by Michael Khodarkovsky, 175pp. (Batsford 2003)

The first in a series of new and innovative books, clearly presenting the key aspects of each chess opening in a fresh, entertaining and accessible way.

The aim of this series is to provide the essential knowledge to play the opening, while revealing the current thinking of the world’s elite players. ‘First Moves’ leads readers through the basic opening moves; ‘Heroes & Zeroes’ gives the best and worst performances with the opening; ‘Tricks & Traps’ reveals how you might catch out your opponent; and ‘What’s Hot’ pinpoints the very latest ideas from the world’s elite. A detailed table in the style of ECO is given at the close of the book, summarizing the main variations with assessments.

The counter-attacking Grünfeld Defence is a favourite opening of the legendary Garry Kasparov. In this book, Kasparov’s friend and confidant, International Master Michael Khodarkovsky, lets us into the secrets of Kasparov’s opening preparation, explains the most important elements of Grünfeld strategy, and gives an up-to-date survey of the critical lines.