Squeezing 1.e4 e5: A Solid Strategic Approach

Alexander Khalifman and Sergei Soloviov (2019, 296 pages) build a White repertoire against 1.e4 e5 on the Four Knights with 4.Bb5, aiming for positions where evaluation and planning count as much as calculation. Just over 100 of the 296 pages go to the Four Knights proper; the rest deals with Black’s options before move 4. Uwe Bekemann wrote that “Das Repertoire ist eher positionell ausgelegt” (“The repertoire is rather positional in design”), and that “Das Buch bietet ‘Theorie pur’; Musterpartien enthält es nicht” (“The book offers ‘pure theory’; it contains no model games”) (2023, review on Niggemann’s page). If you learn openings from complete games, this will be hard going. Dirk Schuh (2020) recommends it warmly (“nur wärmstens empfehlen”) to players from 1800 DWZ up who like this kind of position.

Squeezing the Sicilian: The Alapin Variation

Alexander Khalifman and Sergei Soloviov (2020, 456 pages) meet the Sicilian with 2.c3, aiming for a solid pawn center and steering clear of the open Sicilian, with its semi-open c- and d-files. The book has 20 chapters in three parts: Black’s second-move alternatives, 2…d5 and 2…Nf6. The preface accepts that Black can equalize; the aim is to show that not all of Black’s lines are equally good. Uwe Bekemann called it “ein gelungenes, sehr ausführliches” repertoire book (“a successful, very thorough” one) and pitched it at players “ab einem unteren Klubniveau” (“from lower club level up”) (2021, review on Niggemann’s page). IM Dirk Schuh, a long-time Alapin player, found that it gave him something new, but warned that “größtenteils gibt es Variantenkost im Informatorstil” (“for the most part you get a diet of variations in Informant style”) and advised players rated under 1700 DWZ not to buy it (2020, same page). There are no complete model games, so it suits a player who is happy to work through lines.

Squeezing the Caro-Kann: Simple Chess

Khalifman and Soloviov again (2022, 254 pages), this time with the Exchange Variation, 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3, which the preface notes became much more popular after 2017, with Carlsen among its players. White gets two schemes, one with an early h3 and one without, and the authors suggest using both. The theory takes about 180 pages, followed by a section of complete games. Uwe Bekemann found the book “keinesfalls variantenlastig” (“by no means overloaded with variations”) yet well supplied with concrete plans, and recommended it from club level up (2024, review on Niggemann’s page). The Exchange has a reputation for being drawish, and the authors admit that a computer may one day show one critical line to be a forced draw; their answer is that for human play this hardly matters. It is a White book only and no help to Caro-Kann players.

Squeezing the King’s Indian Defence

Semko Semkov and Yuriy Krykun (2020, 248 pages) build a White repertoire on the Gligoric System, 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.Be3. White keeps his king in the center for a while, so Black’s usual kingside attack with …f5-f4 and …g4 has no target. Each of the 13 chapters is split into Main Ideas, Step by Step and Annotated Games. IM Dirk Schuh called that layout “die ideale Struktur, um eine neue Eröffnung häppchenweise zu studieren” (“the ideal structure for studying a new opening in bite-sized portions”) and recommended the book to everyone (2020, review on Niggemann’s page); Uwe Bekemann recommended it from club level up (2025, same page). It covers this one system only, not the Classical with 7.0-0.

Squeezing the QGD

Semko Semkov’s newest repertoire (2025, 228 pages) takes White into the Exchange Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined, 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5, with separate chapters on 3…a6, 3…Be7 and 5…Bb4. The publisher presents it as a follow-up to Fighting the Nimzo (below), and together the two give White an answer to both the Nimzo-Indian and the Queen’s Gambit Declined. Each of its 11 chapters has a Step by Step section and annotated games, and a good deal of space goes to move orders, including an early …h6. We found no published review of it.

Isolani: Beyond the Clichés

Semko Semkov (2026, 200 pages) on the isolated queen’s pawn and hanging pawns, from both sides of the board. In the preface he says the structure keeps arising in his own favorite systems, the Nimzo, the Queen’s Gambit and the Alapin among them, so it is a natural companion to the repertoires above. The book is built on modern examples, with Carlsen’s games given particular weight, and it opens by arguing that isolani endgames are, in general, drawish rather than lost. Later chapters show how to hold the balance once the pawn has been blockaded, and whether to create an isolani later in the game. Semkov says the aim is to add to the standard ideas, not to overturn them. Josephine Damen, reviewing it for Schaaksite (2026), wrote “Al met al zou ik Isolani-beyond the cliches zeker aanraden!” (“All in all I would certainly recommend Isolani-beyond the cliches!”), above all to players who meet these positions through their openings. She would have liked some exercises, and noted that many of the modern example games were played at fast time controls.

The Safest Grünfeld Reloaded

Alexander Delchev calls this 2019 Black repertoire (352 pages) a completely new edition of his 2011 The Safest Grünfeld, with every line rechecked. The anti-Grünfeld chapters are largely new, with two options against 3.f3 and an added chapter on the Trompowsky, the Barry and the Jobava System. The 7.Bc4 Exchange and the Russian System (5.Qb3) were rebuilt. The analysis is current to July 2019, and in an opening this heavily played some of it will have moved on. John Upham called it “a substantial update and improvement of a first edition” and wrote “we recommend it heartily to the serious player” (British Chess News, 2020). A reader on the ChessPub forum (2019) who liked the book overall thought the rebuilt Russian System its weak spot: “the section on 5.Qb3 is woefully inadequate for such an important and frequently encountered line of the Grunfeld.”

The Modern Triangle

If you meet 1.d4 with …d5 and …e6 as Black and want to avoid the Catalan, the Exchange Slav and the Botvinnik Variation, Semko Semkov’s 2020 repertoire (216 pages) builds on the Triangle move order, 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 (or 3.Nf3) c6, and includes the Noteboom and the Marshall Gambit. ChessReads lists it as intermediate (rated 1400 to 2000). Uwe Bekemann of the German correspondence chess federation (2021, review on the retailer Niggemann’s page) concluded it is “ein empfehlenswertes Repertoirebuch” (“a repertoire book worth recommending”). The Meran (Semkov refers you to another Chess Stars book) and the Slow Slav are not covered.

Play the Queen’s Indian Defence

Evgeniy Solozhenkin’s 2018 Black repertoire (320 pages) is built on the Queen’s Indian and also deals with the move orders White uses to avoid it, 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 and 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3, with the stress on piece set-ups and middlegame plans. Heinz Däubler called it “Ein äußerst nützliches Damenindisch-Werk” (“An extremely useful Queen’s Indian work”) in Oberpfalz Medien Magazin (2019, quoted by Niggemann). This is not a book for developing players: Dirk Schuh (2019) wrote “Unter 1800 DWZ kann ich dieses Buch nicht empfehlen!” (“I cannot recommend this book below 1800 DWZ!”). DWZ is the German national rating, not USCF.

Playing for a Win with …b6

Semko Semkov’s 2023 Black repertoire (236 pages in 14 chapters) meets both 1.d4 and 1.c4 with the English Defense (1.d4 e6 2.c4 b6 or 1.c4 b6); much of it deals with White’s attempts to steer play into a g3 Queen’s Indian, and it also covers 1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 c5 lines and the London and Jobava systems. The publisher promises sharp, strategically unbalanced positions. It suits a player ready to build everything around …b6.

The Safest Scandinavian Reloaded

Vassilios Kotronias’s 2023 Black repertoire (300 pages) is built on 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 and covers only the …Qd6 Scandinavian, not Black’s other set-ups, so it is for a player settled on that queen retreat. It is a fully revised edition of his 2016 The Safest Scandinavian: the structure of variations is kept, but Kotronias says he redid the analysis, with major corrections especially in the second half.

The Modern English: Volume 2

Kiril Georgiev and Semko Semkov’s 2019 book (256 pages) is the second half of a 1.c4 repertoire for White, covering 1…c5, 1…Nf6 and 1…e6 with an active fight for the center by e3 and d4. Each chapter has three sections: Main Ideas, Step by Step and Annotated Games. For Black’s other first moves you need Volume 1 or another book. Uwe Bekemann called it “ein gut gemachtes Repertoirebuch für Weiß” (“a well-made repertoire book for White”) (2019, review on Niggemann’s page). Dirk Schuh (2019) called it very recommendable for players who already play 1.c4, and added: “Neulingen in den geschlossenen Spielen kann ich das Buch leider nur bedingt empfehlen” (“Unfortunately I can recommend the book only with reservations to newcomers to the closed openings”).

Fighting the Nimzo

Semko Semkov’s 2025 White repertoire against the Nimzo-Indian (208 pages) starts with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 and often transposes to a Rubinstein with e3. Each chapter has step-by-step analysis plus annotated games. It suits a player who already opens 1.d4 and allows the Nimzo with 3.Nc3; it does not cover Black’s other third moves.

The London against the Dutch

Kiril Georgiev (2024, 200 pages) meets the Dutch with 1.d4 f5 2.Bf4, and covers the move orders that reach it from 1.d4 e6, 1.d4 d6 and 1.c4, in nine chapters including one on the Nimzo-Dutch. It makes sense mainly if you already open 1.d4 and like the London bishop. It is a repertoire, not an introduction to the Dutch.

Building a Reti Repertoire

Semko Semkov’s 2024 White repertoire (244 pages) starts from 1.Nf3 d5 followed by c4, centered on 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 and the Reversed Blumenfeld (2.e3 c5 3.c4 d4 4.b4), with alternative chapters on the Nimzo-Larsen (2.e3 c5 3.b3) and on 2.c4 d4 3.b4. The publisher says your choice on moves 2 and 3 should depend on how you prefer to meet the Slav, the Queen’s Gambit Declined and the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, so it assumes you already have views on those openings. It covers only 1…d5.

How to Play Equal Positions

Vassilios Kotronias’s 2020 book (228 pages) is about balanced, “dry” positions with no long-term plan to follow. Its chapters cover how to play without a clear plan, when to bail out and when to play on, fear of exchanges in equal positions, and the dangers of overpressing. Mistreaver, reviewing for Chessentials (2023), praised “some of the most thorough, informative, and detailed annotations I have ever seen” and, while noting it “is maybe not the most suitable for absolute beginners and lower-rated players who struggle with tactical issues”, called it “a must-read for any ambitious club player who wants to seriously improve his positional skill”.

A Chess Library for Practical Players: The Endgame

Marat Makarov’s 2007 endgame manual (180 pages) has just over 300 positions, in chapters covering pawn, minor-piece, rook and queen endings, zugzwang and endgame strategy, with the emphasis on endings likely to arise in tournament play. The publisher describes Makarov as a grandmaster with more than 20 years of coaching behind him. P.P.O. Kane called it “a practical battle manual on that most difficult phase of the game of chess, the endgame” (The Compulsive Reader, 2009). The translation is by GM Evgeny Ermenkov. Kane found that it “reads a little awkwardly at times, but is generally acceptable,” and that the level is uneven: “Some of the ideas in the text are elementary, while others are quite advanced.”

Bogoljubow: The Fate of a Chess Player

Sergei Soloviov’s 2004 biography (280 pages) is about Efim Bogoljubow, who played two world title matches against Alekhine. It divides his career into 13 periods and includes 200 annotated games and tournament crosstables. The game notes are in wordless Informant style (variations and symbols only), so beyond the biographical sections you will be playing through lines rather than reading explanations. John Watson wrote “I highly recommend ‘The Fate of a Chess Player'” (The Week in Chess, 2007), but complained that “the lack of a Bibliography is a dreadful omission in an explicitly historical work”.