Fight the Minor Defences: A Complete 1.e4 Repertoire
The minor defences are the lines 1.e4 players tend to neglect — the Philidor, the Scandinavian, the Alekhine, the Nimzowitsch, the Owen. Against most repertoires, reaching a comfortable, roughly level position counts as success. This course sets a higher bar and holds to it from the first chapter to the last.
The recommendation follows a single idea across every defence: occupy the centre, castle long where the position allows, and play for the attack rather than a quiet plus. The Old Philidor tabiya is the clearest expression of the method. After 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nf3 exd4 5.Nxd4 Be7, White uncorks 6.Bf4!, follows with Qd2, and castles queenside — the exact setup Abdusattorov faced, now examined from the side that presses for the full point.
The Authors
Jobava's reputation is built on original, attacking chess, and the minor defences are where an original mind does the most damage — there is little forced theory to hide behind, so understanding decides. Basso brings the practical grounding, including the World Cup work that seeded the whole project. Their shared philosophy is stated plainly in the introduction: principled central play and a concrete plan to attack, not a tiny theoretical edge.
Variation Map
1...d6 — the Philidor (the main battlefield, Chapters 1–7)
- 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nf3 exd4 5.Nxd4 Be7 6.Bf4! — the Old Philidor tabiya → Chapter 1
- 6...O-O 7.Qd2 d5!? — the concrete central break → Chapter 2
- 6...O-O 7.Qd2 Nc6 8.O-O-O — the topical World Cup line → Chapter 3
- 4...Nbd7 — the Modern Philidor, met by 5.Bc4 → Chapters 4–7
1...d5 — the Scandinavian
- 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 → Chapters 11–12
- 3...Qd6 — Tiviakov's line → Chapter 10
- 3...Qd8 and other queen retreats → Chapter 9
- 2...Nf6 — delaying the recapture → Chapter 8
1...Nf6 — the Alekhine → Chapters 13–14
1...Nc6 — the Nimzowitsch Defence → Chapter 15
1...b6 — the Owen, answered with direct, aggressive development → Chapter 16
What's Inside
- 16 chapters
- 30 test positions
- A Memory Booster for efficient review
- A To Go version of every chapter
- Video instruction throughout
- Multilingual PGN (English, German, French, Spanish)
A Platinum Course: Guaranteed Evolution
As a Platinum Course, this is not a static theoretical product. It is a living repertoire with guaranteed long-term development.
Updates are real value: free updates every 6 months for 2 years — always exactly six months apart, always included automatically. Each update delivers substantial, practical improvements, not cosmetic changes. What updates may include:
- New theoretical developments
- New video explanations
- New chapters
- New model games
- New exercises
- New learning tools
You are also part of the process. You can ask questions and upload your own games; the strongest and most instructive material is selected and integrated into future updates.
This is not a theoretical gamble. It is a framework designed to meet every minor defence Black reaches for after 1.e4 — the Philidor in both its Old and Modern forms, the Scandinavian across all of its queen retreats, the Alekhine, the Nimzowitsch Defence, and the Owen.
Part of a Complete 1.e4 Answer
This repertoire is the sidelines installment of the 1.e4 According to Jobava series. Where the other volumes cover Black's principal replies, this one closes the gaps that usually go under-prepared — so the moment an opponent steps off the main road, you already have a concrete, aggressive way to punish it.
Get Started
The next time an opponent leaves the main roads, you will not be improvising — you will be following a plan built to punish exactly that. Take the first chapter and make the sidelines your territory.