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.

The Grünfeld Defence is one of the most aggressive openings at Black's disposal. He creates immediate imbalance and plans to strike at White's centre with all available resources. An insipid response from White may not even retain equality, so in the main lines he takes up the gauntlet: he creates a large pawn-centre and puts this to use to launch an attack. While the theory of these lines has been extensively developed, there is a coherent logical thread running through them: the Grünfeld is essentially an opening of grand ideas, which need to be understood well in order to get to grips with the theory and handle the resulting positions. This book provides a discussion of all major lines, and a special contribution from Viacheslav Eingorn on the key ideas of the Rb1 Exchange main line, which he was instrumental in developing in the 1970s and 1980s.

International Master Valentin Bogdanov has over thirty years' experience as a chess trainer, and is from Ukraine. His pupils include Moskalenko, Savchenko and Drozdovsky, and he has acted as a second for the well-known grandmaster and theoretician Viacheslav Eingorn since the late 1970s.

Download a pdf file with a sample from the book.

"...aims, through 25 instructive annotated games, to unlock and explain many ideas behind the rich and fascinating Grünfeld Defence, 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5." - GM Paul Motwani, The Scotsman

"Good general commentary... and also all White players starting 1 d4 and 2 c4 need to keep an eye on this book" - Bab Wilders, Nederlands Dagblad

"If you like aggression when you play black then this book is for you. It creates immediate imbalance and again it is crucial to know how to handle this opening as white too." - Carl Portman, Defence Focus

"A successful and thus recommendable work" - Uwe Bekemann, Deutscher Fernschachbund

"... the author treats the theory in this theory-heavy opening lightly. Rather he focuses on explaining all major plans and ideas in the various lines. ... I find this book to be the best on this opening for an audience rated below 2000. It is very detailed yet very broad in its coverage, and it covers everything that is important to know about for players on either side of the board in this opening." - Carsten Hansen, www.chesscafe.com

"I felt that Bogdanov does a good job of explaining key ideas, with plenty of text, while at the same time summing up contemporary Grandmaster thinking on the Grünfeld very well. The games are 'up to date' and the thematic nature of Grünfeld play means that it is very easy to use this as a 'one stop' guide to playing the Grünfeld." - Munroe Morrison, Open File

"...as someone who has quite an interest in this opening, I think this book has definite worth and I think it provides a good up to date explanation of an amazing defence to 1.d4!" - GM-elect Stephen Gordon, 3Cs Chess

"Extensive explanations and references during the games, peppered with important analysis, result in a feast among openings books" - Martin Rieger, www.freechess.info

"After the reading this book, my fingers are itching to play the Grünfeld again. Who cares if I don't know all the details? I may not be a professional, but at least I'll feel like one if I play the Grünfeld. And I'll definitely have a great time, which for most chess players is all that matters." - Arne Moll, www.chessvibes.com

"The balance between analysis and prose explanation is a tricky one to maintain, especially with something as theoretical as the Grünfeld. Consequently, some of the analytical lines turn out on the long side but on the whole this is a useful guide to a dangerous opening." - Sean Marsh, marshtowers.blogspot.com

"A very high quality openings book!" - John Elburg, chessbooks.nl

"I found the introductory comments to each chapter ... readily comprehensible and provided enough initial information to get an immediate idea of what both Black and White are trying to achieve. Then in playing through the games I was struck by the high proportion of explanatory text ... [the author has] tried to stick to the ethos of the series in not giving too many side-lines and variations, though of course it is impossible to annotate games without looking at alternative variations at some point. ... high marks for sticking to the task in hand. ... highly readable and informative ... an ideal starting point for anyone seeking a new defence to 1 d4." - Alan Sutton, En Passant

Gambit books by Bogdanov: Chess Explained: The French (Eingorn & Bogdanov), Chess Explained: The Grünfeld, Play the Alekhine.