The Queen's Gambit & Catalan for Black

This volume, the first by Lasha Janjgava, provides chess-players with a reliable defense against one of the most popular chess openings, the Queen's Pawn Opening. Rather than the risky option of going all-out for counterplay, the grandmaster recommends that Black adopt a more solid, classical approach, and first carefully neutralize White's initiative. By defending the Queen's Gambit Declined, Black puts a firm road-block in the way of White's ambitions. If, as often happens when faced by a sturdy defense, White becomes careless or impatient, Black is ready to break out and seize the initiative. Janjgava also shows how White's more hypermodern Catalan treatment can be met with the same strategy, and explains how, once Black has equalized, he can unbalance the position and play for a win.