Carlstedt: English A11

1.c4 c6 2.g3 d5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Bg2 dxc4

White first has to make something of an effort to recover his pawn. Black can make use of this time and sometimes very sharp variations arise, in which the side with the better knowledge can have the advantage.

Stohl: Old Benoni A44

1.d4 c5 2.d5 e5 3.e4 d6

Here Black is trying to exchange the dark-squared bishops with Be7-g5, and after 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Nf3 he is even prepared to give up his good bishop with 5...Bg4 6.h3 Bxf3 in order to get rid of the worse one. Igor Stohl demonstrates several comfortable ways to an advantage for White.

Schipkov: Dutch Defence A98

1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nf3 e6 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 d6 7.Nc3 Qe8 8.Qc2

Putting the queen on c2 straight away is of course linked to the plan of getting in e2-e4 rapidly. But it has been shown that Black can simply allow this, e.g. with 8...Qh5, and White nevertheless does not achieve any advantage.

Grivas: Sicilian B33

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Qb6 5.Nb3 Nf6 6.Nc3 e6 7.Bd3 d6 8.Be3 Qc7 9.f4 a6 10.Qe2

With this setup White leaves open the question of to which side he will castle. But the slight pressure which the white queen exerts on the e-file is of less value, for example, than the possible transfer of the queen from f3 to h3, meaning that probably 10.Qf3 makes more sense.

Kritz: Sicilian B39

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nc3 Ng4

If you wish to use the Maroczy setup, you need to know the variation with 7...Ng4. Play divides after 8.Qxg4 Nxd4 9.Qd1, when 9...e5 is actually only weakening, whereas after 9...Ne6 White needs to know how he is going to achieve a better game.

Moskalenko: French C02

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.a3 Nh6

Viktor Moskalenko is convinced that the d4-point should be attacked straight away. From the diagram White mostly plays 7.b4 and after 7...cxd4 our author analyses the lines 8.cxd4 Nf5 and the one with the intermediate exchange 8. Bxh6.

Marin: Ruy Lopez C61

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4 4.Nxd4 exd4

Mihail Marin presents a repertoire for Black with Bird’s Defence. Equality may not be guaranteed everywhere, but the lines are playable and can confront an unprepared opponent with positions of a type which are completely unknown to him.

Kuzmin: Ruy Lopez C70

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nge7

The author is of the opinion that first 3...a6 and then 4...Nge7 is more precise. 5.Nc3 should be followed with 5...d6 with motifs from the Steinitz Defence. Also 5.d4 exd4 6.Nxd4 is not followed by the fianchetto, but best of all by 6...Nxd4 7.Qxd4 Nc6.

Breutigam: Tarrasch Defence D32

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5

In the third part of his repertoire for Black with the Tarrasch Defence Martin Breutigam investigates the Marshall Gambit and the early capture on c5. Only the latter is critical, above all whenever White first plays 5.Nf3 Nc6 and only then 6.dxc5.

Postny: Queen's Gambit D37

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Be2

Levon Aronian introduced 7.Be2 (instead of 7.c5) at the highest level, and above all he was the first to meet 7...dxc4 with 8.0-0. He managed to put his opponents under pressure but all the games ended in draws. Evgeny Postny also examines the variations which have as yet not appeared on the board.

Schandorff: Nimzoindian Defence E39

1.d4 Sf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0-0 5.Nf3 c5 6.dxc5 Na6 7.c6

The move 7.c6 is an idea of Alexander Morozevich, who has employed this bizarre move highly successfully on several occasions. In doing so the Russian has varied after 7...dxc6, trying first 8.a3, but later 8.g3 and 8.e3.