246pp. (2009 New In Chess)

Forum
Readers from all over the world join in discussions on previous surveys.
Titled players, correspondence players and club players shed their light on opening developments and search for the truth together. With contributions by Peter Heine Nielsen, Anish Giri, Viktor Moskalenko, Dejan Antic and many others.

Sosonko’s Corner
What did Jose Raul Capablanca think of the Sicilian? You will be surprised by the legendary World Champion’s ideas, illuminated by Genna Sosonko in this time’s Corner. An investigation follows of the merits and drawbacks of the great Cuban’s favourite reply 2.Ne2, and we are given some surprising thoughts of modern top players on the classics.

Book Reviews
These days, Glenn Flear points out, opening books seem to be all about violence: fight this, kill that, use dangerous weapons. Milos Pavlovic’s ‘fighting the Ruy Lopez’ is a case in point. It turns out to be a pragmatic repertoire book. The same can be said of Semko Semkov’s ambitious ‘Kill K.I.D.’, the cover of which would even scare Uma Thurman! ‘Win with the Stonewall Dutch’ by Sverre Johnsen and Ivar Bern contains some nicely unconventional ideas. Flear also compares the second edition of ‘Pirc Alert’, by Alburt and Chernin, with ‘Dangerous Weapons: The Pirc and Modern’ by Palliser, McNab & Vigus. As always, several refreshing examples illustrate Flear’s own take on the material.

Surveys
Sicilian Defence Najdorf Variation 6.Bg5 - SI 6.1 - Sherbakov
Sicilian Defence Najdorf Variation 7...Qb6 - SI 8.7-9+14 - Olthof
Sicilian Defence Velimirovic Attack 8...Bd7 - SI 26.6 - Obodchuk
Sicilian Defence Four Knights Variation 6.Nc6 - SI 34.8 - Van der Tak
Sicilian Defence Taimanov Variation 5...Qc7 - SI 40.2 - Fogarasi
Sicilian Defence Grand Prix Attack 5.Bc4 - SI 49.5 - Grivas
French Defence Winawer Variation 6...Qa5 - FR 11.1 - Cabrera
Alekhine’s Defence Exchange Variation 5.ed6 - AL 7.3 - Finkel
Petroff Defence Marshall Variation 6...Bd6 - RG 4.12 - Sapundjiev 
Petroff Defence Jaenisch Variation 8.Nc3 - RG 6.1 - Lukacs/Hazai 
Ruy Lopez Jaenisch Variation 3...f5 RL - 6.10 - Ninov/Gavazov
Ruy Lopez Open Variation 9.Nbd2 RL - 27.14 - Mikhalevski
Italian Game Max Lange Gambit 5.d4 - IG 2.1 - Gutman
Italian Game Evans Gambit 5...Bd6 - IG 5.3 - Volokitin
Various Openings Fajarowicz Gambit 3...Ne4 - VO 17.6 - Gutman
Queen’s Gambit Declined Blackburne Variation 8.Bf4 - QO 1.2+4.3 - Kaufman
Slav Defence Chameleon Variation 6.g3 - SL 3.1 - Greenfeld
Slav Defence Alapin Variation 6...Na6 - SL 4.7 - Vilela
Slav Defence Anti-Moscow Variation 6.Bh4 - SL 6.6 - Motylev
Slav Defence Moscow Variation 6.Bf6 - SL 6.9 - A. Kuzmin
Catalan Opening Open Variation 6...dc4 - CA 3.12 - Avrukh
Nimzo-Indian Defence Classical Variation 4...d5 - NI 23.4 - Panczyk/Ilczuk
Grünfeld Indian Defence Exchange Variation 7.Nf3 - GI 4.14 - Van der Tak
Grünfeld Indian Defence Exchange Variation 7.Bc4 - GI 5.8 - Gupta
King's Indian Defence Classical Main Line 9.b4 Ne8 - KI 5.5 - Ikonnikov
King’s Indian Defence Sämisch Variation 5...c6 - KI 53.3-6 - Grivas
Benoni Defence Benko/Volga Gambit 4.Qc2 - BI 18.5 - Moskalenko
Queen’s Pawn Openings 3.Nbd2 Line - QP 6.8 - A. Kuzmin
Queen’s Pawn Openings Trompowsky Opening 2...e6 - QP 7.7 - De Dovitiis
Queen’s Pawn Openings Trompowsky Opening 2...c5 - QP 7.16 - Palliser
Dutch Defence Leningrad Variation 7...Nc6 - HD 6.5 - Cabrera
English Opening Reversed Dragon 4...d5 - EO 3.4 - Vitiugov
Réti Opening Capablanca Variation 2...Lg4 - RE 22.16 - Langeweg