Axel Smith on color complexes, the squares of one color treated as a strategic unit. Published by Quality Chess in 2023. Hardcover, 264 pages. An introductory chapter sets out color-complex strategy before the material begins.
Eight chapters, moving from the concrete to the abstract: the blockade, marathon bishops, weak squares, opposite-colored bishops and exchange sacrifices, then avoiding weak squares, which turns the earlier material around and treats it as a defensive skill. A chapter on visualizing comes next, and the book closes with a test section, a summary, and an index of games and examples.
Best for: club and tournament players ready to think in squares rather than pieces. Intermediate to advanced.


