Reviewed by P.P.O. Kane
The Ultimate Anti-Grunfeld
A Saemisch Repertoire
By Dmitry Svetushkin
Chess Stars
2013, ISBN: 9789548782944
For the player who opens with 1.d4, Svetushkin provides a way of meeting the two main Indian defences. The Grunfeld is met by 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3, the typical sequence being 3…d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nb6 6.Nc3 and so on: White gets his usual pawn centre but, unlike in the Exchange Grunfeld, knights are kept on the board. Anand has used this system with success, so too has Grischuk, Svidler and others. Against the King’s Indian, White steers the game into the Samisch (3…Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nc3, etc.). These
defences, the chief focus of the book, make up about three quarters of it. As for the rest, lines related to the Benoni and Benko are covered (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 c5 4.d5 and now 4…d6 or 4…b5). Rare moves like 3…Nc6 and the sharp 3…e5!? 4.dxe5 Nh5 are examined too.
One tends to trust Svetushkin’s analyses and judgements, not least because he has about a decade’s worth of experience of playing these lines. This is a well worked out, very thorough and up-to-date study of several related opening variations.
About the reviewer: P.P.O. Kane lives and works in Manchester, England. He welcomes responses to his reviews and you can reach him at ludic@europe.com