101 Chess Opening Surprises

101 Chess Opening Surprises by Burgess, Graham. paperback edition. ISBN: 9781901983029.

Most chess players are fed a set of dogmatic rules about how the opening must be played. The result: stereotyped, unimaginative play. The opening surprises in this book land like bombshells in the apparent calm of standard openings and disorientate your opponents as they grapple with original problems. This book is a treasure-trove of unusual ideas at an early stage of the opening, yet running against the grain of conventional play. Each idea has quick-strike potential and is supported by enough concrete analysis to enable you to try it with confidence. All major openings are covered. There are surprises for both White and Black, deeply researched and up-to-date. Each idea is assessed in terms of its soundness and its ability to surprise and shock. A thought-provoking introduction examines the underlying concepts of opening play and considers how the standard principles need to be modified in the light of the highly combative handling of the opening now favoured by the worlds top players.