launching square. White scores a whopping 68% from this position.]
8...Bh5 9.Nc3 0–0 10.Be3 d5 11.c5 Bxf3 [Black gives up the Bishop pair, giving White a difficult choice.
Should he allow the enemy Knight to jump to c4, or allow the ruining of his Kingside pawns? In addition,
his Bishop on h5 was not doing much anyway in the closed position, and it could be attacked with gain of
tempo by g2–g4 etc.]
12.gxf3 [White decides to prevent the black Knight from being able to jump on c4. The alternative is
12.Bxf3 maintaining the flexibility of the White pawns. The critical position of this variation arises after Nc4
13.Bf4 b6 13...Nc6 !? 14.b3 N4a5 is another line. Black is preventing b3–b4 for the moment. 14.b3 Na5
15.b4 Nc4 16.Rc1 c6 17.Be2 b5 18.a4 a5 ! And this is the critical position of 12. Bxf3. I'm sure White can
fight for an advantage here, so if you're interested to look for an alternative then I'll suggest you to play
and analyse this line. It really is a matter of choice on how you want to recapture on f3.]
12...Nc8 13.f4 Nc6 14.Bd3 [Putting the Bishop on a square where it can be active for both sides of the
board.]
14...g6 [Preventing f4–f5, or does it really? As we'll see in the mainline, White can even sacrifice material
by playing f5 at the opportune moment.]
15.Kh2 [The King moves out of the way, vacating the g-file for his Rook in preparation for the coming
attack on the Kingside.]
15...Kh8 [Black does the same. However now White has a very interesting move, with the idea to break
through and force matters while Black is still not ready.]
16.f5 [Sacrificing material with the aim of delivering a quick 'blitzkrieg' knockout blow. This only works
because Black's pieces are still in passive places. In particular, the passive Knight on c8 is still keeping
his Queen's Rook (a8) out of the game. There is nothing wrong either with preparing the attack by 16.
Rg1, but f4–f5 right away clarifies the situation better.]
16...exf5 17.Bxf5 [Black's problem is that the Knight on c8 blocks the coordination between his Queenside
and Kingside pieces, basically cutting his position into two. His Rook on a8 cannot get into the game in
time. Black cannot accept the piece and get a satisfactory position: 17...gxf5 18.Rg1 White wins in all
lines: 18...f4 19.Bxf4 Rg8 20.Rxg8+ Qxg8 21.Qd2 ! the game Mulligan,B -Morcillo Holgado,M 2017
continued: 21...f6 22.Rg1 Qf7 23.Bh6 fxe5 24.Bg7+ Qxg7 25.Rxg7 Kxg7 26.dxe5 Nxe5 27.Qf4 Nc6
28.Qxc7 Rb8 29.b4 +– and Black cannot hold on to all his pieces.]
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(14) Quickstarter Guide - Alekhine: 4. Nf3 dxe5 #1

4...dxe5 [This was Alexander Alekhine's choice when he first played this opening. Black takes on e5 with
the idea to simplify the game. Later on, he wants to continue with Nb8–d7, challenging White's Knight on
e5.]
5.Nxe5 [The variation]
5...Nd7 [is known to be very dubious for many years now. The refutation is not even that hard to
remember:]
6.Nxf7 Kxf7 7.Qh5+ [Giving a check while threatening to take on d5, hereby forcing the black King out in
the open.]
7...Ke6 8.c4 N5f6 9.d5+ Kd6 10.Qf7 [Cutting off the Black's King retreat and threatening Qe6+ or Bf4+.]
10...Ne5 [The main defence. Black has other moves too, but they should all be losing if White plays logical,
forceful moves.]
11.Bf4 c5 12.Nc3 a6 [Preventing Nb5 check.]

13.b4 [A very important and strong move. Black's position is beyond any relief, even though the lines are
still quite complicated.]
13...Qb6 14.Rc1 [This quiet move is the only one that wins! You have to remember this soft but killing idea.
White is winning, though care is required. One possible continuation is 14...Qxb4 15.Bd3 Preparing to
bring our King to safety by castling short. 15...g5 16.Bg3 This pin along the h2–b8 diagonal is deadly for
Black. Because of it his King cannot retreat safely as he has to protect the Knight. 16...h5 17.O-O h4
18.Bxe5+ Kxe5 Black managed to get rid of the pin, but now mate comes: 19.f4+ ! gxf4 20.Ne4 Qb2
21.Nxf6 Qd4+ 22.Kh1 White had a totally winning attack in Dibley, S -Sidenko, A 2008.22...exf6 23.Qc7+
followed by Rce1 wins the black Queen. As you can see 5... Nd7 is not playable for Black theoretically,
and I believe that in the arising positions after the piece sacrifice Black has no more than practical
chances and merely hopes that his opponent will make a mistake or not remember the critical move 14.
Rc1!.]
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e5.]
5.Nxe5 g6 [This move is an idea of GM Larsen. Black fianchettoes his dark-squared Bishop to prepare
castling and additionally puts pressure on the dark-squares in the center. This variation is quite solid and
there are quite a few people who like employing this setup as Black. For example, the strong FIDE Master
Loren Schmidt (one of the most stubborn Alekhine proponents today) comfortably defends this with the
black pieces against strong opposition.]
6.Bc4 [I'm not fully convinced with the other main possibility for White against this variation: 6.c4 Nb6
7.Nc3 Bg7 8.Be3 O-O 9.Qb3 White is preparing to support his center with either Rd1 or O-O-O. This
complex position is very playable for both sides. But as a whole Black has good results here and he also
can choose between many different possible plans.]
6...c6 [Black stabilizes his Knight on d5 and prevents White's idea of Nxf7 followed by Qf3.6...Be6 should
just transpose; black has to play ...c6 sooner or later.]
7.0–0 Bg7 8.Re1 [After]
8...0–0 [White may play]
9.Bb3 [with the idea to expel the enemy Knight away from the center with c2–c4.]
9...Be6 10.h3 [Taking away the g4–square from Black's pieces and creating 'luft' for the white King.]
10...Nd7 11.Nf3 [The black Bishop does not feel very comfortable on e6 and there is always the threat of
an exchange sacrifice Rxe6 hanging over his head. One example game went 11...Nc7 12.c4 White could
have developed normally with 12. Nbd2 or 12. Bg5, but this is even more aggressive. 12...b5 13.d5 !
Breaking through in the center and forcing the play. 13...Bf5 Now White has many possibilities, but I like
14.Nd4 !? since this forces him to give up his valuable dark-squared Bishop. After 14...Bxd4 15.Qxd4 e5 !
Forced due to the threat of Bh6.16.dxe6 Nxe6 17.Qc3 I like White in Grabner,H -Sichler,R 2016. The dark
squares around Black's King are very vulnerable without his Bishop and now he has to play very precisely
just to get sufficient counterplay.]
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e5.]
5.Nxe5 c6 [This is the main line of the variation 4... dxe5. Black supports his Knight on d5, while
preparing ... Nd7 StartBracketnow that he no longer fears Nxf7EndBracket. This
variation is known to give Black a solid but passive position in the middlegame and in general White has
good results here.]
6.Be2 [White has other moves here such as 6. Bc4, but this move has been well-tested and gives him
good results. In my database, it gives White a whopping 64% score against decent opposition. 6. Be2 is a
tried and tested line and I see no reason why White should avoid it. The other move that I was
considering to recommend is 6.Bc4 which also makes some sense as White develops a piece while
putting pressure on the center. The critical line goes Nd7 7.Nf3 N7f6 8.O-O Bg4 9.Be2 !? e6 10.h3 Bh5
11.c4 and I'm confident that White must be better here also. He has a space advantage, with solid pawns
on c4 and d4. The plan next is to play Nc3, Be3, and then perhaps grab even more space by playing g2–
g4 followed by Ne5. As usual against the Alekhine's Defence, White has more than one way to get a
satisfactory position out of the opening.]
6...Nd7 7.Nf3 [Although 7.Nxd7 followed by c2–c4 is actually a decent alternative, White would prefer to
keep more pieces on the board, given that he has a space advantage.]
7...g6 8.0–0 Bg7 9.c4 Nc7 [This square is better for the Knight than on b6. Later it can come to e6 after an
eventual ...e7–e5.]
10.Nc3 0–0 [Black is slightly cramped, but he is planning to play ...e7–e5 next, hoping to free his position
and activate his pieces. Fortunately, it's White's turn to move and I recommend]
11.Bf4 [Black can try the pawn break]

11...c5 [after which the strongest reply is the paradoxical]
12.Be3 [The Bishop moves away from the vulnerable square on f4 (avoiding ...e7–e5 attacks) and
prepares to support the important square on d4. White does not care about the loss of tempo for now
because he still has a lead in development.]
12...cxd4 13.Nxd4 [The Knight is well centralized here and can go to b5 if Black decides to attack it
with ...e7–e5. If not then White can simply continue with Qd2–Rad1, seizing control of the d-file.]
13...Ne5 14.Qb3 [The Queen is even better placed here, hitting b7 while preparing Rad1 all the same.]
14...Ng4 [Sacrificing a pawn, but Black's position was not easy anyway.]
15.Bxg4 Bxg4 16.Qxb7 [No fear and simply grabbing a pawn. White has it all planned out. For example,
after 16...Bxd4 17.Bxd4 Qxd4 18.Qxc7 Black has no tricks in this position as his pawn on e7 is also
hanging. 18...Rab8 19.Rab1 ! Rfc8 20.Qxe7 Qxc4 21.Rfe1 White won a pawn and converted quickly in
Malyshev,V -Vukanovic,S 2007.]
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e5.]
5.Nxe5 c6 [This is the main line of the variation 4... dxe5. Black supports his Knight on d5, while
preparing ... Nd7 (now that he no longer fears Nxf7) . This variation is known to give Black a solid but
passive position in the middlegame and in general White has good results here.]
6.Be2 [White has other moves here such as 6. Bc4, but this move has been well-tested and gives him
good results. In my database, it gives White a whopping 64% score against decent opposition. 6. Be2 is a
tried and tested line and I see no reason why White should avoid it. The other move that I was
considering to recommend is 6.Bc4 which also makes some sense as White develops a piece while
putting pressure on the center. The critical line goes Nd7 7.Nf3 N7f6 8.O-O Bg4 9.Be2 !? e6 10.h3 Bh5
11.c4 and I'm confident that White must be better here also. He has a space advantage, with solid pawns
on c4 and d4. The plan next is to play Nc3, Be3, and then perhaps grab even more space by playing g2–
g4 followed by Ne5. As usual against the Alekhine's Defence, White has more than one way to get a
satisfactory position out of the opening.]
6...Bf5 7.0–0 Nd7 [This is the best move-order to try to get rid of the powerful Knight on e5 as fast as
possible.]
8.Nf3 e6 [This is his most common choice. Black tries to activate the rest of his pieces as quickly as
possible.]
9.c4 N5f6 10.Nh4 [A typical move with the Bishop on f5. White attacks the f5– and g6–squares. Black has
to give up his Bishop pair as his light-squared Bishop has nowhere to go.]
10...Bg6 [Hoping that White will take on g6 right away, therefore opening up the h-file and gaining some
counterplay on h2.]
11.Nc3 Bd6 [Now White has many possibilities. He can simply play quietly with 12.g3 or 12.a3 but I'm
suggesting the new move]
12.f4 [Gaining space and threatening to advance further with g2–g4. In addition, he limits the squares
controlled by Black's Bishop on d6.]
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(18) Quickstarter Guide - 1... d6: Pribyl Defence (3... ,4... Qa5) #1
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 c6 4.f4 Qa5 [This is the most active move for Black in this position and one of the
main ideas behind playing an early ...c7–c6. Black pins the Knight on c3 and threatens to win e4. The
normal way to protect the pawn (5. Bd3) leaves the d4–pawn slightly more vulnerable and Black then
aims to create counterplay in the center with the move ...e7–e5. Additionally, the Queen controls some
dark-squares on the Queenside. To be honest, moving the Queen to a5 as early as move 4 looks really
dubious to me, and I was very surprised the first time I saw this move. However, we need to pay serious
respect to 4... Qa5, as it has been played thousands of times in practice.]
5.e5 [I'm suggesting this advance, with the idea to force matters and make the play concrete. The main
line is 5. Bd3, and perhaps it is even stronger objectively, however, I chose 5. e5 because it is also very
tricky, and it's not too simple for Black to solve his problems just by playing natural moves. He has to play
very precisely, then maybe (just maybe) he can equalize. White's position seems to me to be easier to
play and on top of that there is not much theory unlike in 5. Bd3.]
5...Ne4 [This is the only challenging move. The Knight occupies the center in the middle of the board, at
least for the moment.]
6.Qf3 d5 7.Bd3 Na6 [This move with the idea of ...Nb4 has been around forever. The first game has been
played in 1989! However, theory shows that White is to be favoured in this variation.]
8.Nge2 [Supporting c3 and simply developing the rest of the pieces. White can castle next move or simply
attack with f4–f5.]
8...Nb4 [is met by]
9.f5 [with strong pressure on Black's position.]
9...Nxc3 10.bxc3 Nxd3+ 11.cxd3 g6 [just loses to]
12.e6 fxe6 13.fxg6 hxg6 14.0–0 [And Qf7 next move cannot be prevented. With such a vulnerable King in
the center, it is hard for Black to survive.]
Line
6.Qf3 Nxc3 [This is Black's sternest defence and the only way for him to fight for equality. Other moves
lead to difficult positions:]
7.Bd2 [Pinning the Knight, and later White may consider recapturing on c3 with his Bishop.]
7...Qd5 [can be met by]
8.Qxc3 [avoiding the Queen exchange, with the hopes of starting a powerful initiative later on.]
8...dxe5 9.fxe5 Bf5 10.Nf3 Qe4+ 11.Be2 [It is also strong and interesting for White to play 11.Kf2 sacrificing
the pawn for a huge initiative: Qxc2 12.Qb4 b6 13.d5 ! Opening up the files to Black's position. White is
simply threatening to play Rc1, when Black's position crumbles. e6 13...Qe4 14.Qc3 ! Qxd5 15.Bc4 Qd8
16.e6 ! fxe6 17.Rad1 +– wins for White despite three pawns down at the moment ! Black simply cannot
coordinate his pieces in time and he lost too much time moving his Queen. 14.d6 Qc5+ 15.Qxc5 bxc5 and
Black escapes to an inferior ending. It's hard to say which move is stronger for White on move 11.]
11...Qxc2 12.e6 Qxc3 13.exf7+ Kxf7 14.bxc3 [leads to an unpleasant ending for Black, with threats of Ng5,
g2–g4, or simply O-O coming next.]
Line
6.Qf3 Nxc3 [This is Black's sternest defence and the only way for him to fight for equality. Other moves
7.Bd2 [Pinning the Knight, and later White may consider recapturing on c3 with his Bishop.]
7...Bf5 [This is the most natural response. Black develops his Bishop and puts it in an active position,
while preventing White from expanding on the Kingside with f4–f5 for the moment.]
8.Bd3 [Challenging Black's active light-squared Bishop is the best and simplest. Black has quite a solid
position after 8.Bxc3 Qd5 9.O-O-O and now if he wants he can head into an endgame: Qxf3 10.Nxf3 e6
with solid control over the light-squares and decent places for his pieces.]
8...Bxd3 9.cxd3 [White has to take with the pawn, as after 9.Qxd3 Qd5 the g2–pawn is hanging, and Black
is better after 10.Bxc3 dxe5 11.fxe5 Qxg2]
9...Qd5 [exchanging Queens and heading into an ending.]
10.bxc3 [This is the reason why I recommended the 5. e5 variation. As you can see White recaptured
twice with his pawns (moving his c-pawn to d3 and the b-pawn to c3) therefore creating a connected solid
pawn mass in the center. This gives him a lot of space to work on. Additionally, White can use the b-file as
a way to activate his Rook.]
10...Qxf3 11.Nxf3 e6 12.Ke2 [It looks to me that White is slightly better in this ending. His King is more
active, he has more space on both flanks, connected center pawns, and some pressure on the b-file. I will
give some sample lines:]
12...Nd7 [can be met by]
13.a4 [gaining some extra space, and fixing the b7–pawn.]
13...dxe5 14.fxe5 Be7 15.a5 0–0 16.Ra2 [A deep move. White prepares way in advance so he is able to
double Rooks on the b-file or on the a-file very quickly later on.]
Line
main ideas behind playing an early ...c7–c6. Black pins the knight on c3 and threatens to win e4. The
aims to create counterplay in the center with the move ...e7–e5. Additionally the queen controls some
dark-squares in the queenside. To be honest moving the queen to a5 as early as move looks really
dubious to me, and I was very surprised the first time I saw this move. However we need to pay serious
5...Ne4 [This is the only challenging move. The knight occupies the center in the middle of the board, at
6.Qf3 Nxc3 [This is Black's sternest defense and the only way for him to fight for equality. Other moves
7.Bd2 [Pinning the knight, and later White may consider recapturing on c3 with his bishop.]
7...Bf5 [This is the most natural response. Black develops his bishop and puts it in an active position,
while preventing White from expanding on the kingside with f4–f5 for the moment.]
8.Bd3 [Challenging Black's active light-squared bishop is the best and simplest.]
8...Bxd3 9.cxd3 g6 [This is currently Black's best defense. He opens the diagonal for his dark-squared
bishop, and as we'll see later he can use g7 or even h6 to develop his bishop comfortably.]
10.bxc3 dxe5 [Black has to create counterplay on the center right away.]
11.fxe5 [Black seems to quite alright after the alternative recapture: 11.dxe5 Nd7 12.c4 !? 12.Ne2 e6 13.O-
O Qd5 and Black looks like he has a very solid position. 12...Qa3 13.d4 Qb2 !? 14.Bc3 Qa3 15.Ne2 Nb6
16.f5 O-O-O 17.O-O Nxc4 18.Qh3 g5 19.Rfb1 Nb6 and the position looks very complicated in
Franchini,G-Bolignano,G ICCF email 2016. White has strong compensation for the pawn, but
nevertheless Black has good squares for his pieces and he seems to be holding his own for the moment.]
11...Bh6 [This is what Black's idea has been all along. This is his only move not to get a clearly worse
position. He exchanges his undeveloped bishop for the White one on d2, thereby forcing the queen to a
more passive square. And Black is able to develop his pieces faster this way, getting the option to castle
on either flank.]
12.Qd1 Bxd2+ 13.Qxd2 Na6 [The Knight develops actively as well. Now he can create counterplay
with ...c6–c5 in some lines, or just activate his Knight to d5 or b5 by playing ...Nc7.]
14.Ne2 0–0 15.0–0 Nc7 [Black is very solid, and we need to play energetically otherwise Black might
consolidate. I suggest the move]
16.h4 [with the idea of h4–h5, provoking weaknesses in the enemy camp. Black is able to defend after
16.Qh6 Ne6 17.Rf3 f6 protecting his Kingside next with ...Rf7. Or 16.Rf3 f6 17.Rg3]
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(22) Quickstarter Guide - Philidor: 4... dxe4 #1

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nf3 [White develops his Knight, supports his d4–pawn while also putting
pressure on e5. This is my preferred move.]
4...exd4 5.Nxd4 Be7 6.Bf4 [This is the most aggressive continuation, and is my main recommendation here.
White has many other setups, but to me this is the simplest.]
6...0–0 7.Qd2 d5 8.Ndb5 Bb4 9.0–0–0 c6 [Black kicks the Knight away from b5 and he weakens the c3–
square. This leads to very concrete positions where White is better by force.]
10.Nc7 Nxe4 11.Qd4 [This is a very strong continuation for White.]
11...Bxc3 [This is Black's main defence.]
12.bxc3 Qe7 13.c4 [White opens up the diagonal so his Queen could defend the monarch with Qb2. Now
the next few moves are quite forced.]
13...Qa3+ 14.Qb2 Qa5 15.cxd5 Nxf2 16.Be2 [Defending the Rook on h1. White will regain the sacrificed
material with interest because after Nxa8, his Knight's retreat square on c7 is well-protected. There have
been a couple of games played from this position, in all cases White got a stable edge.]
Line

6...0–0 7.Qd2 c6 8.0–0–0 b5 9.f3 b4 [Black is starting to create some small threats on the Queenside, but
White can parry this attack by the accurate]
10.Na4 [this is much stronger than retreating the Knight to e2. The Knight is needed here on a4 to block
the enemy attack.]
10...Bd7 11.g4 [This leads to a very forcing variation where White has a huge advantage. White can also
play 11.b3 but I see nothing wrong with 11. g4.]
11...c5 12.Nf5 Bxa4 13.Nxe7+ Qxe7 14.Bxd6 Qd7 15.Qf4 [with the threat of discovered attacks on the d-file,
plus the idea of e4–e5 leads to a winning position. Black's main defence, 14... Qe8, is analysed inthe
dedicated chapter.]
Line

6...0–0 7.Qd2 Nc6 [Black wants to exchange a pair of Knights and ease his position up a little bit. The
problem is he has a space disadvantage, and it is not so easy to fight against White's center with a pawn
on e4.]
8.0–0–0 Nxd4 9.Qxd4 [White has solid control over the center and has extra space. And his plan is to start
a Kingside pawn storm with f3, followed by g4–h4. I like his position personally here. It's quite easy to
play.]
9...Be6 10.f3 a6 11.g4 b5 12.h4 c5 13.Qe3 [Both sides launch their pawn storms on two different flanks. It
looks quite dangerous for White, but his pieces are close to his King and he has enough defensive
resources.]
13...b4 14.Na4 [This is an important move. The Knight is needed here to shield his King from Queen
intrusions of ...Qa5.]
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(25) Quickstarter Guide - Philidor: 6... Nb6

4...Nbd7 [This is the so-called 'Hanham' Variation. Black maintains his solid pawn center on e5 and also
develops his pieces quickly, preparing to castle short right away. This variation is very solid, if a little
passive for Black.]
5.Bc4 [This is the most natural and best reply for White. He puts pressure on the vital square f7 and
controls the a2–g8 diagonal.]
5...Be7 6.0–0 Nb6 [Lately Black has been playing weird ideas like playing ...Nb6 or an early ...exd4, so we
should pay attention to them.]
7.Be2 [I like the Bishop here on e2. It is safer than on b3 and it covers the g4–square.]
7...exd4 8.Nxd4 0–0 9.a4 a5 10.f4 [White has a clear and easy plan of advancing his Kingside pawns, while
supporting his center especially e4 with Bf3.]
10...c6 [Controlling the d5 and b5–squares and preparing the move ...d6–d5 later on.]
11.Bf3 d5 12.e5 Ne8 13.b3 [White prepares to fianchetto his Bishop on b2 with the idea to support his
center from afar. The game takes on a positional and manoeuvring game here.]
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(26) Quickstarter Guide - Philidor: 8. a4 b6

passive for Black.]
5...Be7 6.0–0 0–0 7.Re1 [White could also start with 7. a4 but I don't think it makes much of a difference
whether White plays 7. a4 or 7. Re1 first. The only important difference I can see here is that 7.a4
discourages a6 because of 8.a5 ! when Black's Queenside is a bit stuck. exd4 9.Qxd4 b5 10.axb6 Nxb6
11.Ba2 and White is slightly better. But I think it is a matter of preference whether White starts with 7. Re1
or 7. a4.]
7...c6 [This is the main move for Black. He prepares ...b7–b5 and controls the d5–square. His Queen can
be comfortably developed to c7, and he can choose between many possible setups.]
8.a4 b6 [This is the classical main line. Black intends to play naturally with ...Bb7, followed by ...a6–b5 and
get natural and quick expansion on the Queenside. In general, in the Hanham variation Black's setup is
very flexible. He also has many different possibilities here.]
9.Ba2 [White has other alternatives here such as 9. d5, but there seems to be nothing wrong with this
Bishop retreat. The Bishop is put in a safe place first of all, before deciding which plan to go for.]
9...a6 10.h3 [White covers the g4–square, and is preparing to develop normally either with Bg5, or simply
with Be3–Qd2.]
10...Bb7 [runs into]
11.Nh4 g6 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.Bh6 Re8 14.Qf3 [when White has a strong initiative.]
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(27) Quickstarter Guide - Philidor: 8. a4 a5

passive for Black.]
5...Be7 6.0–0 0–0 7.Re1 [White could also start with 7. a4 but I don't think it makes much of a difference
whether White plays 7. a4 or 7. Re1 first. The only important difference I can see here is that 7.a4
discourages a6 because of 8.a5 ! when Black's Queenside is a bit stuck. exd4 9.Qxd4 b5 10.axb6 Nxb6
11.Ba2 and White is slightly better. But I think it is a matter of preference whether White starts with 7. Re1
or 7. a4.]
7...c6 8.a4 a5 [Black secures the b4 and c5–squares for himself, and he prevents White from gaining any
more space on the Queenside.]
9.h3 [This is the main reply. White covers the g4–square and he waits to see what Black plays before
deciding which plan to go for. To be honest both sides have lots of different plans here. The Hanham
variation is really flexible.]
9...Nb6 [An interesting move. Black forces the light-squared Bishop back, then he can either take on d4, or
manoeuvre with ...Nfd7. Later that Knight can go to c5, or he may support e5 with ...Bf6. It looks like a
very weird plan, but there have been several hundred games played with this move and it is considered
by theory to be Black's best move right now. Other than that, we should also take a look at other
possibilities:]
10.Ba2 Nfd7 11.dxe5 [White can also play 11. Be3, but we can only play one move at a time and I decided
to stick to this variation for now.]
11...dxe5 12.Be3 Qc7 13.Ng5 [This move is very important. White takes advantage of the fact that most of
Black's pieces are still on the Queenside in order to start a powerful attack.]
13...Nf6 14.Qd3 [A very strong move. White prepares to bring his Rook to the d-file and the Queen can
apply pressure towards h7 with the move f2–f4, or to f7 by taking on b6 followed by Qc4.]
Line
(28) Quickstarter Guide - Modern: 3... c6

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c6 4.Be3 d5 5.e5 [Even in this position with the Bishop on e3, advancing the pawn on
e5 works quite well.]
5...Nh6 6.Qd2 Nf5 7.Bf4 h5 [Securing the square f5 for his Knight.]
8.0–0–0 [White's King is quite safe on the Queenside too, and the d4 pawn gets extra protection from the
Rook on d1.]
8...Nd7 9.Nf3 Nf8 10.Bd3 Ne6 11.Bxf5 Nxf4 12.Bxc8 Bh6 13.Bxb7 Ne6 [This is Black's idea all along, as now
he wins the Queen thanks to the pin.]
14.Qxh6 Rxh6 15.Bxc6+ Kf8 16.Bxd5 [But White gets too much material in return for the Queen.]
Line
(29) Quickstarter Guide - Modern: 3... d5

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 [The move]
3...d5 [is actually very solid, and I believe this has been recommended in a few books as a solid surprise
weapon. Black sacrifices the pawn on d5, with the idea in return to develop quickly and regain it back with
...Nf6 followed by ...Nbd7–b6.]
4.exd5 [Taking on d5 makes sense, as otherwise the plan with a quick ...d5 becomes very justified.]
4...Nf6 5.Bc4 Nbd7 [Black should immediately try to regain the pawn on d5 by preparing ...Nb6.]
6.Nf3 [White gladly returns the pawn, while not making any concessions. In return, he castles quickly and
develops all his pieces to their ideal squares.]
6...0–0 7.0–0 Nb6 8.Bb3 a5 9.a4 [White prevents the opponent from gaining space, and secures control of
the Queenside light-squares.]
9...Nbxd5 10.Nxd5 Nxd5 11.c3 Bg4 [Black hopes to ease up the pressure by exchanging some pieces off
the board.]
12.h3 Bxf3 13.Qxf3 e6 14.g3 c6 15.h4 [White has a small but stable edge thanks to his Bishop pair.]
Line
(30) Quickstarter Guide - Modern: 3... c5 #1

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c5 [This move has a very dubious reputation. But still we have to know how to react
to such a rarely seen line.]
4.dxc5 Bxc3+ [Black damages our pawn structure and he hopes to gain enough compensation to giving up
his powerful Bishop. This is his main idea. He hopes to unbalance the game a little bit.]
5.bxc3 Qa5 [is met by the accurate]
6.Qd4 Nf6 7.Qb4 [protecting his pawns and offering to lead the game to a better endgame.]
7...Qc7 [Black has to keep the Queens on the board in order to keep matters complicated.]
8.Nf3 Nc6 9.Qa4 [gives White some pressure.]
Line
(31) Quickstarter Guide - Modern: 3... c5 #2
1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c5 [This move has a very dubious reputation. But still we have to know how to react
to such a rarely seen line.]
4.dxc5 Bxc3+ [Black damages our pawn structure and he hopes to gain enough compensation to giving up
his powerful Bishop. This is his main idea. He hopes to unbalance the game a little bit.]
5.bxc3 [Possible is]
5...Nc6 6.Bd3 Qa5 7.Ne2 Qxc5 8.0–0 Nf6 9.Rb1 [but I think Black is not going to have a lot of fun in this
position. White has the Bishop pair, and he can exploit the weakened dark-squares in the enemy
position.]
Line
(32) Quickstarter Guide - Modern: 4... c6

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Be3 [I am recommending the same variation as against the Pirc Defence.
White plays the so called '150' attack, a variation that is quite easy to learn and to play. He aims to play
Qd2 next, and then decide whether to go for the setup with Nf3 and Bd3, or to play f2–f3 followed by
Queenside castling.]
4...c6 5.Qd2 b5 6.Bd3 Nd7 [This is a very flexible way of developing. Black activates the Queenside pieces
first, meanwhile he delays moving the Knight on g8 in order to prevent any Be3–h6 ideas]
7.Nf3 Qc7 [Black still delays developing his Knight to f6, and meanwhile he keeps an eye on the e5–
square.]
8.Ne2 [White has many other possibilities here, 8. a4, or first 8. O-O is also playable. However, I
recommend this move, improving the position of the Knight while threatening to break up Black's
Queenside with a2–a4.]
Line
(33) Quickstarter Guide - Modern: mainline with 8... h6

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Be3 a6 [This is Black's main variation in the Modern Defence. He is aiming for
Queenside expansion with ...b7–b5, meanwhile he keeps the diagonal h1–a8 open for his light-squared
Bishop. And he is aiming to be able to play a quick ...c5 in one move. His play is easy to implement: play
b5, then Bb7, Nd7 and then ...c7–c5 etc.]
5.Qd2 [I decided to stick to our usual recipe of meeting the Pirc/ Modern. I am recommending the
Be3+Qd2 setup no matter what Black plays.]
5...b5 6.0–0–0 Bb7 7.f3 [Solidly protecting the e4–pawn. This way of playing is quite different from what I
am usually recommending (usually we play Bd3+Nf3 etc) , but in this case it is a solid and stable
approach to meet Black's setup.]
7...Nd7 8.h4 h6 [is possible, intending to meet h4–h5 with ...g5.]
9.Nh3 Ngf6 10.g4 Nb6 11.d5 [White occupies extra space and threatens to play Bd4 next move, pinning the
enemy Knight on f6. There had been a few games played from this position, and we'll take a look at them
in the main course, starting from variation 7... Nd7 8. h4 h6 #1.]
11...b4 12.Nb1 [Keeping the c4–square under control, White prevents any counterplay (like ...Nc4 ideas)
for the moment.]
Line

7...Nd7 8.h4 h5 [Black prevents the opening of the h-file, but in return he gives up the g5–square for the
Knight.]
9.Nh3 [The Knight will put strong pressure on the f7 and e6–squares from its outpost on g5.]
9...Ngf6 10.Ng5 e6 [Black is aiming to play ...Qe7 next move, keeping an eye on the vulnerable f7– and
e6–squares.]
11.Kb1 Qe7 12.Rg1 [White can also start with the prophylactic 12. a3, controlling the b4–square. But with
this move he wants to start active operations in the near future, preparing g2–g4.]
12...Nb6 13.Bd3 [Preventing Black's threat of ...b5–b4 followed by ...Nc4, snatching off White's important
dark-squared Bishop. Another way to play is 13.a3 Nfd7 14.Qf2 with a solid positional game where
White's chances are slightly better.]
13...Nfd7 14.g4 [It's hard to see how else White can make progress in the position, and it looks like the
time has come to open up the g-file.]
Line

Knight.]
9.Nh3 [The Knight will put strong pressure on the f7 and e6–squares from its outpost on g5. After]
9...Rc8 10.Ng5 c5 11.e5 [White starts a very powerful initiative. The tactics work out well in his favour here.]
11...cxd4 12.e6 fxe6 13.Bxd4 e5 14.Bd3 Nf8 15.Bf2 [White's compensation for the pawn is sufficient. Black
has problems with his development as the Knight on f8 is required to protect the g6–square permanently.]
Line

5.Qd2 [I decided to stick to our usual recipe of meeting the Pirc/ Modern. I am recommending the Be3
Qd2 setup no matter what Black plays.]
am usually recommending (usually we play Bd3 Nf3 etc) , but in this case it is a solid and stable approach
to meet Black's setup.]
Knight.]
9.Nh3 [The Knight will put strong pressure on the f7 and e6–squares from its outpost on g5. After]
9...Rc8 10.Ng5 c5 11.e5 [White starts a very powerful initiative. The tactics work out well in his favour here.]
11...cxd4 12.e6 dxc3 13.exf7+ Kf8 14.Ne6+ Kxf7 15.Nxd8+ [wins the black Queen with a very important
check!]
Line
(37) Quickstarter Guide - Pirc: Black delays ... Bg7: 4.

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be3 [This is the so-called '150' attack, and is my recommendation against the
Pirc Defence. White's play is natural and easy to understand. He plays Qd2 (with the idea to play Bh6)
and then, depending on Black's setup, he can go for normal development with Nf3, Bd3 or opt for the
more aggressive setup with f3 and Queenside castling. Usually White does not need to fear the
move ...Ng4. After Bg5 it turns out that only Black can have problems there.]
4...c6 [In this move-order, we'll look at tries where Black aims to delay playing ...Bg7.]
5.Qd2 Nbd7 6.Nf3 Qc7 7.Bh6 [Taking advantage of Black's weakened dark-squares on the Kingside, White
hopes to exploit this and starts a quick initiative before Black is fully developed.]
7...b5 8.a3 [After]
8...Bb7 9.Bd3 [now the normal continuation for Black is]
9...a6 10.0–0 c5 [but White closes the center with]

11.d5 [shutting down the enemy Bishop on b7 from the game.]
11...Bxh6 12.Qxh6 0–0–0 13.Rfb1 [White does not fool around. He starts an immediate attack on the Black
King's residence with the move b2–b4 and a3–a4.]
13...Kb8 14.b4 cxb4 15.Na2 bxa3 16.Nb4 [the attack on the Queenside is really powerful and dangerous to
meet.]
Line
(38) Quickstarter Guide - Pirc: Black delays ... Bg7: 4.

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 [This is the so-called '150' attack, and is my recommendation against the Pirc
Defence. White's play is natural and easy to understand. He plays Qd2 (with the idea to play Bh6) and
then, depending on Black's setup, he can go for normal development with Nf3, Bd3 or opt for the more
aggressive setup with f3 and Queenside castling. Usually White does not need to fear the move ...Ng4.
After Bg5 it turns out that only Black can have problems there.]
4.Be3 a6 5.h3 [White controls g4, taking it away from Black's pieces while also preparing g2–g4 in some
cases.]
5...Bg7 6.f4 0–0 7.Nf3 [White seized control of the center, and now he is ready to breakthrough with e4–e5
at the opportune moment.]
7...e6 8.Qe2 [White prepares to play e4–e5, followed by castling long. This move is rare but a very
ambitious one.]
8...b5 9.e5 Nfd7 10.h4 [This is the idea behind the move 8. Qe2. White starts a quick and powerful attack
on the Kingside.]
10...c5 [Black has to break in the center before it is too late.]
11.exd6 cxd4 12.Bxd4 Bxd4 13.Nxd4 Nf6 14.0–0–0 Qxd6 15.g3 Qb6 16.h5 [White has the clearly better
position, for example, the game continued: 16...Rd8 17.Bg2 Ra7 18.Qe5 Nxh5 19.Rxh5 Nd7 20.Qg5 f6
21.Qh4 Nf8 It's too dangerous to accept the sacrifice: 21...gxh5 22.Nxe6 ! b4 23.Qxh5 Nf8 23...Qxe6 ?
allows 24.Bd5 +– 23...bxc3 ? 24.Qg4+ followed by Qg7+ wins. 24.Nxd8 bxc3 25.Bd5+ Kg7 26.Bb3 +–
White regained the sacrificed material StartBrackethe is even a pawn upEndBracket,
but more importantly, the black King remains very vulnerable. 22.Rd5 ! exd5 23.Nxd5 Rxd5 24.Bxd5+ Kg7
25.g4 White had a strong initiative in the game De Bari, V-Nyvlt, Z 2017.]
Line
(39) Quickstarter Guide - Pirc: 4. Be3 Bg7: 5... 0–0

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be3 Bg7 [Black can also develop his Queenside first before playing ...Bg7, but
it's not clear that approach is advantageous for him.]
5.Qd2 [After]
5...0–0 6.0–0–0 [now we can see the true idea behind the 150 Attack. White has a very easy plan of playing
Bh6 followed by pushing the h-pawn, pry open the h-file then sac, sac, mate!
StartBracketFischer's comment on White's plan in the DragonEndBracket.]
6...c6 7.Bh6 b5 8.f3 b4 9.Nce2 Qa5 10.Kb1 [Now the white Knight can always protect a2 with the move Nc1,
making it very hard for Black to cook up any sort of attack on the Queenside.]
10...c5 11.h4 [White's attack flows very smoothly towards its goal.]
Line
(40) Quickstarter Guide - Pirc: 4. Be3 Bg7: 5... c6,6... 0–0

5.Qd2 c6 [This is the main defence for Black. He controls the d5– and b5–squares, preparing to create
play on the Queenside by pushing his pawns there, or to put a solid stake in the center with ...Nbd7
followed by ...e7–e5. He also delays castling and waits for an opportune moment to do so.]
6.Nf3 [White develops his Kingside pieces and prepares to support his center with the move Bd3. This is
my recommendation.]
6...0–0 [can be met by]
7.Bh6 [even with the Knight already on f3, the threat of h4–h5 is still quite annoying.]
7...Nbd7 [Preparing to play ...e7–e5, and hoping to coordinate his pieces.]
8.h4 Bxh6 9.Qxh6 Ng4 10.Qd2 h5 [Black stops h4–h5 once and for all, though in return White gets the
outpost on g5 for his Knight.]
11.Ng5 [White immediately seizes the g5 outpost offered to his Knight. From there it exerts quite powerful
pressure on the f7– and e6–squares.]
Line
(41) Quickstarter Guide - Pirc: 4. Be3 Bg7: 5... c6,6... b5

5.Qd2 c6 [This is the main defence for Black. He controls the d5– and b5–squares, preparing to create
play on the Queenside by pushing his pawns there, or to put a solid stake in the center with ...Nbd7
followed by ...e7–e5. He also delays castling and waits for an opportune moment to do so.]
6.Nf3 [White develops his Kingside pieces and prepares to support his center with the move Bd3. This is
my recommendation.]
6...b5 7.Bd3 [White protects his e4–pawn, while also developing the rest of his Kingside pieces.]
7...0–0 8.Bh6 Nbd7 9.Bxg7 Kxg7 10.a4 [White provokes a weakening of Black's Queenside, before
rerouting his Knight with Ne2–g3.]
10...b4 11.Ne2 a5 12.Ng3 e5 [This is Black's main move. He prevents the idea e4–e5, and he puts a solid
pawn stake in the center.]
13.Qg5 [White threatens to win the pawn on e5, while Nf5+ is annoying at the same time.]
13...exd4 14.Nf5+ Kg8 15.Nxd6 c5 16.0–0 Ba6 [This position arrives almost by force after 13. Qg5. There
have been a few games played in this position. The verdict is White retains a stable advantage, thanks to
his control of the b5 and c4–squares and his central control.]
17.Nd2 [This is what White played in the latest correspondence game. He controls the c4–square even
further, and he prepares the move f2–f4, gaining space on the Kingside.]
Line
(42) Quickstarter Guide - Scandinavian: 2. exd5 c6?!

1.e4 d5 [The Scandinavian Defence StartBracketor Center Counter DefenceEndBracket
is one of the oldest openings in chess. Although it has never enjoyed top-level popularity, it has been
played notably by some World Champion level players, including Tarrasch, Spielman, Tartakower and
Alekhine. Recently it has seen a resurgence thanks to the efforts of Magnus Carlsen.]
2.exd5 [The main move and my recommendation. It is obviously the only move that can trouble Black.]
2...c6 [This rare move is unsound but the refutation against it is not so easy to find over the board
especially if you've never seen this variation before.]
3.dxc6 [Accepting the sacrificed pawn. In return, Black does get a tiny lead in development for it.]
3...Nxc6 4.Nf3 [Controlling the central squares. White prepares to develop the rest of his Kingside.]
4...e5 [This is the typical response. Black prepares to develop the rest of his forces and intends to kick
White's Knight away from f3 (with e4) .]
5.Bb5 [Pinning the Knight is the most natural response. Fortunately for us]
5...e4 [does not work due to]
6.Qe2 [You should remember this strong move. This is the reason why Black's whole plan with the pawn
sacrifice does not work.]
6...Qe7 7.Nd4 Bd7 8.Nxc6 bxc6 9.Bc4 Nf6 10.Nc3 [White is simply up a pawn with a better position.]
Line
(43) Quickstarter Guide - Scandinavian: 2... Nf6 #1

2...Nf6 [This is the second most popular way for Black to continue in the Scandinavian. It makes perfect
sense. Black wants to avoid losing time in recapturing the d5–pawn by taking it with the Knight instead of
the Queen. White now has a large choice.]
3.Nf3 [This is my recommendation. It's the simplest and most flexible way to meet 2... Nf6. I imagine that
you probably will not encounter a lot of Scandinavian 2... Nf6 in tournament play. And 3. Nf3 is the most
sensible way to fight for an advantage against it.]
3...Nxd5 [Recapturing on d5 with the Knight seems like the logical follow up to 2... Nf6. Now Black just
wants to finish his development and aim for a solid position.]
4.d4 [Now we come to a fork in the road. Black's main defence is 4... Bg4, but we'll look at other logical
moves too:]
4...g6 5.c4 Nb6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.h3 [The simplest and strongest continuation here.]
7...0–0 8.Be2 [I think this could be the most precise move-order for White, as we will see later.]
8...Nc6 9.Be3 e5 [Trying desperately to create counterplay in the center is natural, however the
complications are in White's favour.]
10.d5 [The typical reply to e5. White gains space on the center with gain of tempo (kicking the black
Knight) .]
10...Ne7 11.g4 [White takes away the f5–square from the black Knight. All the space is being squeezed out
of Black's position.]
11...f5 12.Qb3 [Preparing to castle long. Black is going to run into a very dangerous attack soon. 12...e4
13.Ng5 f4 14.Bc5 And White is winning by force. For example: 14...Bxc3+ 15.bxc3 White just has to avoid
15.Qxc3 ? Na4 ! when suddenly things are not so clear. 16.Qa3 Nxc5 17.Qxc5 f3 =+ 15...f3 16.Bf1 Nexd5
17.h4 And White is winning, albeit Black still has some tricks left. 17...Nf4 18.Bxf8 +–]
Line

4.d4 [Now we come to a fork in the road. Black's main defence is 4... Bg4, but we'll look at other logical
moves too:]
4...Bf5 [Here compared to other lines White has the extra option of]
5.Bd3 [which exchanges Black's active minor piece. It gets rid of the annoying pressure exerted by Black
on the b1–h7 diagonal.]
5...Bxd3 6.Qxd3 e6 7.0–0 [If 7.Qb5+ Nc6 White does not win a pawn, as 8.Qxb7 ? loses to 8...Ndb4
threatening c2 and to trap the Queen with Rb8 ! 9.Qb5 Nxc2+ and here Black has check, winning
material. White can still play 8.O-O Nb6 9.c3 += with a slightly better position.]
7...Be7 [loses a pawn due to the typical trick:]
8.Qb5+ [You better watch out for similar small tricks!]
Line

4.d4 [Putting a solid stake in the center. White is ready to finish the development of the rest of his pieces.]
4...Bg4 5.c4 Nb6 6.c5 [A nice move, and I like it. White gains as much space as possible and plays actively
before Black can finish developing his pieces.]
6...N6d7 [Black tries to put his Knight on a safe place. The obvious square to put it is on d5, but as we can
see life is far from simple.]
7.Be2 [Now on 7. Qb3 Black can reply with 7... Nc6 (as the a4–e8 diagonal is covered by the Knight on
d7) . Therefore, White finishes his development instead, making use of his space to fight for the
advantage.]
7...e6 8.Qb3 [Provoking Black to create a weakness. Black's position wouldn't be so bad actually if not for
his terrible lag in development.]
8...b6 9.0–0 Be7 10.Nc3 0–0 11.h3 Bh5 12.Rd1 c6 13.Bf4 [White got a stable advantage out of the opening.
He has finished his development, has more space and he controls a lot of squares.]
Line
(46) Quickstarter Guide - Scandinavian: 3... Qe6+

2...Qxd5 3.Nc3 [Sometimes Black tries the illogical move]
3...Qe6+ [We have to check this line because Magnus Carlsen has played it a few times recently in blitz
games. Black wants to disrupt the coordination of White's pieces but in return, Black sacrifices all his
development ideas. We reply with the most natural move]
4.Be2 Qg6 [Attacking the g2–pawn. Unfortunately for him we can just ignore it with]
5.Nf3 [Now White is simply preparing to play d2–d4 and develop the rest of his pieces so Black takes the
pawn: Carlsen's opponent in the blitz game replied 5.Bf3 but with 5. Nf3 we can refute Black's whole
concept.]
5...Qxg2 6.Rg1 Qh3 7.d4 Nf6 8.Rg3 [Black's Queen is kicked around so many times and is forced to go
back to its initial position. If]
8...Qf5 9.Ne5 [when Black's Queen is surrounded in an uncomfortable spot.]
Line
(47) Quickstarter Guide - Scandinavian: 3... Qd8 #1

2...Qxd5 3.Nc3 [The most natural and common response against the Scandinavian. White gains a tempo
by attacking the black Queen on its active position. As chess principles remind us: do not move your
Queen too early in the game! This is why the Scandinavian is not very popular at the top level. Black has
to waste some time putting his Queen on a comfortable square.]
3...Qd8 [Black simply retreats the Queen to its initial position. This move looks illogical to me, as basically
Black is admitting that he just gave up two tempi in the opening just to open up the d-file. Still it is not so
easy to refute and Black can still rely on a solid if passive position. I know that IM John Bartholomew has
recently made a course on the Scandinavian based on the line 3... Qd8, therefore it could get more
popular in practice. I guess 3... Qd8 could work as a surprise weapon. There are not so many lines for
Black to study, and he can get a very solid position especially if White does not know how to meet it.]
4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 [Black's main move is 5...Bg4 , worse is]
5...c6 6.Bc4 [hitting the vital f7–square.]
6...Bf5 7.Ne5 e6 8.g4 [Moves like this one come automatically in the Scandinavian. The Bishop on f5 has
nowhere safe to run too and in addition White creates the possibility of kicking Black's Knight away from
f6 with the move g4–g5.]
8...Bg6 9.h4 [Hunting the black Bishop down.]
9...Bb4 10.f3 [Now White is threatening to win a piece with h4–h5.]
10...Nd5 11.Bd2 Bxc3 12.Bxc3 [almost wins by force:]

12...Ne3 13.Qe2 Nxc2+ 14.Kf1 Nxa1 15.h5 [White is winning here, since if Black moves the Bishop]
15...Bb1 [there is the reply]
16.Nxf7 [when Black cannot take on f7 due to Qxe6 and Qf7 checkmate.]
Line

4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bg4 [This is Black's main defence in the 3... Qd8 Scandinavian. The problem is he lacks
space to develop his pieces comfortably and he cannot allow White to play Ne5 and Bc4 so easily as that
would lead to an unpleasant position for him. Therefore Black is willing to give up his Bishop pair and
hopes to get a reasonable and solid position.]
6.h3 [Black really has to give up the Bishop pair now as]
6...Bh5 [simply loses due to the typical]
7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 [The Bishop is going to be rammed with the moves h4–h5. After]
8...e6 9.Bg2 c6 10.h4 [White is threatening to trap the Bishop and]
10...h6 11.Nxg6 fxg6 12.Qd3 [is such a horrible position that he could very well resign.]
Line

4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bg4 [This is Black's main defence in the 3... Qd8 Scandinavian. The problem is he lacks
space to develop his pieces comfortably and he cannot allow White to play Ne5 and Bc4 so easily as that
would lead to an unpleasant position for him. Therefore Black is willing to give up his Bishop pair and
hopes to get a reasonable and solid position.]
6.h3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 c6 8.Be3 [The best and most natural move. Simply defending the d4–pawn and preparing
to castle either way.]
8...e6 [White scores very well in this position. In the Corr Database he scores a hefty 83% with the White
pieces. In my opinion the reason for choosing the Scandinavian 3... Qd8 with Black is to catch your
opponent by surprise or unprepared. There is not much theory to remember with Black, and he can get a
playable and solid position with pawns on e6 and c6. The ideas of the position are easy to remember. On
the other hand, with natural moves White can get a small risk-free advantage at the very least. He gets
the Bishop pair almost by force and also some space advantage. If White is well prepared then he can
even expect for more than a small edge.]
9.Bd3 [This move is a good choice. White develops his Bishop and keeps the option to castle on either
flank.]
9...Nbd7 10.0–0–0 [White has other options here, but I recommend castling long for White as the simplest
option.]
10...Bb4 [This is Black's main choice, forcing White to make a decision: trade a pair of Knights on e4 or
move his Knight to a more passive square on e2. I prefer the latter.]
11.Ne2 [I prefer to keep the Knights on the board as exchanges ease up Black's cramped position.]
11...Nd5 [Planning to rid White of his Bishop pair, while keeping the option to castle both sides.]
12.Kb1 Nxe3 13.fxe3 [This is stronger than recapturing with the Queen. White improve his pawn structure,
supporting d4, while also opening the f-file for his Rook.]
13...Qe7 14.c4 0–0–0 15.c5 [Limiting the scope of Black's Bishop on b4 and further cramping Black's
position.]
15...Ba5 16.Be4 [White is threatening to sacrifice a piece on c6 and start a powerful Queenside initiative.
The insane computer also shows the idea 16.Ba6 !? with the idea to bring the Rook to the attack on the
third rank with Rd3. An entertaining variation from the main course is 16...Nf6 17.Bxc6 ! This actually
happened in one correspondence game. White won quickly after bxc6 18.Qxc6+ Qc7 19.Qb5 Ne4
20.Rhg1 ! Preventing ...Nf2 fork. 20...Bd2 21.Qd3 Qc6 22.Rxd2 Nxd2+ 23.Qxd2 Kb8 24.Qb4+ Ka8
25.Nc3 f5 26.Qc4 Cortes Lozano,I-Kirk, T ICCF email 2018. White simply pushes his Queenside pawns
with b4–b5 next, with a crushing position.]
Line

3...Qd6 [The Queen retreat to d6 has been growing in popularity in recent years, thanks mostly to Magnus
Carlsen's efforts. This could be called the Modern main line of the Scandinavian. The Queen looks odd on
d6, as it can be attacked in the near future with either Nb5 or Bf4, however Black hopes to be able to
develop his pieces comfortably relatively quickly, while the Queen on d6 does control some squares in the
center.]
4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 a6 [This move leads to interesting positions. Black takes away the b5–square from White's
Knight and hopes to play on the Queenside with ...b7–b5 followed by Bb7 in some appropriate lines.]
6.g3 [This is the standard plan for White, especially against 5... a6. White prepares to fianchetto his
Bishop on the long diagonal before Black can put his Bishop on b7. From g2, White's Bishop will put
strong pressure on Black's Queenside especially if Black decides to castle long. An additional bonus is
that White now controls the f4–square, and can put his Bishop there in an appropriate moment to gain
time attacking Black's Queen.]
6...Bg4 [Pinning the Knight, while developing his minor pieces. Black is actually planning to castle long
and to put pressure on White's d4 pawn.]
7.Bg2 Nc6 [The main line in this position. Black intends to castle long next move and develop counterplay
right away on the d-file and on White's d-pawn. However, it is quite risky as White's Bishops can quickly
put pressure on the long diagonal and on f4.]
8.0–0 [White is threatening Bf4 so Black is forced to castle.]
8...0–0–0 9.d5 [Opening up the position and forcing matters. This idea is really important to remember as
it's a typical pawn advance in the Scandinavian with a Knight on c6.]
9...Ne5 [This is clearly the best defence. Now the variation becomes forcing.]
10.Bf4 Nxf3+ 11.Bxf3 Bxf3 12.Qxf3 e5 13.dxe6 Qxe6 [At least Black managed to remain unscathed and he is
ready to develop next move with ...Bd6, but now comes]
14.Bg5 [This pin is really unpleasant. White threatens to destroy the harmony of the black pawns.]
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center.]
4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 g6 [A modern variation. This move has not been very popular until it was introduced into top
level play by GM Vladimir Kramnik in 2009. Since then other Top GMs like Caruana and Nakamura have
followed suit. Black plays very flexibly. He wants to play Bg7 and castle short, bringing his King to a safe
place before making any decision on how to develop the rest of his pieces. This move can be a very
effective surprise weapon specially if White does not have anything special prepared against it. So we'll
try to ensure that you have some ideas how to meet this move just in case you meet it over the board.]
6.Nb5 [This interesting move hits Black's Queen and aims to disrupt his plans. This move also scores best
for White in practice.]
6...Qb6 7.a4 [7. c4 is also a good choice here but I'll stick to 7. a4. White threatens to harass the Queen
with a4–a5, while reserving the a3–square comfortably for White's Knight to retreat. Black usually opts for
7...a6, but you might occasionally encounter 7...c6 too:]
7...c6 8.a5 Qd8 [At least in this case the Queen is in its normal position on d8.]
9.Nc3 [What has White gained from moving his Knight to b5 and back, you may ask? Well, White has
gained tempi and advanced his Rook pawn all the way to a5. From a5 it gained a lot of space for White
and has taken away the important squares a5 and b6 away from his opponent. You'll see that this far
advanced a-pawn will prove to be very annoying for Black later on.]
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center.]
4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 c6 [This is the other favourite move of Magnus Carlsen (the other he played was 5... a6) .
This move is reliable and solid and has replaced 5... a6 as the main variation of the Scandinavian 3...
Qd6.]
6.Be3 [White's main replies are 6. Ne5 and 6. g3, and both are good enough for an advantage too: 6.Ne5
when the line continues Nbd7 7.Nc4 Qc7 and now both 8. a4 or 8. Qf3 are known to give White the more
pleasant play. However, it needs to be checked deeper of course. Or 6.g3 but here Bg4 7.Bg2 and
compared to the 5... a6 line that we analysed, here Black saves a tempo by not having to play ...a7–a6.
However, I am recommending 6. Be3!? instead. It is relatively unknown still and in many lines White
simply wants to castle Queenside and attack!]
6...Bg4 [is met by the natural]
7.h3 [encouraging Black to give up the Bishop pair:]
7...Bh5 8.g4 Bg6 9.Ne5 Nbd7 10.Qe2 [Preparing to castle long. White is not in a hurry to take on g6, and
keeps the h-file closed for the moment.]
10...Nxe5 [does not work because of]
11.dxe5 Qxe5 12.f4 [followed by f5, trapping the poor Bishop on g6.]
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(53) Quickstarter Guide - Scandinavian: 3... Qa5 #1

3...Qa5 [This is the classical main line. It used to be the most popular option without question. In recent
years, 3... Qd6 has replaced it at the top level, thanks to the efforts of Magnus Carlsen. Black makes use
of his early Queen outing and hopes that it can prove useful on a5 by controlling important squares. It is
not that easy to attack the Queen on a5, and it can always retreat to c7 or d8 after an eventual ...c6.]
4.d4 [The normal continuation. White controls the central dark-squares and opens up the diagonal for his
dark-squared Bishop.]
4...Nf6 [This is Black's most popular reply. It is also the most flexible, as Black can opt to go for different
plans still.]
5.Nf3 [White logically develops his pieces by following the motto: 'develop your Knights before your
Bishops'.]
5...Bf5 [This is most likely the most stubborn defence for Black in the Scandinavian Qa5. This move has
become popular recently. People used to play ...c7–c6 right away, but then people discovered that there
are some benefits to delaying c6. GM Eric Prie is the biggest supporter for Black. In recent years GM
Laznicka, and Mamedyarov have followed suit, playing 5... Bf5 against some strong GM opposition.]
6.Bc4 [White plays similarly as against 5... c6.]
6...e6 [This is Black's idea. He delays c7–c6 for a while and hopes that he can make better use of the
tempo.]
7.Bd2 Bb4 [Black's idea. He is happy to give up the Bishop pair in return for comfortable development.]
8.a3 [White has other moves too, but what is wrong with grabbing the Bishop pair?]
8...Bxc3 9.Bxc3 Qb6 10.d5 [White opens up the position for his Bishops before Black can consolidate. He is
threatening to take on f6 and ruin Black's pawn structure.]
10...exd5 11.Bxd5 0–0 12.Bxf6 [when Black cannot take on f6 with the Queen because b7 needs protection.
Therefore after]
12...gxf6 13.0–0 [Black's pawn structure on the Kingside is weakened. White has a risk-free advantage
thanks to his better pawn structure. All endings are going to be in his favour.]
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plans still.]
Bishops'. The classical main line is]
5...c6 [which vacates the d8– and c7–squares as possible retreat squares for the Queen, and it controls
the light-squares on Black's Queenside. We'll look at this move very deeply as well. However, currently, I
think 5... Bf5 has replaced it as the best move.]
6.Bc4 Bf5 [Black has some other possibilities besides this natural move, but this is clearly Black's best
bet.]
7.Bd2 [The main reply and the main idea for White in this variation. It is simple yet very logical. White
counters Black's pressure along the e1–a5 diagonal and pinpoints the vulnerability of Black's Queen on
a5. White has other moves here but this move is good enough.]
7...e6 [This is the main line, but we'll also check other moves:]
8.Nd5 [This is a typical move in the Qa5 Scandinavian. White forces the enemy Queen back to its starting
square and gains favourable exchanges.]
8...Qd8 9.Nxf6+ Qxf6 [With this recapture, Black wants to maintain the flexibility of his pawn structure. He
hopes that his Queen will be safe on f6 for the time being.]
10.Qe2 [An important alternative to 10... Nd7 is]
10...Bg4 [which needs to be checked as Black is threatening to take on f3 and ruin our pawns.]
11.d5 [Opening up the diagonals and the position for White's Bishops. The complications arising are in
White's favour.]
11...Bxf3 12.gxf3 cxd5 13.Bxd5 Nd7 [Now White cannot take on b7 because of Qxb2, hitting the Rook and
the Bishop. Therefore White castles long first, protecting the b2 pawn.]
14.0–0–0 [An old line here is the funny]
14...Ba3 [preparing to castle short and taking advantage that White cannot take because of mate on a1.
But the games played here show that White's attack is irresistible after]
15.c3 0–0 16.Be4 Bc5 17.Rhg1 h6 18.Rg3 [when White plays Rdg1 next, with an unstoppable attack, for
example after]
18...Rfd8 19.Rdg1 Bf8 20.Qe3 Kh8 21.Qxh6+ [and Black cannot take on h6 with his pawn because of mate
on g8.]
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plans still.]
Bishops'.]
5...Bg4 [This leads to a sharp variation, where White is usually on top.]
6.h3 Bh5 [White can also play 7. Bd2 first, but there is no reason not to expand and gain space on the
Kingside, while kicking away Black's pieces.]
7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 [The Knight takes up a commanding post in the center, controlling a lot of squares and
harassing the Bishop on g6.]
8...e6 9.h4 [The black Bishop on g6 is running out of squares to go to. h5 is threatened next move.]
9...Bb4 [This gives the most stubborn resistance for this difficult position.]
10.Bd2 [With this move White ensures the safety of the e1–a5 diagonal.]
10...Nbd7 11.Nc4 [Again forcing the Queen to a very uncomfortable position on a6.]
11...Qa6 12.h5 [White probably has other good moves to maintain a large edge, but this is simple enough.]
12...Bxc3 13.hxg6 Bxd2+ 14.Nxd2 Qc6 15.gxf7+ Kxf7 16.Rh3 [White has the better pawn structure, the safer
King, and his light-squared Bishop can get powerful later on, having no opponent. White is much better.]
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(56) Quickstarter Guide - 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5 [This is a very old move, first played in the 1800s. Unfortunately for Black, it has been
refuted almost 200 years ago!]
3.exd5 e4 [Black tries to justify the pawn sacrifice but it will not work.]
4.Qe2 Nf6 5.d3 Qxd5 6.Nbd2 [I don't think Black gets enough compensation for his lost pawn.]
6...Nc6 7.dxe4 Qh5 8.Qb5 [This accurate move, intending to exchange queens, consolidates White's
advantage.]
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(57) Quickstarter Guide - Petroff: 3... d5

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 [The Petroff Defense is an everlasting solid and reliable opening. It is one of the most
stable responses to 1.e4.]
3.d4 d5 [Copying White's moves cannot be too good.]
4.exd5 [White is able to use the extra tempo for a lead in development.]
4...e4 5.Ne5 Nxd5 6.Bc4 [The pressure along the diagonal and on the e4–pawn costs Black dearly.]
6...Be6 7.Nd2 e3 8.fxe3 Nxe3 9.Bxe6 [It turns out that the complications are clearly in White's favour.]
9...Nxd1 10.Bxf7+ Ke7 11.Nb3 Kd6 12.0–0 [Black's king has nowhere safe to hide and faces a decisive
attack!]
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(58) Quickstarter Guide - Petroff: 3... exd4 #1

3.d4 exd4 [This move is the solid 'old' main line. In recent games, 3...Nxe4 has surpassed it in popularity
but still, this move has quite a respectable reputation with players like Karpov, Kamsky and Ding Liren
having tried it with Black. 3...d6 is analyzed under the move order2...d6.]
4.e5 Ne4 5.Qxd4 [White's queen takes up an active position in the middle of the board while, at the same
time, forces the enemy knight to retreat.]
5...f5 [Is rarely seen and is probably dubious. Black is threatening to play ...Bc5, so we take the f-pawn.]
6.exf6 Nxf6 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.Qh4 [We have a lead in development and the enemy kingside remains quite
vulnerable.]
8...Nb4 9.Bg5 [Black is threatening our pawn on c2, but it turns out that we can just ignore it.]
9...Nxc2+ 10.Kd1 Nxa1 11.Nd5 [An important winning move. Our attack is decisive and worth much more
than a rook. The natural 11.Bd3 might allow Black to put up strong resistance after 11...Be7]
11...Be7 12.Bc4 [Black is a rook up but that doesn't compensate for his king's miserable health.]
12...Kf8 13.Re1 [White wins.]
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(59) Quickstarter Guide - Petroff: 3... exd4 #2

3.d4 exd4 [This move is the solid 'old' main line. In recent games, 3...Nxe4 has surpassed it in popularity
but still, this move has quite a respectable reputation with players like Karpov, Kamsky and Ding Liren
having tried it with Black. 3...d6 is analyzed under the move order2...d6.]
4.e5 Ne4 5.Qxd4 [White's queen takes up an active position in the middle of the board while, at the same
time, forces the enemy knight to retreat.]
5...d5 6.exd6 Nxd6 7.Nc3 [Our main trump here is the lead in development. Our pieces come out quickly
and naturally and we have the ability to place our king on either side of the board. Meanwhile, Black's
knight on d6 hampers his ability to develop as fast.]
7...Nc6 [Hitting our queen, though she will be able to find a safe spot on f4.]
8.Qf4 g6 9.Be3 Bg7 10.0–0–0 0–0 [Black spent a tempo on fianchettoing his bishop and he still has some
problems to solve on the d-file.]
11.Bb5 [This is a good and solid way to keep up the pressure. Although, it's possible there are other
stronger moves such as 11.Bc5]
11...Bd7 12.Bxc6 Bxc6 13.Bd4 [White exchanges the opponent's fianchettoed bishop and now there will be
some problems on his dark squares. It's a simple concept, yet very effective. The play could continue
13...Re8 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Ne5 ! With this important move, we force complications that are in our favour.
15...Bxg2 16.Nxf7 ! White grabs the pawn back with some interest. 16...Qe7 17.Nxd6 cxd6 18.Rhg1 The
d6–pawn will also drop next.]
Line
(60) Quickstarter Guide - Petroff: 3... Nxe4,4... Nc6

3.d4 Nxe4 4.Bd3 [This move is my recommendation. We immediately challenge the opponent's centralized
knight on e4 and we force him to make a decision. We provoke ...d7–d5 first, before capturing on e5,
therefore securing that square for our knight.]
4...Nc6 [This fascinating move leads to a creative variation developed by Jacob Murey. The idea is that
White does not win a piece with 5.Bxe4 as it runs into 5...d5 . 5.d5 is also met with 5...Nf6 , followed
by ...e4 . Therefore, Black is able to install his knight on c6 for the time being, making 4...Nc6 a serious
alternative to4...d5. I recommend the reply]
5.Nxe5 [After 5.O-O d5 6.dxe5 Black is probably okay after both 6...Bg4 or 6...Be7 when the knight on e4
remains very active. I prefer the knight recapture over 5.dxe5 Nc5 6.Bc4 d6 too, when the presence of an
extra piece on the board makes it easier for Black to equalize. Compared to 5.Nxe5, White does not have
the option of Qf3 here. 5.d5 Nf6 with the idea of ...e4 next move regaining the piece, is known to be fine
for Back.]
5...Nxe5 6.dxe5 d5 [In this case, I recommend a simple response.]
7.exd6 Nxd6 8.0–0 [We have a slight lead in development and the knight on d6 is not ideally placed either.]
8...Be7 9.Nc3 Be6 10.Qf3 0–0 11.Rd1 [We have some pressure along the d-file.]
11...Qd7 12.h3 [Preventing ...Bg4. After the logical continuation]
12...Rfe8 13.Bf4 Rad8 14.a4 a6 15.Nd5 Bxd5 16.Qxd5 [White has the bishop pair and definitely some
pressure.]
Line
(61) Quickstarter Guide - Petroff: 3... Nxe4,4... d5 #1

4...d5 5.Nxe5 [Gladly putting our knight in a strong position in the centre of the board. Now Black has three
main options. He can play 5...Be7 , 5...Bd6 , or challenge our knight right away with 5...Nd7 , which is the
main line. We'll look at all of them in detail.]
5...Be7 [Black just wants to finish his development. The downside of this move is that it does not put any
pressure on our knight in the centre.]
6.0–0 Nd7 [In this case, I recommend supporting our knight.]
7.Bf4 0–0 [7...Nxe5 8.Bxe5 O-O 9.c4 would just transpose to 7...O-O.]
8.c4 [Now we challenge Black's control over the d5 and e4–squares. Perhaps a good alternative here is
8.Nd2 , simply challenging the opponent's knight, with the idea of exploiting our lead in development.]
8...Nxe5 9.Bxe5 Nf6 10.Nc3 [Putting extra pressure on d5. We have a lead in development, more space
and an active bishop on e5. Black is under some pressure.]
10...dxc4 11.Bxc4 c6 12.h3 [Taking away the g4–square from Black's pieces. We want to play Re1 and Qb3
next, making it difficult for Black to develop.]
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(62) Quickstarter Guide - Petroff: 3... Nxe4,4... d5 #2

4...d5 5.Nxe5 [Gladly putting our knight in a strong position in the centre of the board. Now Black has three
main options. He can play 5...Be7 , 5...Bd6 , or challenge our knight right away with 5...Nd7 , which is the
main line. We'll look at all of them in detail.]
5...Be7 [Black just wants to finish his development. The downside of this move is that it does not put any
pressure on our knight in the centre.]
6.0–0 0–0 7.c4 [Again, challenging Black's solid outpost on e4 by undermining his d-pawn.]
7...Nf6 [Supporting d5, but at the cost of a tempo. Now White gains a lead in development and some
initiative in the centre.]
8.Nc3 [Developing the knight while putting pressure on d5.]
8...Be6 [Supporting d5 and developing the bishop.]
9.c5 [Gaining space and limiting Black's options on the queenside.]
9...Nfd7 10.Nf3 [In this case the move 10.f4 is a bit different, since after 10...Nxe5 11.fxe5 Nc6 12.Ne2 Bg4
Black gets good counterplay on our d4–pawn.]
10...b6 11.cxb6 axb6 12.Bf4 [Our pieces are well placed and we attack Black's pawns.]
12...c6 13.Qc2 [Hitting h7.]
13...h6 14.Rfe1 Re8 15.h3 Nf8 16.a3 [16.Ne5 is also possible, placing the knight on an active square.]
16...Nbd7 17.Rac1 [I like White's position. We have some pressure along the open files and a possible line
could be 17...b5 18.Na2 Rc8 19.Nb4 Bxb4 20.axb4 Qe7 21.Qc3 White has the bishop pair and strong
dark squares control.]
Line
(63) Quickstarter Guide - Petroff: 4... d5,5... Bd6 #1

4...d5 5.Nxe5 [Gladly putting our knight in a strong position in the centre of the board. Black has three main
options. He can play 5...Be7 , 5...Bd6 , or challenge our knight right away with 5...Nd7 , which is the main
line. We'll look now at the second option.]
5...Bd6 [Black is copying White's moves. With this variation he is asking us to prove the value of the extra
tempo in a symmetrical position.]
6.0–0 Nd7 [We do not have to take on d7 in this case as we can do better.]
7.c4 Nxe5 [Is not a good idea.]
8.dxe5 Bxe5 9.cxd5 [Black has problems on the e-file due to his hanging pieces.]
9...Nf6 10.Re1 [The bishop is hopelessly pinned.]
Line
(64) Quickstarter Guide - Petroff: 4... d5,5... Bd6 #2

line. We'll look now at the second option.]
5...Bd6 [Black is copying White's moves. With this variation he is asking us to prove the value of the extra
tempo in a symmetrical position.]
6.0–0 0–0 7.c4 [This challenges Black's control over the central squares and aims to develop a quick
initiative.]
7...Bxe5 [This is the main line, where hundreds of games have been played, according to my database.
The play becomes very concrete and forcing.]
8.dxe5 Nc6 9.cxd5 Qxd5 10.Qc2 [The pin 10.Qf3 does not work here as 10...Bf5! defends everything for the
moment and 11.Qxf5 Qxd3 12.Nc3 Nc5 leads to a very good position for Black.]
10...Nb4 [10...Nd4 11.Bxe4 would just transpose to 10...Nb4.]
11.Bxe4 Nxc2 12.Bxd5 Bf5 [Before capturing the rook, Black ensures that his knight has an escape square
on c2. All these moves are considered forced by theory and there have been a lot of games played.]
13.g4 [A very instructive move, kicking away the enemy bishop from its ideal square even at the cost of a
pawn.]
13...Bxg4 [Black might as well take the pawn and grab some material for the arising endgame. The
alternatives are worse.]
14.Be4 [Covers the retreating square on c2 from the enemy knight.]
14...Nxa1 15.Bf4 f5 16.Bd5+ [Gaining a tempo by pushing the enemy king one square further from play.]
16...Kh8 17.Rc1 [Again, it is important for White to cover the c2–square. A highly instructive variation from
the main course is 17...c6 18.Bg2 Rfd8 19.Nd2 In the past, Black tried to rescue the knight by offering an
exchange instead. 19...Rxd2 20.Bxd2 Rd8 It turns out that the endgame is lost for Black. 21.Bc3 Rd1+
22.Rxd1 Bxd1 23.Bf1 ! White's idea is to play Bc4 and support his passed e-pawn. 23...Kg8 24.Bc4+ Kf8
25.b4 Nc2 26.Bb3 Black's pieces are pinned and he can hardly move. 26...Ke7 27.h4 b6 28.e6 c5
29.bxc5 bxc5 30.Kh2 f4 31.Bxg7 White's bishop pair is very powerful and he is close to winning this
endgame.]
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(65) Quickstarter Guide - Petroff: Main Line 5... Nd7 #1

line.]
5...Nd7 [This is Black's main response in this variation of the Petroff. Black immediately challenges our
knight in the centre and develops another piece.]
6.Nxd7 [This has always been the mainline, as White generally prefers to keep the current pawn
structure.]
6...Bxd7 7.0–0 Qh4 [This is an old, classic move played by strong and well-known Grandmasters like
Robert Huebner and Evgeny Vladimirov. In recent years, however, it has fallen out of fashion. Black's idea
is simple and aggressive. He wants to castle long and attack our king!]
8.c4 [In return, we get some space on the queenside and we start by attacking the central pawn.]
8...0–0–0 9.c5 [White takes away the d6–square from the enemy bishop and gains further space on the
queenside as a prelude to a possible attack later on.]
9...g6 [Black refrains from playing 9...Be7 in order to not obstruct the d8–h4 diagonal and the retreat of his
queen.]
10.Nc3 Bg7 11.Bxe4 dxe4 12.Be3 [White's idea is simply to play d4–d5 or Qb3, starting an attack on the
queenside.]
12...Bc6 13.b4 [We get a strong attack after b4–b5.]
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line.]
structure.]
6...Bxd7 7.0–0 Be7 [Black develops his bishop to a passive but solid square, keeping the e-file closed and
d5 better supported. The main line 7...Bd6 will be presented inthe next chapter.]
8.c4 [White may be a tiny bit better after 8.Nd2 Nf6 9.h3 O-O 10.Nf3 Re8 11.Re1 . Even though the
position is symmetrical, our bishop is coming to the active square g5 next move and we have more play.]
8...Nf6 [Black just calmly retreats his pieces and finishes his development. Admittedly, this line also is very
solid for him.]
9.Nc3 [I recommend this move. We simply develop our pieces to their most natural squares. In recent
years, White has been trying 9.Qb3 but Black's position looks very solid after 9...Bc6 10.Nc3 O-O 11.Re1
dxc4 12.Bxc4 a5 . For example in the game 13.a3 Bd6 14.d5 Bd7 15.h3 Re8 16.Be3 Qe7 17.Nb5 a4
18.Qd1 Qe4 19.Nxd6 cxd6 20.Qd4 Qxd4 21.Bxd4 Rac8 22.Ba2 R. Pulido Pino - G. Deskin, ICCF email
2019, the players agreed to a draw here, as White's bishop on a2 is too passive to fight for any
advantage.]
9...dxc4 10.Bxc4 0–0 11.Re1 [Occupying the e-file and waiting to see what Black does. Now he has a
variety of plans.]
11...c6 12.Bf4 [The bishop takes up an active position along the h2–b8 diagonal. Our advantage may not
be much, but Black still has some problems to solve. There is also nothing wrong with the move12.Bg5
when the bishop exerts some pressure along the h4–d8 diagonal. This is all you need to know for now.
This example shows you how easily Black can go wrong: 12...Bg4 13.Qd3 Bd6 14.Be5 Bxe5 15.Rxe5
Re8 16.h3 Bh5 17.f4 ! Thanks to g2–g4 and f5 ideas, the bishop on h5 runs into trouble.]
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line.]
structure.]
6...Bxd7 7.0–0 Bd6 [This is the most natural and common move. Black develops his bishop to its most
active square, from where it keeps an eye on our h2 pawn. White's main move in this position is 8.c4 ,
with a lot of theory, or 8.Qh5 , which is a very concrete variation. Instead of that, however, I am
recommending the move 8.Nc3]
8.Nc3 [This reaction attracted my attention since it has been played in 2019 by the highest-ranked
Russian, Ian Nepomniachtchi. Objectively StartBracketlike in all Petroff
linesEndBracket, it is probably not enough for an advantage. But it does pose Black some tricky
problems to solve, leading to interesting positions.]
8...Qh4 [Developing the queen on an active square and provoking weaknesses on our kingside. Notably,
this has been played by World Champions Anatoly Karpov StartBracketback in
1996EndBracket and Vladimir Kramnik. It clearly deserves serious attention.]
9.g3 Nxc3 10.bxc3 Qh3 11.Re1+ [White's pressure is more likely to succeed than Black's premature attack.]
11...Be6 12.Rb1 0–0–0 13.Bf1 Qf5 14.Qe2 b6 15.Bg2 h5 16.h4 Kb8 17.a4 [White's attack comes freely and
naturally. Just open the b-file, push the a-pawn and mate! One game continued 17...Bc8 18.a5 Rhe8
19.Be3 Bb7 20.c4 dxc4 21.Bxb7 Kxb7 22.Qxc4 Kb8 We have been following the game K. Miettinen - Y.
Yarmolyuk, ICCF email 2014. White played perfectly and got a large advantage soon. 23.Ra1 Re7
24.Qc6 Qd7 25.Qg2 Rde8 26.Reb1 The attack along the a and b-files is just too powerful.]
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line.]
structure.]
6...Bxd7 7.0–0 Bd6 [This is the most natural and common move. Black develops his bishop to its most
active square, from where it keeps an eye on our h2 pawn. White's main move in this position is 8.c4 ,
with a lot of theory, or 8.Qh5 , which is a very concrete variation. Instead of that, however, I am
recommending the move 8.Nc3]
8.Nc3 [This reaction attracted my attention since it has been played in 2019 by the highest-ranked
Russian, Ian Nepomniachtchi. Objectively StartBracketlike in all Petroff
linesEndBracket, it is probably not enough for an advantage. But it does pose Black some tricky
problems to solve, leading to interesting positions.]
8...Nxc3 9.bxc3 0–0 [9...Qh4 10.g3 would just transpose to8...Qh4.]
10.Qh5 [By attacking the pawns on h7 and d5, White is able to provoke the opponent into weakening his
dark squares.]
10...f5 11.Re1 [Activating the rook on the e-file.]
11...c6 [Black keeps a solid defender on his d5–pawn and prepares to play ...Qc7, supporting the dark
squares and connecting his rooks. This is what modern theory recommends.]
12.Bg5 Qc7 13.Re3 [Activating the rook on the third rank and intending to double rooks along the e-file.]
13...Rf7 [Covering the seventh rank and the h7–pawn. This is a serious plan and it is not easy for White to
get anything special.]
14.c4 [A possible and solid option is 14.Rae1 , naturally seizing the e-file. However, I believe that Black is
fine after both 14...b5 , fixing the queenside pawns, or 14...c5]
14...h6 15.Rae1 [A nice move, piling up the pressure on the e-file.]
15...hxg5 16.Rh3 [Black is lost in view of the decisive check on h8.]
Line
(69) Quickstarter Guide - Italian,3... Be7

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7 4.d4 [White takes advantage of Black's passive development, in order to seize
control of the centre.]
4...d6 5.dxe5 [Against Black's passive move, White has many good tries such as 5.O-O or even 5.d5 ,
gaining some space. The text move clarifies the position a little bit.]
5...dxe5 6.Qxd8+ Bxd8 7.Nc3 Nf6 8.Be3 [The endgame is symmetrical, but our pieces are more active and
we are ready to castle long.]
8...a6 [8....O-O is a common mistake due to 9.Bc5 Re8 10.Ng5 forcing Black to play 10...Be6 11.Bxe6 fxe6
, doubling his e-pawn.]
9.0–0–0 Be7 [It is not simple for Black to finish his development. White always has some pressure and little
targets to attack.]
10.Nd5 Bd6 11.Nxf6+ gxf6 12.Nh4 Be6 13.Be2 [We have a small but useful edge. Black's kingside structure
remains a permanent weakness.]
Line
(70) Quickstarter Guide - Italian,3... Nf6 #1

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 [White attacks the f7–pawn and initiates wild complications. The lines
here are very concrete for both sides and it will be helpful to remember the many options arising. Or at
least to know the main ideas in the critical variations that follow.]
4...d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 [This is one of those moves that are dubious, but tricky to meet over the board.]
6.Nxf7 [This used to be a direct refutation of ...Nxd5, but in recent years Black has found hidden
resources. It turned out that 6.d4 is also pretty good for White, so it's not actually clear which move is
objectively strongest. But I'll stick to 6.Nxf7 as it looks nice to play.]
6...Kxf7 7.Qf3+ [Attacking the king and the knight on d5, thereby forcing the black king to go up.]
7...Ke6 8.Nc3 [This forces Black to defend his knight very uncomfortably due to our pin.]
8...Ncb4 9.0–0 [White meets the check on c2 by finishing our development. Now we are ready to open up
the centre with d2–d4.]
9...c6 10.d4 [White has a strong attack in return for the piece. The king on e6 feels too self-conscious in
the centre.]
10...Qf6 11.Qe2 [The black king now has to walk a tightrope to get out of the mess. In any case, White has
good compensation for the piece.]
11...Ke7 12.Ne4 Qg6 13.dxe5 [The king is slowly running away from the centre, but we have grabbed a
pawn at least.]
13...Bf5 14.f3 [We need to keep our knight on its active place on e4. Now we are ready to send Black's
knights home with a2–a3.]
14...Ke8 15.a3 Na6 16.b4 [The position remains very complex, but White has tremendous compensation for
the piece. We have two pawns in return and the constant threat of Nd6+ or Bxd5 followed by Nd6+ is
annoying for Black.]
Line

4...d5 5.exd5 b5 [This is actually a very tricky move and White needs to know how to meet it concretely.
Black should be worse, but he is making the game as complicated as possible. This line has been played
many years ago by the young Magnus Carlsen.]
6.Bf1 [This paradoxical retreat is White's best reply! He does not want to take on b5 yet, because ...Qxd5
gains a tempo attacking our bishop and the pawn on g2. And it turns out that f1 is the safest place for our
bishop right now. Black has to deal with the threat on c6 and a decision must be made. 6.Bxb5 Qxd5
7.Bxc6+ Qxc6 8.O-O h6 followed by ...Bb7 is an illustrative line. Black has pretty decent compensation for
his pawn thanks to his bishop pair.]
6...Nd4 7.c3 Nxd5 [Black activates his pieces very quickly and does not mind the pawn or the weaknesses
that he sacrificed for it.]
8.cxd4 Qxg5 9.Bxb5+ Kd8 10.0–0 [The position remains very concrete and both sides need to know what
they are doing. But I guess if White defends logically enough, he should be able to consolidate.]
10...Bb7 11.Qf3 [This move is necessary, in order to fight for control over the h1–a8 long diagonal.]
11...Rb8 12.dxe5 Ne3 [This is a nice tactical trick, which is met by an even nicer one.]
13.Qh3 [Threatening mate on d7 and thereby forcing the exchange of queens.]
13...Qxg2+ 14.Qxg2 Nxg2 15.d4 [White comes out of the complications with a superior endgame. This
position has been played in many games and theory rightfully considers White's chances to be superior.]
Line

4...d5 5.exd5 Na5 [Black aims to get rid of our bishop from the powerful a2–g8 diagonal.]
6.Bb5+ Bd7 [With this move Black covers the check and hopes to recapture d5 without having to sacrifice
a pawn. But things are not so simple.]
7.Qe2 [White covers the b5–square and puts pressure on the e5–pawn.]
7...Be7 8.Nf3 [This is an accurate move. White moves his knight back to a reasonable position and
immediately attacks the pawn on e5. The alternative 8.Nc3 Bxb5 9.Qxb5+ c6 10.dxc6 Nxc6 is known to
give Black good compensation for the pawn. ...Nd4 is a threat and our queen on b5 is a little misplaced.]
8...0–0 9.Bxd7 [Thanks to this capture, we can take the pawn on e5 next move.]
9...Qxd7 10.Nxe5 Qxd5 11.0–0 [Black has some compensation for the pawn thanks to his active pieces. But
then again, the question in this line: is his activity enough for equality?]
11...Bd6 12.Nf3 Rfe8 13.Qd1 [White's pieces might look a bit passive, but we are ready to develop our
queenside next with d2–d3, followed by Nc3.]
13...h6 14.d3 c5 [With this move, Black has given up on quick mating ideas. Instead, he gains space on the
queenside and aims to get long-term compensation for his pawn.]
15.Bd2 [The natural 15.Nc3 is also playable here, but White has other ideas. He wants to activate his
bishop along the a1–h8 diagonal.]
15...Nc6 16.Bc3 [White is planning to continue with Nbd2 and Bxf6, exchanging off pieces and
consolidating our pawn.]
Line

6.Bb5+ c6 [This is the main line, with the idea of gaining compensation for the pawn as Black won some
tempi by kicking our pieces backwards.]
7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3 [As mentioned before, it was hard choosing between this line and 8.Be2 , which also
looks like a very reasonable try. In the end, I decided to go for 8.Bd3 as it looks more principled than
8.Be2 because it fights for space. It allows our knight to retreat to the e4–square, while also eyeing up the
light squares on the d3–h7 diagonal.]
8...Nd5 9.Nf3 Bd6 10.0–0 0–0 11.Re1 Re8 [This is the old main line, where Black solidly defends his pawn
on e5 and prepares to play ...e5–e4 later on.]
12.Nc3 [Fighting for control over the d5 and e4–squares while developing our knight.]
12...f5 [This is Black's idea. The threat of ...e5–e4 cannot be ignored.]
13.Bf1 [White is preparing to play d2–d3, activating the rest of our pieces and thereby forcing Black to play
actively.]
13...e4 14.Nxd5 cxd5 15.Nd4 [This position has been played in several high-level correspondence games.
So far the results have been slightly in White's favour. He is preparing to play d2–d3, opening the d-file.]
15...Qf6 [The most logical continuation.]
16.c3 [The knight on d4 is well supported and we open up our diagonal for the dark-squared bishop with
d3 next.]
16...Bb7 [Black is threatening to play ...f4 and attack our kingside.]
17.d3 f4 18.b4 Nc6 19.Nb5 [Black has some compensation for the pawn, but I like White's chances in this
complicated position.]
Line

8...Nd5 9.Nf3 Bd6 10.0–0 0–0 11.Re1 f5 [This line has become very popular lately. It is also clearly the first
recommendation of the engine. Black sacrifices a pawn with similar ideas to the Marshall Gambit in the
Ruy Lopez: StartFENrnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0
1EndFEN 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.c3 d5
9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6 . Both sides need to play carefully as White lacks development
and Black just sacrificed two pawns.]
12.Nxe5 [12.Rxe5 would work beautifully if not for the following line: 12...g5! 13.Re1 g4 14.Nc3 gxf3
15.Nxd5 cxd5 16.Qxf3 Bb7 and Black has a powerful initiative on the kingside brewing. He is better in this
very complicated position.]
12...Qf6 13.Nf3 g5 [Black attacks immediately on the kingside. The threats of ...g4 and ...Nf4 shouldn't be
underestimated. This position has been played in a few high-level games recently, and the status of the
position is very unclear.]
14.c4 [White kicks the enemy knight to a more suspicious square and we gain tempi by pushing our
queenside pawns. I prefer this move over the line 14.g3 f4 , which has not given yet any advantage in
practice.]
14...Nf4 15.Bf1 g4 16.d4 [This move has been played by Levon Aronian recently. It is the best option White
has and Black must be very careful. 16...gxf3 17.Qxf3 Ne6 18.Qc3 This is the critical position of the
variation. We slightly improve upon the game Aronian - Vidit, where White played 18.c5 . The position
remains very unclear but Black's pieces are a bit misplaced. 18...Nb7 19.c5 Bc7 20.b4 White wants to
play Bb2, followed by a future opening in the centre with d4–d5.20...a5 21.b5 cxb5 22.Bxb5 a4 The best
try for Black. He is threatening to play ...Ba5 and the a5–square gives him the much-needed space for his
trapped pieces. 23.Bc4 Getting counterplay by pinning the knight on e6.23...Na5 24.Bd5 ! Maintaining the
pin along the a2–g8 diagonal. 24...Ra6 Black defends his third rank and the e6–square. 25.Qd3 Kh8
26.Nc3 Rd8 27.Rb1 ! The position is very complicated, but the question for Black is how to defend best.
His king is vulnerable and we have powerful control over the open e and b-files.]
Line

8...Nd5 9.Nf3 Bd6 10.0–0 Nf4 11.Nc3 [The biggest point is that if Black doesn't take on d3, White will play
Be2 and ...e4 will be stopped. The main line now is 11.Re1 where tons of games are played. The game
continues 11...Nxd3 12.cxd3 O-O 13.Nc3 Re8 where there is lots of theory. It is acknowledged that Black
gets sufficient compensation for his sacrificed pawn. White wants to activate his bishop by playing b3 and
Bb2 or Ba3, while Black aims for ...c5 and ...Nc6, bringing his knight back into the game.]
11...Nxd3 12.cxd3 0–0 13.Ne4 Bc7 [Black keeps the bishop pair and threatens our pawn on d3.]
14.Qc2 [White prepares to play b2–b4 kicking back the enemy knight and winning the c6–pawn. This idea
is very concrete and requires accurate play from Black.]
14...c5 [This is the best way to meet 14.Qc2, and it has been played in several correspondence games.
But over the board and without preparation, it's unlikely to be found by Black.]
15.Qxc5 Ba6 16.Re1 [Moving out of the a6–bishop's diagonal and protecting the knight on e4.]
16...Bxd3 17.b3 [Making the b2 and a3 squares available to the c1–bishop.]
17...Re8 18.Ba3 [Activating the bishop along the a3–f8 diagonal and controlling the d6–square. I find this
move slightly more precise than 18.Bb2 , as the bishop can be activated to c5 later if needed. For
example, after 18...Bb6 19.Qc3 White is planning to play Nc5 next move, closing the g1–a7 diagonal and
finding a good outpost for our knight on the c-file. 19...Rc8 20.Nc5 e4 21.Ne5 This is better for White
since we can support our knight by playing b3–b4 next move. 21...Bb5 22.Rac1 Bxc5 23.Bxc5 Nb7 24.b4
Black still has to prove his compensation for the missing pawn.]
Line
(76) Quickstarter Guide - Italian,3... Bc5 #1

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 [This line is my recommendation. White aims to control the centre by
going for a quick d2–d4. The arising position is very concrete and, compared to the slower lines after d2–
d3, there is a greater opening clarification for both sides.]
4...Nf6 5.d4 [Against the main lines of 1.e4 e5, 5.d4 is my recommendation. White does not aim for a slow,
maneuvering game but for a more forcing type of game instead. Like any other line against the classical
1.e4 e5, there are no guarantees of an advantage but, hopefully, the positions will be easier to play for
White. Perhaps, we can catch our opponent with a more familiar position for us.]
5...exd4 6.e5 [Attacking the knight on f6 and ensuring we get a pawn wedge on e5.]
6...d5 7.Bb5 [We reroute our bishop to b5, exerting some pressure on the c6–knight and fighting directly
for control of the d4 and e5–squares.]
7...Ne4 8.cxd4 [In this position, Black has three squares available for the bishop's retreat. And we'll take a
deep look at all of them.]
8...Be7 [The least popular answer as the bishop looks quite passive on e7. There are not a lot of games
played in this position. However, while checking it for White, I realized that things are actually far from
simple and 8...Be7 is a solid option for Black.]
9.Nc3 0–0 [9...Bg4 10.h3 Bh5 11.O-O O-O transposes to 9...O-O.]
10.0–0 [White can delay castling with 10.Be3 - the point is that we get an extra option against the ...Bg4
variation. 10...Bg4 11.h3 Bh5 12.Ne2!? with the idea of Nf4 next move. Things are still not clear, as there
are not a lot of games in practice. For the moment, I decided to stick to recommending 10.O-O.]
10...Bg4 [This looks like the most logical response in the position, as Black puts our knight on f3 into an
uncomfortable pin.]
11.h3 [Disturbing the bishop's tranquility.]
11...Bxf3 12.gxf3 Nxc3 13.bxc3 [We have the bishop pair, f3–f4 push and the g-file, for a future invasion.]
13...Qd7 14.Kh2 f6 15.f4 a6 16.Bd3 [White has strong pressure on the light squares.]
16...f5 17.Qf3 [We have a space advantage and our plan of pressuring the kingside with Rg1, followed by
h4–h5, is quite annoying.]
Line

White. Perhaps, we can catch our opponent with a more familiar position for us.]
6...d5 7.Bb5 [We reroute our bishop to b5, exerting some pressure on the c6–knight and fighting directly
for control of the d4 and e5–squares.]
7...Ne4 8.cxd4 [In this position, Black has three squares available for the bishop's retreat. And we'll take a
deep look at all of them.]
8...Bb4+ [Black is checking White's plans for development.]
9.Nbd2 [The main line in this position is 9.Bd2 , but a way for advantage is not clear-cut. This is a good
move as well. White does not give up his bishop pair and hopes to eventually get rid of the knight on e4 .]
9...0–0 10.0–0 [White castles too and leaves the opponent with a choice. There are many different
possibilities and plans available for Black.]
10...Bg4 [The most popular and logical move. Generally, Black wants to fight for control in the centre and
to put pressure on the f-file.]
11.Qa4 [This is the best try for White. We get rid of the pin and now we are threatening Bxc6. The queen
keeps an eye on the d4–pawn as well.]
11...Nxd2 12.Nxd2 [We have to avoid 12.Bxd2? which is a blunder and loses right away after 12...Bxf3
13.Bxb4 Qg5 14.g3 Nxd4 . Black's attack on the kingside is very powerful and the bishop on f3 is
unshakable. 15.Bxf8 Qg4! 16.Rfe1 c6 17.Bf1 Ne2+ Black picks up the queen thanks to this discovered
check. 18.Bxe2 Qxa4 19.Bxf3 Kxf8 and Black is totally winning.]
12...Rb8 [This interesting move protects the bishop on b4 indirectly, by anticipating the possible opening of
the b-file after 13.Bxc6 bxc6]
13.Nb3 [On our part, we delay capturing on c6 at the moment and, instead, bring our knight to an active
square first.]
13...Bd7 14.a3 Be7 15.Na5 [This is an important resource in order to free up our pieces. Otherwise, Black
was threatening to play ...a6 and harass our bishop and the queen.]
15...Nxa5 16.Bxd7 Nb3 17.Qxb3 Qxd7 18.f4 [This position is slightly better for White thanks to the extra
space and well supported passed e-pawn. For starters, we threaten to push forward our kingside pawns.
A threat that Black cannot ignore.]
Line

White. Perhaps, we can catch our opponent with a more familiar setup for us.]
6...d5 7.Bb5 [We reroute our bishop to b5, exerting pressure on the c6–knight and directly fighting for the
control of the d4 and e5–squares.]
7...Ne4 8.cxd4 [As we know, Black has three squares available for the bishop's retreat. In this chapter, we'll
take a look at 8...Bb6.]
8...Bb6 9.Nc3 0–0 [9...Bg4 10.Be3 O-O merely transposes to 9...O-O.]
10.Be3 [White supports the d4–pawn and secures the dark squares in the centre.]
10...f6 [Trying to undermine the centre before playing ...Nxc3, is a dubious decision.]
11.Qb3 [It turns out that Black has problems maintaining his control over the e4 and d5–squares.]
11...Nxc3 12.Bxc6 [This is a timely exchange. We want to take on c3 with our queen and to do that, we first
must prevent ...Ba5.]
12...bxc6 13.Qxc3 [Now we have a superior pawn structure and the bishop on b6 could easily get out of
work. Black should certainly avoid 13...Ba6 ? 14.a4 ! when he cannot prevent a5 , to save the bishop.]
Line

10...Bg4 11.h3 [This is the main line and the best move for White. It is very useful to have the option of g2–
g4 quickly and get rid of the pin.]
11...Bh5 12.Qc2 [Playing 12.Qc2 is important because it sets us free from the annoying pin. We
immediately clarify the centre by asking Black’s intentions regarding his centralized knight on e4.12.O-O
right away is less accurate as, besides the natural reply 12...f6 , Black can actually consider 12...Nxd4 .
This looks like a shocking move, but it works wonderfully well. The line after 13.Bxd4 Bxf3 14.gxf3 Qg5+
has been played in a number of games, and Black gives perpetual check with 15.Kh2 Qf4+ or
StartFENr4rk1/ppp2ppp/1b6/1B1pP1q1/3Bn3/2N2P1P/PP3P2/R2Q1RK1 w - - 0
15EndFEN 15.Kh1 Qf5 16.Bxb6 Qxh3+ 17.Kg1 Ng3]
12...Bxf3 13.gxf3 [After 13...Ng5 White has two good replies. 14.O-O-O is more aggressive, meanwhile
14.Bxc6 is very forcing. Black can sacrifice a piece in that case, but I don't think he gets enough
compensation for it against accurate play.]
Line

12...Ba5 [This move has gathered popularity recently, as strong GMs like Harikrishna or Ponomariov have
employed it. But it's not clear if it totally equalizes. In my view, White can still put some pressure on the
opponent.]
13.0–0 [White continues his development while the bishop on e3 keeps everything well defended at the
moment.]
13...Bxf3 14.gxf3 Nxc3 15.bxc3 Qd7 [This is the idea behind Black's variation. He hits the h3–pawn while at
the same time threatening the trick ...Nxd4! attacking both the queen on c2 and the bishop on b5. This
idea has first been played by GM Harikrishna against Karjakin in their recent game.]
16.Kh2 [White has to protect the h3–pawn. This move involves a pawn sacrifice in return for some
initiative.]
16...Nxd4 17.cxd4 Qxb5 18.Rg1 [We have nice pressure along the g-file. Our current threat is Bh6. For
example, 18...Kh8 Is actually a blunder since White can win by force. Besides the natural 19.Qf5, we
have a nice combination. 19.Rxg7 Kxg7 20.Rg1+ Kh8 21.Qf5 Qc6 22.Bg5 The threats on the kingside are
unstoppable, even after Black's best defense. 22...f6 23.Bxf6+ Rxf6 24.exf6 Qd6+ 25.f4 ! Bd2 26.Rg4 The
attack is too powerful. 26...Rf8 27.Rh4 ! Black is on the verge of losing with the mating threat on h7. For
example 27...Rf7? loses immediately to 28.Rxh7+! Rxh7 29.Qc8+ and mate.]
Line

take a look at the main lines after 8...Bb6.]
12...Nxc3 [This variation is solid and stable. It has become very popular recently as Black's play is logical
and easy to understand. But I believe we can still pose some problems, or at least get a position that is
more familiar to us.]
13.bxc3 f6 14.exf6 Qxf6 15.Be2 [Unfortunately, White has to spend time in order to protect the f3–knight,
but we are ready to castle short next move. In this position, Black has many different possibilities. In
general, our idea is to prove that we have a better pawn structure, thanks to our kingside majority, and we
try to seize control of the e5–square. Meanwhile, we keep an eye on the e-file and, if possible, advance
our kingside pawns later, to gain some space. White has a pawn majority on the kingside in return for
having a 3 vs 4 pawns structure on the queenside. This variation has become very popular in recent
years. Black would be completely fine here except for three small factors. First, the bishop on b6 and the
knight on c6 are not ideally placed. It will take a while to reroute the dark-squared bishop to an active
spot. If it were on d6 already, then Black would be even better. Secondly, Black has to pay constant
attention to the crucial e5–square. And finally, our king feels much safer than Black’s. It is not apparent
now, but later the black king could get vulnerable if the position opens up.]
15...Rae8 16.0–0 Na5 [This ...Na5 idea here or the previous move has become popular recently and I've
also tried it myself with the Black pieces against Levon Aronian.]
17.Ne5 Bxe2 18.Qxe2 [Obviously, White is threatening the Nd7 fork.]
18...Qe6 19.f4 [White has tried here some other moves, but advancing our kingside f-pawn is the most
principled reaction. Next, we'll play Rae1, supporting our knight on e5.]
Line

take a look at the main lines after 8...Bb6.]
12...Bg6 [This is the most popular move in this position. We are forced to spend another tempo moving the
queen, and the bishop protects a lot of squares from g6.]
13.Qb3 Ne7 14.0–0 [We have to finish our development quickly since Black had ideas to open up the
centre with ...c5.]
14...c6 15.Bd3 [This position has become popular in the last few years and here Black has a variety of
options.]
15...Nxc3 [This is the simple continuation. Black wants to trade the knights and open up the centre
with ...f7–f6.15...Nd2 is the main line in this position. Black grabs our bishop pair and hopes that his
control over the light squares will give him sufficient counterplay. 16.Nxd2 Bxd3 17.Rfe1 White takes
control of the e-file and anticipates its possible opening later, when Black will play ...f7–f6.17...Bg6 Black
retreats the bishop to a safe square and is preparing to play ...Nf5 or ...f6 or both. 18.Na4 White puts
pressure on the b6–bishop and prepares to capture it on the opportune moment. 18...Nf5 19.Nf3 Taking
control of the d4 and e5 central squares. 19...Re8 20.Nxb6 axb6 21.Bd2 += This position looks a little
better for White. We control the central dark squares and we have the plan to advance our kingside
pawns with g4, f4, etc.]
16.Qxc3 Bxd3 17.Qxd3 Ng6 [Black is preparing ...f7–f6 quickly. A. Nekhaev - K. Sperhake, ICCF email
2018.]
18.Ng5 [A logical response, preparing f2–f4.]
18...Qd7 [18...h6 is not possible due to 19.Nxf7 Kxf7 20.Qf5+ winning a pawn. 18...f6 also fails in view of
19.Ne6]
19.f4 f6 [And here it appears that the pawn sacrifice makes sense.]
20.f5 [White gets a powerful initiative for the invested material.]
20...Nxe5 21.dxe5 fxg5 22.Rae1 Bxe3+ 23.Rxe3 [The e-pawn is well supported and Black has to defend
precisely against our initiative.]
Line

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(1) Introduction - Introduction

(2) Quickstarter Guide - Owen's Defence (1... b6) #1

2.d4 Bb7 3.Bd3 [The tricky move]

7.gxh7+ Kf8 [And now the fastest way to win is]

(3) Quickstarter Guide - Owen's Defence (1... b6) #2

(4) Quickstarter Guide - Nimzowitsch Defence (1... Nc6)

2.d4 [One possibility is]

2...e5 [but here I like]

5...Bc5 6.Rg1 [White immediately puts pressure on the g7–square.]

(5) Quickstarter Guide - Nimzowitsch Defence (1... Nc6)

3...f6 [can be met by]

(6) Quickstarter Guide - Nimzowitsch Defence (1... Nc6)

(7) Quickstarter Guide - Alekhine: 4. Nf3 c6

5.c4 Nc7 [The Knight's position on c7 looks very weird to me.]

(8) Quickstarter Guide - Alekhine: 4. Nf3 Nb6

6...g6 [This is what people mostly play in practice.]

7.exd6 [If Black takes with the c-pawn]

(9) Quickstarter Guide - Alekhine: 4. Nf3 g6 #1

(10) Quickstarter Guide - Alekhine: 4. Nf3 g6 #2

(11) Quickstarter Guide - Alekhine: 4. Nf3 g6 #3

(12) Quickstarter Guide - Alekhine: 4. Nf3 Bg4 #1

(13) Quickstarter Guide - Alekhine: 4. Nf3 Bg4 #2

(14) Quickstarter Guide - Alekhine: 4. Nf3 dxe5 #1

5.Nxe5 [The variation]

11.Bf4 c5 12.Nc3 a6 [Preventing Nb5 check.]

(15) Quickstarter Guide - Alekhine: 4. Nf3 dxe5 #2

7.0–0 Bg7 8.Re1 [After]

8...0–0 [White may play]

(16) Quickstarter Guide - Alekhine: 4. Nf3 dxe5 #3

11.Bf4 [Black can try the pawn break]

(17) Quickstarter Guide - Alekhine: 4. Nf3 dxe5 #4

8...Nb4 [is met by]

9.f5 [with strong pressure on Black's position.]

9...Nxc3 10.bxc3 Nxd3+ 11.cxd3 g6 [just loses to]

7...Qd5 [can be met by]

9...Qd5 [exchanging Queens and heading into an ending.]

12...Nd7 [can be met by]

13.a4 [gaining some extra space, and fixing the b7–pawn.]

(22) Quickstarter Guide - Philidor: 4... dxe4 #1

10.Nc7 Nxe4 11.Qd4 [This is a very strong continuation for White.]

11...Bxc3 [This is Black's main defence.]

(23) Quickstarter Guide - Philidor: 4... dxe4 #2

(24) Quickstarter Guide - Philidor: 4... dxe4 #3

(25) Quickstarter Guide - Philidor: 6... Nb6

(26) Quickstarter Guide - Philidor: 8. a4 b6

10...Bb7 [runs into]

(27) Quickstarter Guide - Philidor: 8. a4 a5

(28) Quickstarter Guide - Modern: 3... c6

(29) Quickstarter Guide - Modern: 3... d5

(30) Quickstarter Guide - Modern: 3... c5 #1

5.bxc3 Qa5 [is met by the accurate]

8.Nf3 Nc6 9.Qa4 [gives White some pressure.]

5.bxc3 [Possible is]

(32) Quickstarter Guide - Modern: 4... c6

(33) Quickstarter Guide - Modern: mainline with 8... h6

7...Nd7 8.h4 h6 [is possible, intending to meet h4–h5 with ...g5.]

(34) Quickstarter Guide - Modern: mainline with 8... h5

(35) Quickstarter Guide - Modern: mainline with 8... h5

(36) Quickstarter Guide - Modern: mainline with 8... h5

(37) Quickstarter Guide - Pirc: Black delays ... Bg7: 4.

7...b5 8.a3 [After]

8...Bb7 9.Bd3 [now the normal continuation for Black is]

9...a6 10.0–0 c5 [but White closes the center with]