Your White opponents will be booked-up on the main lines of the Ruy Lopez. How can you beat such experts? DoubleMaster and experienced chess author Marek Soszynski shows and explains to you three different variations of Bird's Defence 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nd4!? The first is tactical (with a kingside fianchetto) while the other two are more positional. In all of them you will reach unusual positions with special features requiring special treatments, as detailed by this book, that will l...

The Centre Game Re-examined: 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4. A re-examination of this aggressive old chess opening including analysis of all the queen retreats after 3...Nc6. Lots of new theory plus 26 annotated games right up to the present day.

Knight Strikes with 3…Nd4Bored of the same old Spanish and Scotch? Smashing the Spanish! Stunning the Scotch! gives 1…e5 players a bold and practical way to take back the initiative. Face 3.Bb5 with the sharp and surprising Bird’s Defense (3…Nd4) and meet 3.d4 with the nearly forgotten Lolli Variation (3…Nxd4). Both are rare, under-analyzed, and perfect for unsettling White right out of the opening.Inside, you'll find focused theory, practical guidance, and annotated games ...

Tired of the classic 1.d4 and White's predictable, positional play? Not Another Chess Opening: Hate 1.d4? Play 1...Nc6! is your ultimate companion to turn the tables. This guide, crafted by Correspondence Master and experienced author Marek Soszynski, dives into the rarely seen 1...Nc6 response — a bold and disruptive choice that takes White off their familiar paths. With clear recommendations, creative sidelines, and original ideas, this compact repertoire equips Black with the t...

A compact, complete repertoire for Black based on 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 (the Modern Scandinavian Defence) featuring solid, lesser-known lines like 3.d4 Nxd5 4.c4 Nf6, 3.Bb5+ Nbd7, and 3.c4 c6 rather than over-optimistic gambits. The short analysis is sufficient to get you safely out of the opening with good-enough positions so that you can "just play chess".

The Early Equalizer In response to 1.e4, White’s most common first move, it has long been recognized that when and if Black can play ...d5 safely, the result is approximate equality. Scandinavian devotees argue all that can happen on Move 1! But it’s hardly a “peaceful” equality. But do we really need a book that is a blur of all sorts of black and white possibilities with countless tightly-nested game fragments? Hardly. Double Trouble is a straightforward volume of repertoire recommendati...

Checkmate in a Flash: Quick Wins and Fast Fails.Discover a selection of the most entertaining and instructive chess games that ended in lightning-fast checkmates. In this collection of real games, club players will find short battles full of blunders, brilliant attacks, and swift victories. With concise analysis and diagrams, you won't need a board to follow along — train your mind to visualize the moves and sharpen your attacking instincts. Learn to spot mating pa...

Chess players! Are you having trouble facing 1.e4? Is your Spanish too sticky and your Sicilian too sickly? Wrongfoot White with the Nimzowitsch Defence. Correspondence Chess Master and experienced author Marek Soszynski analyses 1.e4 Nc6 in detail, including sidelines and novelties, to give you a complete deviant repertoire against White's most popular first move.

Sidestep heavy Sicilian theory and surprise your opponents with a fresh, practical system. Fianchetto First: Facing the Sicilian with 2.g3 presents a strategically flexible, easy-to-learn, and rarely prepared-for system. The book covers Black's main responses, explains key plans, and includes annotated games.The result is a sound, underexplored weapon that leads to unfamiliar yet playable positions — perfect for those who want strong ideas without endless memorizat...

The Dawn of the Planet of the b-Pawns! “There can be no Plan B because there is no Planet B,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. We disagree when it comes to chess. In this book you will see analyzed not only 1.d4 b5 (the Polish Defense) but also the St. George Defense (1.e4 e6 2.d4 a6 intending 3...b5), 1.Nf3 b5, also 1.f4 b5 and, most shocking of all, 1.e4 a6 2.d4 b5. Grandmasters have lost to these systems; other Grandmasters even try them out themselves when they have the black pie...

Master the Kramer Variation (1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4!?) with this concise and practical guide. Uncover the fundamentals, delve into key variations, and harness winning strategies to outplay your opponents. Perfect for players aiming to enhance their opening repertoire, Correspondence Master Marek Soszynski simplifies the complexities into clear, actionable insights designed to elevate your game to the next level.

A dynamic, practical guide to the white side of the Sicilian Defence's Chekhover Variation (the Anti-Najdorf), covering 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 (and 2...g6) 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4. It equips players with clear ideas, original modern analysis, and deeply annotated games to sidestep heavy theory, outplay opponents, and confidently handle diverse black setups.