Against the widely played Queen’s Indian Defense White’s most ambitious and most popular choice is the Fianchetto Variation. Since the 1980’s the main response here for Black has been the Nimzowitsch Variation 4…La6, first played in 1925 by the famous theoretician Aron Nimzowitsch, in which Black tries to hinder White’s development by attacking the c4-pawn. In this position an ultra-sharp pawn sacrifice for White has in the past few years revolutionized the entire line. White’s gambit has been hotly debated in countless games both at grandmaster and at club level. With this book Hungarian Grandmaster Imre Hera enters an area in chess opening theory that is definitely in turmoil. Hera has not written an ordinary repertoire book, his principal goal was to provide a guide through the labyrinth of this exciting variation. Hera concentrates on resources for White and presents countless eye-catching novelties for that side, but he has also given many ways for Black to equalize. Hera has deeply analyzed this topical line and presents his conclusions and recommendations in full, with extensive verbal explanations. Lots of attention is paid to the ideas and plans behind the moves. This rich book will surprise masters and fascinate club players. ,

Miniatures in the Queen’s Indian: 4.g3 The subject of this book is the Fianchetto Variation of the Queen’s Indian Defense, which arises after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3. Its purpose is to entertain and educate you. The entertainment consists of 100 main games all of which are 25 moves or less. In addition to the main games, you will find miniatures included in the notes, along with many other complete games. The education part involves solving tactical puzzles, reasoning your way to the right move, spotting combinations and studying the theory associated with these lines. While the theoretical coverage may not necessarily be as deep as in opening monographs or repertoire books, there’s usually more than enough to give you a good understanding of the particular line, making it easier for you to incorporate it into your opening repertoire. We have also tried to include some key alternatives with analysis to give you an idea of other possibilities for both sides. As for the games, they are typically between players with a rating of at least 2350 and in fact are often stronger. However, we have made some exceptions to this guiding principle when a lower-rated player beats a player rated above the magical 2350 number. So that the performances of the players may be evaluated better, their ELO ratings have been included. The Queen’s Indian as a whole has been played consistently since its invention by Aron Nimzowitsch in the early years of the 20th century and it remains a very popular opening at all levels. While its foundation is solid, things can quickly become very sharp and heavy on theory, particularly when Black plays 4...Ba6. We hope you enjoy this second volume in the “Miniatures” series... Every chess player dreams of winning quickly and beautifully in his favorite opening. Carsten Hansen’s new “Miniatures” Series shows you how to do that, divided by opening! A novel and entertaining approach. But as they say – wait, there is more! It’s in the nature of chess that miniatures can only be won following mistakes by the opponent. The books can also show you which early mistakes to avoid so that you don’t lose quickly and beautifully in your favorite opening. Get the volumes with your openings and use them as preparation for your next tournament! – Grandmaster Lars Bo Hansen

Ideal for those wanting to understand the basics of the Queen's Indian. The Queen's Indian is one of Black's most dependable and respected defenses to the queen's pawn opening. It's an established favorite among world-class Grandmasters such as Vladimir Kramnik, Vishy Anand, Michael Adams and Judit Polgar, not to mention Anatoly Karpov, who has been a loyal Queen's Indian supporter and theory developer for over three decades. Using a hypermodern approach, and endeavors to control this key area with pieces rather than using the classical method with pawns. This procedure leads to rich and complex positions that will appeal to aggressive and positional players alike. In this easy-to-read guide, Grandmaster and Queen's Indian expert John Emms goes back to basics, studying the essential principles of the Queen's Indian and its numerous variations. Throughout the book there are an abundance of notes, tips and warnings to guide the improving player, while key strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated. *User-friendly lay out to help readers absorb ideas *Concentrates on the key principles of the Queen's Indian *Ideal for the improving player

Chess Explained is a new series of books about chess openings. They are not theoretical works in the traditional sense, but more a series of lessons from a chess expert with extensive over-the-board experience with an opening. You will gain an understanding of the opening and the middlegames to which it leads, enabling you to find the right moves and plans in your own games. It is as if you were sitting at the board with a chess coach answering your questions about the plans for both sides, the ideas behind particular moves, and what specific knowledge you need to have. The Queen's Indian is an important and popular opening at all levels of play. Black's flexible stance allows him to choose between a range of solid and dynamic structures. In turn, White can play flexibly, opposing Black's fianchetto, or can try to force the pace in the centre and start a hand-to-hand fight. It is an opening rich in nuances, and many of the modern main lines involve moves that look extravagant, but are backed up by a deep underlying logic.

International Master Maxim Chetverik has written an in-depth study of one of the most popular choices by white in the Queen's Indian Defense - the main line with 4.g3, where white fianchettoes his bishop. This line is often seen at top-level chess. A key focus of this work is an examination of new lines that have recently appeared in the arsenal of grandmasters. The full range of continuations for both white and black are covered in this textbook, including hybrids with the Bogo-Indian Defense and certain Catalan, Dutch, Benoni and Hedgehog-type set-ups, as well as key themes such as hanging pawns, the isolated queen's pawn, white's four versus three ranks advantage, the closed center with the pawn structure being c4­-d5-­e4 against c5(c7)-­d6­-e5 and structures with semi-open files, making it an essential and comprehensive guide for players on both sides of the board in this variation. Maxim makes this book particularly user-friendly by his focus on learning the key ideas through practical games, as well as his use of "land-mines", transposition alerts and key tips. This book contains 181 full games in this line and several hundred fragments with detailed and original commentary by the author focused throughout on giving a balanced evaluation in what are complicated positions. Many of these games feature the world's greatest players, including world champions Carlsen, Anand, Kramnik, Kasparov, Karpov, Spassky, Petrosian, Tal, Smyslov, Botvinnik and Alekhine, and other top players including Caruana, Shankland, Nakamura, So, Mamedyarov, Aronian, Grischuk, Ivanchuk, Karjakin, Harikrishna, Adams, Shirov, Gelfand, Topalov, Korchnoi and Timman. Maxim himself has played over 100 official games in this line, making him a leading expert in the Queen's Indian Defense in general and the 4.g3 line in particular. Four of his games are in included in full in this volume, as well as a number of fragments.

Andrew Greet presents a complete repertoire for Black in the Queen's Indian, offering answers for Black against all of White's possibilities.

Profoundly original book demonstrates how basic relationships of one or two pawns constitute winning strategy. Multitude of examples illustrate theory. 182 diagrams. Index of games.

What's the best way to learn chess? Great Moves: Learning Chess Through History blends the intricacies of chess play with the game's compelling and colorful history, putting real people at the 64 squares. Tracing the development of chess from its origins in ancient India, the authors take the student on a far-ranging journey through the palaces of medieval and Renaissance Europe to the cafes of the Enlightenment and the dawn of the Industrial Age, with a focus on the leading personalities of the royal game and on their contributions to understanding of it. Rogues and champions, tragic as well as inspirational human stories all serve as the backdrop for illustrative games and exercises of increasing complexity highlighting their discoveries, and invite the student to grasp the potential of chess to fascinate. Much more than a primer for beginning chess players and their teachers, Great Moves shines a light on the lives of famous players of bygone eras, helping experienced players to fill in the gaps in their chess culture.

The Catalan is a solid yet flexible chess opening system that is popular on all levels. Both amateurs and top-level strategists such as Vladimir Kramnik and Vishy Anand employ this opening to put a lot of unpleasant pressure on Black. In The Powerful Catalan grandmaster Victor Bologan presents a complete repertoire for White that covers all of Black’s responses. Also included are those variations where Black tries to steer the game into other openings like the Queen’s Indian or the Tarrasch Defence. The book is classically structured (starting with the rarest variations before moving on to the most popular ones) and contains original analysis of many recent tournament games. Bologan’s clearly formulated verbal explanations are essential for a good understanding of the strategic plans and the tactical themes of the Catalan. ,