“A good place for the reader to start is a preliminary chapter entitled ‘Structures and Strategy’. a sort of tutorial masked as the Introduction with plenty of aims and aspirations mixed in with some instructive dos and don’ts. Already you can appreciate Marin’s trademark positional synthesis that somehow clarifies to the reader even quite complex struggles…

So, summing up, the work is a modernized …Qe8 Leningrad monograph with far more explanatory text and high-level analysis than has ever been available before. If you desire an unbalanced struggle and are game for a fair dose of provocation, maybe this fascinating work could be for you?”

GM Glenn Flear, New in Chess Yearbook

“A two-volume work by the renowned author Mihail Marin, who is noted for his ability to clearly explain complex material.

The first volume is primarily devoted to the position arising after 1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 0-0 6.0-0 d6 7.Nc3 Qe8, with Black aiming to achieve …e5 – Marin explains Black’s strategic aims quite well in his lengthy introduction. Should he do so the second player will often reach a very good version of the King’s Indian. That the Leningrad happens to have much less theory than the K.I.D. is a bonus.

Those looking for an all-purpose answer to all of White’s major opening tries besides 1.e4 will find a repertoire based on the Leningrad Dutch fits the bill. Mihail Marin’s two volume series is the definitive guide.”

IM John Donaldson

“Marin’s coverage is unsurprisingly comprehensive, while featuring not just a number of new ideas for Black, but a wealth of strategic explanation.”

CHESS magazine

Praise for the author’s previous work:

“Beautifully written and inspirational” GM Luke McShane

“A typically lucid and thorough exposition from perhaps the most insightful and reliable chess author writing today.” GM Jonathan Rowson, New in Chess