Play 1...d6 Against Everything

The average club player doesn’t need to study hundreds of pages of chess opening theory. Understanding structures and finding tactics are much more important than memorizing variations.

Renowned German chess trainers Erik Zude and Jörg Hickl have created an ideal club player’s repertoire for Black. This compact manual presents a set of lines that is conveniently limited in scope, yet varied, solid and complete.

The core repertoire is based on lines that the authors have successfully played at (grand)master level for decades: the Antoshin Variation of the Philidor Defence against 1.e4 and the Old-Indian Defence against 1.d4. There is only a limited number of plans, ideas and structures that you need to learn, and very few forcing variations.

You will develop your position with a sequence of strong standard moves and start your highly effective counterplay. Zude and Hickl provide common sense guidance, explain all typical characteristics and give practical examples.

If you have an Elo rating between 1400 and 2200, you don’t need to look further because you can Play 1..d6 Against Everything!


Jörg Hickl is an International Grandmaster, a former German Champion and a highly experienced chess trainer. Erik Zude is an International Master from Germany and a trainer of juniors and club players.

Uwe Bekemann, German Correspondence Chess Federation:
“Very useful for club players and casual players looking for a well-explained and complete opening repertoire.”

Michael Mkpadi, ChessHot:
“What is surprising about this book is that it manages to cover a vast area of White first moves and transpositions into the 1…d6 system, but doesn’t feel like it (..) It was written as ‘a compact and ready-to-use Black repertoire’. This aim it achieves and goes far beyond.”

Elburg Chess Reviews:
“A very finely made repertoire book.”

Schaakmagazine:
“The book is aimed at club players and the authors consider knowing what you must play more important than a small advantage for White.”

IM John Donaldson:
“Many non-professionals are looking for a way to reach a playable middlegame without having to know a huge amount of theory, and the lines the authors advocate fit the bill. This is a perfect book for the club player who has limited study time.”

CHESS Magazine (UK):
“A compact little work, aiming to get the club player up and running pretty quickly.”