Stohl: English A21

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4

These moves are played in the Rossolimo Sicilian, and the move order is perhaps also possible in the English and with a tempo less. The greatest difference consists of the extra possibility of 3.Nd5, because there is not a black knight on f6. That is also the main variation.

Schipkov: English A31

1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d5 6.cxd5 Bc5 7.N5c3 0-0 8.e3

Actually the position is more often reached via 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nf3 cxd4 4.Nxd4 and is of some significance for those who play the Benoni  or the Volga Gambit. It fits in well to their repertoire – Black obtains good play in return for the pawn he has sacrificed.

Breutigam: Trompowsky Attack A45

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 3.Nd2

The white knight move is designed to avoid the great quantity of theory after 3.e4. In addition, Martin Breutigam would like to avoid the Torre Attack and where possible does without an early Nf3. The author refers several times to model games played by Nikita Vitiugov.

Krasenkow: Dutch/Semi-Slav A84

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 (3.Nc3) 3...c6 4.e3 f5

The setup may be classified under the heading Dutch, but it is usually reached via the Semi-Slav and is also recommended in it by Michal Krasenkow. What is very important in it is that White has by playing e3 made more difficult the development of his Bc1.

Kritz: Sicilian Defence B50

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qe2

The bishop move to c4 looks really harmless, but White’s idea is to play c3 and then d4 and set up a full centre. Black will have to play very accurately in order to equalise.

Langrock: French Defence C01

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.exd5

In the third part of his series Hannes Langrock examines a few side-lines. In addition to the dubious 4...exd5 5.Bd3 c5?! There are also the solid 5...c6 and the attempt to break the symmetry immediately by 4...Qxd5.

Schandorff C84: Ruy Lopez

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4 b4

Unlike in the case of the Anti-Marshall Variations on move 8 (6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 and then 8.a4 or 8.h3) with 6.d3 White has saved on the move Re1. Schandorff hopes in his article to present a clear repertoire for the player with Black.

Marin D16: Slav Defence

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bg4 6.Ne5 Bh5 7.g3

The move 5...Bg4 has lost an enormous amount of its popularity, but are there also objective reasons for that? In his first contribution, which contains 7.g3, Mihail Marin cannot to his own astonishment find any such reasons. Black can be happy with the positions he obtains.

Rotstein: Catalan E04
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 c5

With the setup which is being presented against the Catalan, Black is trying to seize the initiative immediately. Although players with White have been looking for a few years for a variation capable of giving them an advantage, according to Arkadij Rotstein they have so far been unsuccessful.

Kuzmin: King's Indian E61

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Bg5

In the 2nd part of his investigations into the setup with an early 4.Bg5 our author Alexey Kuzmin turns to those lines in which Black first of all does without ...d6. There are some subtleties to take into account here. For example, White’s reaction will be different according to whether ...h6 has been played or not.

Postny: King's Indian E94

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 exd4 8.Nxd4 Re8 9.f3 c6 10.Kh1 Nh5

In the variation with an early ...exd4 nowadays 10...Nh5 appears to be somewhat more popular than the more frequently played 10...Nbd7. Evgeny Postny, however, sees a slight advantage for White, and in any case 11.g4 Nf6 result in really double-edged positions.