Playing 1.e4 e5 - A Classical Repertoire by Nikolaos Ntirlis

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Every chess player needs a high-quality answer to 1.e4, and there is nothing more reliable than 1...e5. Black stakes a claim in the centre and prepares to deploy his pieces on good squares. The challenge nowadays is to build a robust repertoire without being overwhelmed by the volume of material and continual advances in opening theory.

In Playing 1.e4 e5 – A Classical Repertoire, Nikolaos Ntirlis offers the best of both worlds: a complete repertoire against 1.e4, built on sound positional principles, which does not require excessive memorization. Against the Spanish the author recommends the Breyer System, one of the most stable, computer-proof options at Black’s disposal. The Scotch, Italian, Four Knights and various other sidelines and gambits are handled with the same clarity and efficiency.

Nikolaos Ntirlis is an opening expert and adviser to numerous GMs. He is an avid researcher, and in this book he draws on masterly insights from chess legends such as Capablanca and Smyslov, as well as the latest analytical tools that modern technology has to offer.

Praise for the author’s previous work:
“I thought I knew a fair amount about the Tarrasch, but after reading this book, I was amazed/aghast at how much I didn’t know!” GM Matthew Sadler, New in Chess

ISBN: 978-1-78483-014-4 - 384 pages - Published 3 February 2016

ChessPublishing Opening Book of the Year 2016

Reviews

"It’s a guide that is both practical and theoretically robust, and it will be of interest to grandmaster readers as well as amateurs.

Overall, I found the book to be thorough, high-quality and surprisingly easy to read. I say ‘surprisingly’ because, as I mentioned, I half-expected Ntirlis’ correspondence background to hamper his efforts to recommend a practical repertoire, but he’s really done a good job. Despite having read several books on 1…e5, this is the first that almost convinced me to take it up myself. And who knows…!

Four stars"

GM David Smerdon (full review)

"Overall, this is one of the best books I've ever held in my hands."

IM Dirk Schuh

"Playing 1.e4 e5: A Classical Repertoire is well organized and well written... Ntirlis offers plenty of explanatory prose to explain the main ideas for both sides. Highly Recommended."

IM John Donaldson

"The proposed lines, drawn from the Two Knights complex and Breyer, are certainly sharp and principled, but they are not outlandishly so. Ntirlis has read everything relevant, cites most of it, and distills the typical plans brilliantly... This is a very advanced book, but for those looking for a one-stop solution to 1.e4, it might be just what the doctor ordered."

John Hartmann, Chess Life