Classical Tarrasch for Black – Special Edition

The defence the champions trusted — by GM Pier Luigi Basso and IM Dragos Ceres.

For over a century, the Tarrasch Defense has carried a verdict it never quite earned. Black concedes an isolated queen's pawn on move four and, as the classical assessment goes, spends the rest of the game defending it.

This course begins from the opposite premise. As GM Pier Luigi Basso puts it, the Tarrasch is "one of the oldest and most principled answers to 1.d4 — and one of the most underrated at every level."

The early ...c5 strikes at the centre at once, and the isolated pawn buys something an ambitious player actually wants: free development, active pieces, and real winning chances with the black pieces. From Spassky to the young Kasparov, champions trusted it for exactly that reason.

The signature idea: the ...c4 push

The heart of the Fianchetto Tarrasch is the thematic ...c4 advance. Rather than nursing the isolated pawn, Black pushes past it:

• Gains space on the queenside
• Fixes White's structure, giving Black a permanent target
• Seizes the initiative instead of defending

It reframes the whole opening. The d5-pawn is no longer an isolated weakness to be defended — it is the anchor of a space advantage.

What makes this repertoire different

Basso and Ceres build the repertoire around the modern 5...Nf6 move order. It sidesteps the dry, drawish positions that follow the older 5...Nc6 6.dxc5, and it forces White to commit.

The price is a few extra Bg5 tries — all of which Black meets with the resourceful ...Be6, playing for three results.

Throughout, the authors explain not only the moves but the plans behind them — what turns a memorised line into a system you can navigate over the board. The Tarrasch, as Basso notes, is an opening of experience: learn the patterns, and you always know what to do.

Because the Tarrasch only arises once White commits to c4, the natural companion for the other half of 1.d4 d5 is Dreev's 1.d4 d5 Sidelines for Black, covering the London, the Jobava London, and the rest of White's c4-avoiding setups.

Map of variations

The main tabiya of the Fianchetto Tarrasch: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.g3 Nc6 7.Bg2 Be7 8.O-O O-O

White's tries at move nine:

• 9.Bg5 c4 — the thematic push, the heart of the repertoire → Chapter 3
• 9.dxc5 — the principled release of tension → Chapter 1
• 9.Be3 c4 → Chapter 2
• 9.Bf4 → Chapter 4
• 9.b3 — the restrained setup → Chapter 5
• 9.a3, 9.e3 and remaining sidelines → Chapter 6

Move-order and independent White systems:

• 3.Nf3 c5 — the Fianchetto with the knight still on b1 → Chapter 7
• 5...Nc6 6.dxc5 d4 7.Na4 — the classical, solid route → Chapter 8
• 6.Bg5 Be6 — meeting 7.g3 / 7.e3 / 7.Bxf6 / 7.e4 → Chapters 9–12
• 6.dxc5 Bxc5 and early e3 deviations → Chapter 13
• 4.e3 — the Symmetrical Tarrasch, with 4...Nf6 5.Nf3 a6 → Chapter 14
• Remaining sidelines → Chapter 15

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 (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

User involvement: 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 handle every White attempt against 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 — the Fianchetto mainlines, the early Bg5 tries, the Symmetrical e3 setups, the dxc5 captures, and the rare sidelines that appear in practical play.

Course features

• 15 theory chapters with video explanations
• 100 test positions — critical moments with tactical and strategic solutions
• To-Go version of every chapter — condensed files for pre-game review
• Memory Booster — for long-term recall of key ideas
• Multilingual PGN — English, German, French and Spanish
• Full download access — all materials are yours to keep

Start playing the Tarrasch

Fifteen chapters, every White system answered, video to tie it all together, and 100 exercises to turn knowledge into instinct.

Classical Tarrasch for Black – Special Edition by GM Pier Luigi Basso and IM Dragos Ceres gives you a modern repertoire against 1.d4 — and a clear plan in every line. Add it to your library, and let the isolated pawn work for you.

INTRODUCTION BY GM PIER LUIGI BASSO

SAMPLE CHAPTER

SAMPLE VIDEO