The Slav is a reliable defence to the Queen's Gambit which has been popular for well over a century. The author, a Slav specialist, attempts to provide a detailed analysis of the opening, variation by variation, suggesting numerous improvements in key lines.

The Slav has been played by 11 of the first 13 World Champions, and is favored by many of the stars of modern chess, including Anand, Kramnik, and Shirov. This is the first English-language book to provide comprehensive coverage of the Slav, a vastly popular opening due to its extreme solidity and abundant possibilities for dynamic counterplay. The author provides detailed coverage to help players as both White and Black face the challenges of this tough, yet rewarding opening. All lines after 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 are discussed, except those that transpose to the Semi-Slav, with the sharpest tactical lines of the Slav receiving especially detailed coverage.

This book provides a rock solid opening repertoire for Black, using systems based on the move ...c6. The backbone of this repertoire is the Caro-Kann versus 1 e4 and the Semi-Slav (via a Slav move order) versus 1 d4. In general these systems aim to neutralise White's early initiative. They aim for success by the gradual accumulation of small advantages, rather than by emerging victorious from an early tactical melee (which is rather problematic with the black pieces at the best of times). The book is co-authored by Cyrus Lakdawala and Keaton Kiewra and takes a teacher/student format. The "student" Keaton Kiewra is a very strong international master with two grandmaster norms. He normally specialises in razor-sharp defences such as the Sicilian Dragon and King's Indian. Now he wants to broaden his style and develop his skills at handling more sedate positions. His "teacher" is Cyrus Lakdawala, an extremely experienced player, coach and author, who guides Keaton along the learning path.

Alekhine's Defence is one of the most provocative openings at the black's disposal, ideal for tournament players looking for exciting games. All the important variations are covered in this book which uses a variety of illustrative games to demonstrate the key concepts. Many of these games are from Alburt's own practice of the Alekhine, in which he is an experienced exponent. Lev Alburt is the current US Champion and Eric Schiller is a US Master and author of a number of books on this subject area.

This is a brand new series which provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, Move by Move greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of opening knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved, and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. This is an excellent way to study any chess opening and at the same time improve your general opening skills and knowledge. In this book, Cyrus Lakdawala examines the universally popular Slav Defence which has been his main choice against 1 d4 for many years. Here he shares his experience and knowledge of his favourite opening, presents a repertoire for Black and provides answers to all the key questions.

Chess Explained books provide an understanding of an 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. The Main-Line Slav is one of the key battlegrounds of modern chess, with adherents among all levels of chess-players. It is notoriously difficult for White to prove any advantage against Black's solid set-up, while the lack of symmetry in the position provides scope for creative players to obtain winning chances with either colour. This book discusses all major lines following the moves 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4. There are many strategic directions the play can take: sometimes the centre is blasted open and piece-play dominates, while in other cases the centre becomes fixed, or remains dynamic well into the middlegame. Vigorito dissects the most important themes and nuances, placing them firmly in the context of the practical struggle, making sure that readers will be familiar with the resources at their disposal, and understand when to employ them.

Provides information on the middle game, covering such topics as attacking the king, pawn structure, and defense.