Two great books from the Everyman Chess Library, Play the Grunfeld by
Yelena Dembo and Play the Sicilian Kan by Johann Hellsten, brought
together in one volume The Grünfeld is an exciting and dynamic answer to
1 d4, and has become very popular at all levels of chess. A major reason
for this is that it has been a long-time favourite of the World's
strongest-ever chess player, Garry Kasparov. The Grünfeld very much
relies on the principles of the hypermodern school of chess: Black
allows White to erect an impressive-looking centre on the assumption
that in the long run it could prove to be more of a liability than an
asset. Play often becomes very complex and tactical, one of the reasons
the Grünfeld appeals to ambitious players. In Play the Grünfeld,
however, opening expert Yelena Dembo circumvents this problem by
producing a comprehensive and yet workable repertoire for Black,
offering a solution against each of White's tries, whether it's a
critical main line or a tricky sideline. After reading this book, you
will have the required knowledge and confidence to begin playing the
Grünfeld in your own games. The Kan is an ideal choice as an opening
weapon against 1 e4, as it one of the easiest variations of the Sicilian
to learn and play.The Kan is relatively theory free in the traditional
sense, and success is more likely to occur through the understanding of
development systems and a deep study of the tactical and positional
ideas for both sides. In this book Johan Hellsten draws upon his vast
experience in the Sicilian Kan, revealing his secrets and showing how
Black can adopt this opening and play it with confidence. He provides
the reader with a dependable repertoire, demonstrating what to do in the
main lines as well as how to deal with White's tricky alternatives.
