Beating the Fianchetto Defences

 

 

 

By Efstratios Grivas

 

 

 

Published by GAMBIT

 

 

 

 

 

Grandmaster Efstratios Grivas lives in Athens and is also a Senior FIDE Trainer, International Arbiter and Organizer. He has represented his country on a great many occasions, winning an individual gold medal at the 1989 European Team Championship and an individual silver medal at the 1998 Olympiad. He is a federal trainer and an experienced writer. This is his second book on chess openings for Gambit.

 

 

 

 

 

In this book Grivas provides a full and detailed repertoire for white against five important openings.

 

• King's Indian (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.h3)

• Grunfeld (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg5)

• Benko (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.Nf3)

• Benoni (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.Nf3 Bg7 8.h3)

• Modern (1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.Nf3)

 

 

 

In each case, he has recommended a line in which he has a wealth of experience, and has played a significant personal role in developing over many years. The recommendations are geared towards posing Black unconventional problems: your opponents will not be able to churn out lengthy memorized variations, but will need to solve problems at the board in positions that are somewhat different in character from those normally reached in these openings. Grivas has also chosen the repertoire so that it forms a seamless whole, and will fit alongside an English (1.c4) or Rti (1.Nf3) move-order, in addition to a standard 1.d4 repertoire.

 

 

 

 

 

Each chapter starts off with an introduction to the opening along with the line Grivas has recommended. He also tells background to the openings and improvements that have been made through the years. After this, he gives several characteristic endgames from the opening. This is a very helpful in learning how to play the opening as anyone who wishes to master an opening should know not only how to gain an advantage from the opening or how to increase it in the middlegame, but also how to convert it in the endgame. Next comes the main part of the chapter - the lines from the openings. The lines in this book are labeled well, so you won't get lost in the mix of different variations. Not only giving lines, Grivas shows the ideas behind the moves and why the moves are played, often a lacking content in many opening repertoire books. After looking at the complete selection of different lines and variations to your heart's content you will come upon the wrap-up of the chapter - the instructive games. The games are played by top players and annotated by Grivas, a very good way to become more familiar with the opening. At the back of the book is a handy index so you can find the specific variation you want in a matter of seconds.

 

 

 

 

 

This is a deeply researched and creative repertoire book. Grivas reveals many 'hidden' ideas and gives abundant strategic guidance on how to handle the middlegame and endgame positions that result. If you are looking for a rock solid yet dangerous opening repertoire versus these fianchetto defences this is the book you are looking for!

 

 

 

NSG rating = 9.8 of 10