Three classic titles from the Everyman Chess Starting Out Series in one
volume. Starting Out: Queen's Gambit Accepted by Alexander Raetsky and
Maxim Chetverik; Starting Out: Queen's Gambit Declined by Neil McDonald;
Starting: Slav Semi Slav by Glenn Flear. The Queen's Gambit Accepted
(QGA) is Black's simplest way of dealing with one of White's most
fashionable openings, the Queen's Gambit. Black grabs the gambit pawn
and thus refuses to succumb to the passive positions so typical of the
Queen's Gambit Declined. This direct and uncompromising way of playing
gives rise to dynamic positions where both sides have excellent chances
to play for the win. It's no surprise that the QGA has attracted many
high-class advocates, including Garry Kasparov and Vishy Anand. The
Queen's Gambit Declined is an opening of great historical importance and
Black's fundamental answer to 1 d4. From the very first move Black
obtains a firm foothold in the centre, something that White finds
extremely hard to undermine. Indeed, Black often bases his entire
strategy around this control. The soundness of the Queen's Gambit
Declined has never been in question, and its supporters at the highest
level include a long list of Grandmasters headed by Kasparov, Kramnik,
Karpov and Short, as well as many World Champions from the past. The
very closely linked Slav and Semi-Slav Defences are two of the most
popular and combative openings that Black can play against the Queen's
Gambit. They have provided the battleground for thousands of exciting
encounters between the world's chess elite, including Garry Kasparov,
Vishy Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Alexei Shirov and Alexander Morozevich.
Players of all levels are attracted to the Slav and the Semi-Slav
because they are solid, dependable defences that do, however, promise
abundant possibilities for dynamic counterplay.
