“Like his groundbreaking two volume works on 1.d4 and the Grunfeld, Avrukh’s latest effort combines meticulous research, a large amount of analytical work, plus skill at breaking down the complicated into the understandable for the non-professional.
Beating 1.d4 Sidelines offers complete repertoires for those who meet 1.d4 with 1…d5, 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 and 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6. Each one of these repertoires deals in depth with answers to systems like the Trompowsky, Torre Attack, Colle, Colle-Zukertort (the Colle with a queenside fianchetto), London System and the Barry (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nc3) which are the bread and butter of players from the club level to Grandmasters.
Highly recommended for all players rated 1800 on up.”
IM John Donaldson (full review)
“In general Avrukh strikes a good balance between making the best use of Black’s resources, while also respecting the nuances in White’s lines… There is thorough coverage of many common and dangerous lines.”
GM Luke McShane, New In Chess
“There is good reason to believe that this book will serve as a bible for those playing Black who want to deal effectively with all these anti-mainline systems. It is incredibly detailed, well-researched, and deeply analyzed throughout… Even in lines that have been scrutinized in other books, such as the Trompowsky and Torre Attacks or the Colle-Zukertort, Avrukh delivers heavy punches to deal with White’s shenanigans.”
Carsten Hansen, ChessCafe
“In Beating 1.d4 Sidelines, GM Boris Avrukh provides a compact opening reperoire for Black against 1.d4 byways such as the Torre Attack, the London System and the Colle System. These are precisely the systems that you and I encounter most frequently in tournament life and so the practical benefits of this book are correspondingly high…
An outstanding repertoire book, just as essential as the air that you breathe”!”
Martin Rieger, Rochade Europa
““As usual a good and detailed work. But even Avrukh cannot perform wonders against the Queen’s Pawn Openings.”
Harald Keilhack, “Schach”
“Readers who have already seen Avrukh’s two books on 1.d4 (written from White’s perspective) will know what to expect and they won’t be disappointed; this new book contains his usual excellent combination of analysis and prose explanations…
Black is provided with plenty of ammunition to declare war on the d4 systems and, armed with Avrukh’s weapons, 2.Nf3, 2.Bg5 et al may become welcome sights over the board, rather than openings one would wish to avoid. Highly recommended!”
Sean Marsh, CHESS magazine
