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 Nenad Sulava, José Vilela, Richard Palliser and many others.
 
Sosonko’s Corner
Genna Sosonko looks at a common phenomenon in opening theory that can be a plague for white as well as black players: long lines with great drawing margins, where White is better but can hardly win. From the rich chess literature he shows many famous and not-so-famous examples and, of course, has some grandmasterly advice in conclusion!
 
Book Reviews
Our reviewer Glenn Flear is, as always, focused on quality in the oceans of chess books. He admires John Cox’s guts to write on the unfathomable Berlin Wall, and is impressed with the result. He also applauds Boris Avrukh’s ambitious ‘Grandmaster Repertoire 1.d4 (Vol. 1)’, finding so many great ideas that ‘several books in my bookcase have suddenly become redundant’. John Watson’s equally ambitious ‘Mastering the Chess Openings’ (Volume 3) gets the thumbs-up as well. Jan Markos’s enthusiastic work ‘Beat the KID’ is scrutinized, and we end with a stern grandmaster’s verdict on the second edition of the popular amateurs’ book ‘The Black Lion’ by Van Rekom & Jansen.

33 Surveys
Sicilian Defence - Najdorf Variation 6.h3 - SI 14.12 - A.Kuzmin
Sicilian Defence - Perenyi Attack 7.g4 - SI 19.14 - Karolyi
Sicilian Defence - Sveshnikov Variation 9.Nd5 - SI 37.8 - Rogozenco
Sicilian Defence - Taimanov Variation 5...Qc7 - SI 40.2 - Fogarasi
Sicilian Defence - Taimanov Variation 5...Qc7 - SI 40.4 - Adla/Glavina
Sicilian Defence - Alapin Variation 4.g3 - SI 47.2 - De Dovitiis
Pirc Defence - Austrian Attack 4.f4 - PU 11.1 - Marin/Stoica
King’s Fianchetto - 4.f4 Line; 4...a6 - KF 14.4 - Finkel
French Defence - Burn Variation 4...de4 - FR 5.2 - Kaufman
French Defence - Winawer Variation 8.Bd2 - FR 11.3 - Eingorn -
Scandinavian Defence - Gubnitsky-Pytel Variation 3...Qd6 - SD 8.11 - Karolyi
Scandinavian Defence - Main Line 3...Qa5 - SD 15.4 - Moskalenko
Ruy Lopez - Exchange Variation 5...Ne7 - RL 8.6 - Swinkels
Ruy Lopez - Marshall Variation 8...d5 - RL 17.8+9 - Olthof
King’s Pawn Openings - Two Knights Defence 4...Bc5 - KP 12.3 - Ninov
Queen’s Gambit Declined - Lasker Variation 7...Ne4 - QO 14.14 - Grivas
Slav Defence - Krause Variation 7...Nb6 - SL 4.5 - Lukacs/Hazai
Slav Defence - Botvinnik Variation 16.Na4 - SL 7.8 - Palliser
Slav Defence - Meran Variation 8.Bd3 - SL 9.2 - Zakhartsov
Nimzo-Indian Defence - Classical Variation 4...0-0 - NI 20.10 - Zakhartsov
Nimzo-Indian Defence - Classical Variation 4...d5 - NI 23.10 - Anka
Nimzo-Indian Defence - Ragozin Variation 9.Qc2 - NI 27.11 - Mchedlishvili
Queen’s Indian Defence - Classical Variation 4...Bb7 - QI 7.4 - Ikonnikov
Grünfeld Indian Defence - Stockholm Variation 7.Bg5 - GI 3.7 - Avrukh
Grünfeld Indian Defence - Exchange Variation 7.Bc4 - GI 5.7 - Van der Tak
King's Indian Defence - Classical Main Line 9.b4 - KI 4.9 - Golubev
King’s Indian Defence - Fianchetto Variation 3.g3 - KI 64.4 - Matamoros
Dutch Defence - Leningrad Variation 7...Nc6 - HD 6.5 - Cabrera
Dutch Defence - Staunton Gambit 2.e4 - HD 11.3 + 6 - Lukacs/Hazai
English Opening - Reversed Sicilian 4...Bb4 - EO 1.2 - Vladimirov
English Opening - Symmetrical Variation with d4 - EO 32.3 - A.Kuzmin
English Opening - Symmetrical Variation with d4 - EO 44.12 - Boersma
Réti Opening - Wijk aan Zee Variation 2...Bg4 - RE 20.4 - L.B.Hansen