Chess Explained is a new series of books about chess openings. They are not theoretical works in the traditional sense, but more a series of lessons from a chess expert with extensive over-the-board experience with an opening. You will gain an understanding of the opening and the middlegames to which it leads, enabling you to find the right moves and plans in your own games. It is as if you were sitting at the board with a chess coach answering your questions about the plans for both sides, the ideas behind particular moves, and what specific knowledge you need to have. * 25 recent and highly instructive games discussed in detail * Chapter introductions and conclusions emphasize the key points * Full indexes of games and variations * Extensive verbal explanations of plans and manoeuvres The Modern Benoni is a perennial favourite among players looking to create winning chances with Black. It is one of the few openings where White has no easy way to force drawish simplifications or deny Black any dynamic counterplay. Both players need to understand the imbalances in the position and pursue their plans with great vigour. In this book Franco shows how Black can seek to create the kind of mayhem that has attracted champions such as Tal, Kasparov and Topalov to the Benoni, and also demonstrates how White can seek either to put a positional clamp on the game, or else to storm Black's position before his development is complete. A special section deals with the vital question of move-orders.

The Modern Benoni is just about the most aggressive method that Black can choose to counter White’s 1 d4. In the main line variations Black allows White to have a preponderance of central pawns which, traditionally, grants the first player the advantage. However, in return, Black gains the opportunity for tremendously dynamic counterplay. This places White and under immediate pressure as any inaccurate moves can prove to be disastrous. In this book, FIDE Master John Doknjas examines all aspects of this highly complex opening and provides the reader with well-researched, fresh, and innovative analysis. Each annotated game has valuable lessons on how to play the opening and contains instructive commentary on typical middlegame plans. With thorough variations and explanations on pawn structures and piece placement, this book provides insight for both strong masters and less experienced players alike. The format is ideal for the chessplayer keen to improve their game. While reading you are continually challenged to answer probing questions – a method that greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of chess knowledge. * A complete repertoire for Black in the Modern Benoni. * A question and answer approach provides an excellent study method.

The Modern Benoni arises after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6. It leads to unbalanced structures and exciting play, so it has naturally been a favourite of ambitious attacking players such as Tal, Fischer and, more recently, Topalov, Ivanchuk and Gashimov.The Modern Benoni is a bold answer to 1.d4 and GM Marian Petrov shows it is possible to play this line confidently without memorizing extreme levels of theory. Black must certainly be well prepared, but the workload is less than most aggressive defences - this book supplies all Black needs to know.

The Modern Benoni offers Black a fighting game right from the opening, and is ideal for counter-attacking players who like to strive for the initiative right from the opening moves. This book considers every variation of the strategy.

Ideal for those wanting to understand the basics of the Modern Benoni. The Modern Benoni is one of Black's most ambitious and audacious defenses to the queen's pawn opening, and it has been used with devastating effect by such legends as Mikhail Tal, Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov. From the very start Black creates an exceptional imbalance in the position, one which leads to dynamic play and gives Black real chances to seize the initiative. Both players must be fearless in their approach, as hesitation in the Modern Benoni often leads to disaster! In this user-friendly book, International Master Endre Vegh goes back to basics, studying the fundamental principles of the Modern Benoni and its many variations. Throughout the book there are an abundance of notes, tips, warnings and exercises to help the improving player, while key strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated. *User-friendly design to help readers absorb ideas *Concentrates on the key principles of the Modern Benoni *Ideal for the improving player

In this book, John Watson particularly focuses on various subtle move-orders by which Black can try to avoid White's most dangerous systems and direct the game into more palatable channels. Watson covers many lines that can arise from King's Indian move-orders.

The advantage of "our" Benoni is based on a waiting approach. Black would like to choose a perfect moment to play ...e6xd5, waiting for White to adopt some piece setup that turns out to be inconvenient for him after this exchange. At the same time, we would like to avoid some dangerous or deeply explored variations like the Flick-Knife (a.k.a Taimanov) or systems where White can place his bishop on the optimal f4-square. A lot of variations in this book can also be useful for King's Indian players, as a main or alternative way to play. My own journey in the world of the Delayed Benoni started when I was a King's Indian kind of guy! As every rose has its thorn, so White can annoy us by answering our ...e6xd5 not with the routine c4xd5 but rather with e4xd5. This produces a completely different pawn formation, with an open e-file. White enjoys a space advantage but Black has his chances. And just as White can depart from the well-trodden path with e4xd5, so Black can dispense with the almost automatic ...e6xd5 and instead play ...e6-e5, producing a sort of King's Indian formation. In the Main Line, covered in Chapter 4, White has already played h2-h3 and this pawn can become a target when Black gets his kingside attack moving. Our opponent can force us into a Modern Benoni, by playing f3 (Sämisch) or f4 (Four Pawns). I think that I have succeeded defending Black's case, even finding some important nuances improving on the existing theory. From my personal experience, the only way for White to achieve some advantage is the h3 and Bd3 variation with e4xd5, the Main Variation covered in Chapter 4. The problem for White, though, is that Black can answer that line in many different ways. So White must be thoroughly prepared and acquainted with all the nuances of our system. And even then, White's advantage is just a "normal" one. I give a different approach to this variation, three (!) different ways for Black to respond. The reader can also, through the game commentaries, see the development of the variation in my practice. In my opinion, the Delayed Benoni is a kind of mystery for White also, since it has not been covered deeply enough in chess publications. So I think that this work could be useful for White players, too.