by Lasha Janjgava, 240pp. (Gambit 2001)

The Petroff has for a long time been regarded as a very solid defence. Black avoids the perils of the Scotch, the Italian Game and above all the dreaded Ruy Lopez, and instead opts to neutralize White's initiative with active piece-play. In the Petroff, it is quite common for Black to launch an early counterattack, often gambiting a pawn to do so. For many years, the Petroff enjoyed a steady following, with Karpov, Ivanchuk, Timman, Anand and in particular Yusupov among its supporters at the top level. Since 1998, however, the Petroff's popularity has soared, following its adoption by Vladimir Kramnik, who has played it regularly and considerably reinforced its theoretical standing. In this book, Janjgava gives a complete and detailed picture of the Petroff, taking recent developments fully into account. Readers will be fully equipped to take on either side of the Petroff with confidence in their own games.