Courses (362)

The Queen's Gambit Declined with 4...Nbd7 is a flexible repertoire for Black in which the dark-squared bishop remains uncommitted until White reveals his fifth-move intentions. Against 5.Bg5, Black enters Ragozin territory with 5...Bb4!?; against 5.e3, the innovative 5...a6!? steers play into Janowski-type positions; and against 5.Qc2, Black strikes immediately with 5...dxc4! 6.e4 c5. The course covers all major White continuations after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Nbd7.

For decades, the great unsolved question of 1. For decades, the great unsolved question of 1.d4 d5 has been everything that isn't 2.c4. Dreev and Basso solve it through a unified Black system built on principle rather than memorization, anchored by a revolutionary new idea against the London. The third volume completing the authors' QGD series — and the final piece of a comprehensive repertoire against every first move White can choose.

The Queen's Gambit Declined with 4...Be7 covers Black's repertoire after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7, a classical setup trusted at the highest level since the 1927 World Championship match between Capablanca and Alekhine. The course addresses all of White's major setups, including 5.Bf4, 5.Bg5, and 5.g3, prioritizing understanding of plans over memorization. Key recommendations include 6...Nbd7!? against the main line and 7...Ne4!? when White closes the centre with 7.c5.

This course examines the endgames arising from three related White systems — the London System, the Torre Attack, and the Trompowsky — which share a common structural logic: the early commitment of the queen's bishop and the recurring pawn formations, most often Carlsbad structures, that follow. The course addresses how dark-square strategy carries into the endgame and how small but durable structural advantages are converted through precise technique and accurate piece placement.

This course offers a complete Modern Benoni repertoire for Black, providing concrete, deeply analyzed solutions to White's most challenging systems—including a key equalizing resource against the critical 7.f4 line. Across 16 chapters covering 7.Bf4, Nd2 systems, the classical main line, and the Fianchetto, it emphasizes practical fighting ideas over rote engine moves, preserving the Benoni's dynamic spirit while meeting modern theory with confidence.

Mastering the Benoni Structure covers the strategic ideas and timing decisions that define the Modern Benoni for both colours, rather than a move-by-move opening repertoire. The course examines White's central space and the e4–e5 breakthrough against Black's queenside majority, active pieces, and counterplay resources such as the ...Rxe3 exchange sacrifice and the ...b5 advance. It was written by GM Vladimir Malakhov.

Zürich, 1953. At the Candidates Tournament where the King's Indian Defence was reborn, Svetozar Gligoric faced Alexander Kotov's Sämisch setup and gave up pawns to blockade White's centre.
The sacrifice opened the long diagonal for his g7 bishop and shut down White's bishop on d3. Within a few moves, White's pieces had been driven back to their starting squares. The game ended in a draw, but the idea has stayed relevant ever since.
For IM Filip Pancevski, it was the game that first taught him about the blockade. Decades later, he won a tournament game of his own with exactly the same idea. That connection between a classic idea and modern practice is what Understanding the King's Indian is built on.

After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Bd2, Black faces the Bogo-Indian's oldest question: what to do about the bishop on b4. Trade it, defend it with the queen, or strike with ...c5?
GM Jose Martinez Alcantara chooses a fourth path. The modest rook-pawn move 4...a5!? anchors the bishop, keeps the tension, and prepares the classic Bogo-Indian setup with the d6–e5 pawn chain.
Why ...a5?
The author's goal is simple: fighting positions in which Black dictates the character of the game. After 3.Nf3, the Bogo-Indian denies White the familiar Catalan structures and steers the game toward a different kind of struggle.
The ...a5 move does more than defend b4. In many lines the pawn moves on to a4, squeezing the queenside and making it harder for White to make progress on that side of the board. Against 5.Bxb4 axb4, the structural transformation keeps Black's chances to play for all three results.

The Queen's Gambit Accepted carries a slightly misleading name. Black takes on c4, but the pawn is rarely the point. The real bargain is time and space: White is invited to build a broad centre, and Black's entire strategy is built around challenging it before it becomes too strong.
That paradox, giving up the centre in order to attack it, is the leitmotif of The Modern Queen's Gambit Accepted: A Dynamic Repertoire for Black by GM Mitrabha Guha. After 2...dxc4, Black's typical plan is ...c5 and, at the right moment, ...cxd4. If White recaptures with the e-pawn, the isolated d4-pawn can become a long-term target. If White recaptures with a piece, the position opens up with roughly equal chances.

Every player who meets 1.d4, 1.Nf3 and 1.c4 knows the problem. Against a strong, well-prepared opponent, Black rarely gets the opening he prepared for. White can choose the Catalan, slip into a Neo-Catalan move order to sidestep the main theory, or stay in Réti territory altogether.
Each choice normally demands its own repertoire, its own files and its own hours of study.
GM Abdulla Gadimbayli's answer is a single move: ...Nbd7. In The Catalan with ...Nbd7: A Modern Repertoire for Black, the knight goes to d7 in every line, against the Catalan, the Neo-Catalan and the Réti alike.