Chess Explained: The Main-Line Slav (Queen's Gambit)

A Gambit Classic Reissue: Exploring the dynamics of an intricate and robust opening

"Something I like about Vigorito is that he's top notch at pointing the reader to positions he thinks will be important for future games." - GM Stephen Gordon, 3Cs Chess

The Main-Line Slav is one of the key battlegrounds of modern chess, with adherents among all levels of chess-players. It is notoriously difficult for White to prove any advantage against Black's solid set-up, while the lack of symmetry in the position provides scope for creative players to obtain winning chances with either colour.

This book discusses all major lines following the moves 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4. There are many strategic directions the play can take: sometimes the centre is blasted open and piece-play dominates, while in other cases the centre becomes fixed, or remains dynamic well into the middlegame. Vigorito dissects the most important themes and nuances, placing them firmly in the context of the practical struggle, making sure that readers will be familiar with the resources at their disposal, and understand when to employ them.

Chess Explained books provide an understanding of an opening and the middlegames to which it leads, enabling you to find the right moves and plans in your own games. It is as if you were sitting at the board with a chess coach answering your questions about the plans for both sides, the ideas behind particular moves, and what specific knowledge you need to have.

David Vigorito is an International Master from the United States. He plays regularly in high-level competitions, including the US Championship. He has written extensively for a variety of publications and is a chess teacher. He is also the author of Understanding the Marshall Attack.

"This handy book contains from my point of view everything that one must know to play the Slav, especially the main lines" - Uwe Bekemann, bdf-fernschachbund

"Vigorito always gives clear explanations and evaluations making it easy for the reader to get to grips with the material. Reading this book will prove very rewarding for players wanting to get to grips with main-line Slav positions for either White or Black!" - GM Stephen Gordon, 3Cs Chess

"I recommend the book personally because of the abundance of analysis and suggestions, nearly indispensable as a first step for setting up a super-solid opening repertoire." - Martin Rieger, freechess

"It is important to remember that the point of the book (of the 'Chess Explained' series as a whole actually) is to provide the reader with a fundamental overview of the opening, to set in place the ideas, principles, and foundations for further learning. Where this is concerned, IM Vigorito does extremely well. He writes more than competently, and with authority on his subject. In the games I examined, I found a nice balance between verbal commentary and variation analysis. Though experienced with the Slav, I found his conclusions and advice objective and with a wish to respect individual choice and tastes. I myself find this very important in a chess book, especially when it concerns an opening." - John Lee Shaw, johnleeshawonline