Bc4 against the Open Games

Publisher: Chess Stars, 2018, Pages: 248, Paperback

This book offers a White repertoire against the Open Games. The reader will find the first deep investigation of the modern treatment of the Italian Game.
The variations you will find in this book greatly differ  from anything published so far.

I had to change a lot of traditional “main lines”. I share my analyses and 25 years of experience, hoping that my work will help you to build a flexible and varied repertoire. Its fundamental is the line: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3! Then we meet 5...0-0 by 6.Bg5, and 5...d6 by 6.c3. I developed fine-tuned lines, aimed to extract maximum value from the opening. That is possible only with precise move orders, which exploit the subtleties of every opening choice of the opponent.

I explain them in the “Step by Step” sections, but the principal dish should be the “Main Ideas”. You'll find there analyses of the most important pawn structures and plans.  Besides the Italian, I also cover the Bishop’s Opening. By playing 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4, you could avoid one of the toughest nuts in chess theory – the Petroff. I devised a new plan against the trendy line 2...Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb3 a5 6.a4 Bb4+, which should face your opponents with complex tasks. 

The Bishop’s Opening is not a standalone opening because Black could transpose to the Italian with 2...Nc6 and 3...Bc5. Which is the best path for you depends on your preparation for the Petroff. I considered games played before the end of January 2018.

Alexander Delchev February 2018