What matters in the opening? What plans are on hand? Which (hidden) concepts are concealed in a position that has arisen just after the opening?Volume 2 of renowned trainer
Herman Grooten's new series seeks to answer these questions and help 1.d4 players acquire the necessary understanding of standard positions.
It is all about... understanding before moving, rather than just moving automatically.
Grooten says:
In my view the average club player will be more pleased with an opening book in which a profusion of ideas is offered. If this is also structured, you can hope that the readers will acquire the necessary understanding of standard positions. On the basis of this guideline, developing an opening repertoire could easily turn into a pleasant pastime.
Together with my Belgian chess pal Daniel Vanheirzeele, the owner of Thinkers Publishing, I have been enabled to discuss the backgrounds of openings in a much more detailed manner, something I couldn’t do in my article series because of the lack of space.
Volume 1 of Grooten's series explored
1.e4 Italian and Ruy Lopex structures.
But Volume 2 is all about Queen's Gambit-type structures.
This is not an opening theory course, or a tactics course, it is an opening strategy course conceived to boost your understanding of the fundamentals.
Plans and underlying concepts arising after the initial moves
In it, Grooten promises to take the average club player from everyday openings and into the subtle, nuanced world of grandmaster chess.
He explores pawn structures and practical examples with overviews of all the main scenarios a 1.d4 players will face.
Grooten's method is to avoid resorting to complex trees of variations, and instead help club players formulate a thorough and robust structure which they can use to improve their game.
So enjoy the ride.
