Every chess player needs a high-quality answer to 1.e4, and there is nothing more reliable than 1...e5. Black stakes a claim in the centre and prepares to deploy his pieces on good squares. The challenge nowadays is to build a robust repertoire without being overwhelmed by the volume of material and continual advances in opening theory.

In Playing 1.e4 e5 – A Classical Repertoire, Nikolaos Ntirlis offers the best of both worlds: a complete repertoire against 1.e4, built on sound positional principles, which does not require excessive memorization. Against the Spanish the author recommends the Breyer System, one of ... Read morethe most stable, computer-proof options at Black’s disposal. The Scotch, Italian, Four Knights and various other sidelines and gambits are handled with the same clarity and efficiency.