Deciding to write a chess book came as a surprise to me. First, because I am still an active player, and second, because I was not sure if I could write a book at all. When Thinkers Publishing contacted me I had some doubts about whether I should do it, but I really liked the idea of this project, so I told myself that I should take up the challenge.
For many years I have been known as a good theoretician, not only because I was a second of former World Champion Veselin Topalov for seven years, but also through my own games.
I take this as an opportunity to share my knowledge of openings and how I analyze them. I started this book with the idea that I wanted it to be useful for all levels of playing strength, from amateurs to even top grandmasters. I am sure that readers will notice the difference from many other openings books.
Besides, I think now is the time to reveal something about my opening preparation. In the last ten years or more I have not read a single book on the openings. I did this on purpose, my idea being that I wanted to have my own opinion about the lines I was playing. Of course I have still worked with Veselin and some other strong players, but it is kind of ironic, because now I am writing such a book.
In the second part of the series, I am sharing my knowledge about the Slav Defense. I am confident that the book contains many new and interesting ideas and I have tried to provide you with the best practical options. Objectively speaking Black looks good in many lines but in practice things may look different. While I cannot promise you a big advantage in each line, I do believe you will have the best practical chances during the game. Writing the second volume was very challenging for me. The Slav encompasses a wide but solid body of theory. Black has plenty of options and finding advantages and practical chances was not easy at all. In any case. From amateurs to very strong players, I believe that every chess player will appreciate this book. While the Covid pandemic gave me a lot of free time to concentrate on the book, I am very happy to see that many tournaments are back. This means that my book can be useful and you may actually be able to apply some of the ideas in your games. The best way to use this book is to first examine the lines on an actual board and then check them with an engine. I hope this method of study increases your understanding of the positions that arise from the Slave. This book can be a very important starting point for building your 1.d4 repertoire.
~ Ivan Cheparinov