Kaufman's New Repertoire for Black and White

Book excerpt: Seven years after his acclaimed and bestselling The Kaufman Repertoire for Black and White, Grandmaster Larry Kaufman is back with his new repertoire book, covering the entire scope of chess openings in one volume. Two important developments made this new book necessary. Larry Kaufman, who routinely himself plays the lines he advocates to others, discovered that after 1.d4 (the recommendation in his previous book) it became nearly impossible to show a consistent advantage for White, especially against the Gruenfeld and the Nimzo/Ragozin defenses. The other factor was that chess engines have become so much stronger in recent years. Komodo, the top chess engine that computer expert Kaufman helped develop, is now able to apply the celebrated Monte Carlo Tree Search algorithm. With Komodo MCTS it is now possible to abandon lines that may be theoretically best against other computers, and instead choose lines that are likely to succeed in actual practice against strong human opponents. Larry Kaufman presents a completely new White repertoire with 1.e4 aiming for an objective advantage in the simplest practical manner. You are presented with two options, while you don't have to play the sharpest lines. The Black repertoire has been thoroughly revised and updated, with some crucial chapters replaced. Kaufman's New Repertoire for Black and White is the first opening book that is primarily based on Monte Carlo search. The highly original analysis has resulted in many improvements on existing theory. This is a ready-to-go and easy-to-digest repertoire with sound, practical lines that do not outdate rapidly and are suitable for masters while accessible for amateurs.