Editorial Reviews:
The English Opening (1.c4) got its name because it was first used in international competition by an Englishman: 19th-century world chess champion Howard Staunton. But it achieved the great popularity it enjoys today with the help of a Russian: the author of this definitive book, former world champion Anatoly Karpov. Among its advantages, as Karpov demonstrates, is that it can transpose into many other openings, including the Queen’s Gambit Declined, the Reti, the Caro-Kann, the Sicilian with colors reversed, or the Polish—any one of which may provide a winning edge by leading an opponent into unfamiliar territory. This kind of flexibility is what every player needs, and Karpov provides it with a thoroughness no one else could possibly match.

Editorial Reviews:
The Benoni is a dynamic, counter-attacking opening that often leads to highly tactical positions. The great world champion Mikhail Tal enjoyed confusing his opponents with the Benoni's intricacies. Bobby Fischer employed it to win a critical game against Boris Spassky in the 1972 world championship in Reykjavik. Recently, the current world champion Vladimir Kramnik unexpectedly essayed the Benoni in his title fight against Peter Leko. Typically, it was in a situation where he needed to go all out for the win. With such role models, the Benoni has always been popular with club players.

Editorial Reviews:
'The Benko Gambit Revealed' is the second in a new and innovative series of books. Using fresh, clear presentation, the key ideas of the openings are explained in an entertaining and accessible way. The aim of this series is to provide the essential knowledge to play the opening, while at the same time revealing the current thinking of the World’s elite players. For example, ‘First Moves’ leads readers through the basic opening moves. ‘Heroes & Zeroes’ gives the best and worst performances with the opening and features some of the leading exponents of the Benko Gambit. ‘Tricks & Traps’ reveals how you might catch out your opponent. ‘What’s Hot’ pinpoints the very latest ideas from the world’s elite. Named after the Hungarian/American player Pal Benko, who pioneered the opening, the Benko Gambit has long been a favourite of dynamic tournament chessplayers.

Editorial Reviews:
The accelerated development of the White queen's bishop after 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 was for many years considered a bizarre chess opening, practised only by a few individual 'eccentric' chessplayers scattered around the globe, including the Brazilian Octavio Trompowsky, after whom the variation was named. Then in the 1990s, after a chance discovery, the young English grandmaster Julian Hodgson started to play it on the UK and international chess circuit with dramatic success, scoring many short wins with dashing attacking play. By force of example, the opening then saw a rapid increase in popularity – to the extent that it is now regarded as 'main line' theory! This book presents a thorough survey of the development and latest trends in this exciting opening, together with illustrative games. A must for any competitive player.

Editorial Reviews:
The Budapest Gambit is a provocative but sound attempt by Black to disrupt White's smooth development. The Budapest is always popular in club chess and this is the first book to cover the opening for many years.