The Marshall Attack is a chess opening like no other. Rather than subjecting himself to the 'Spanish torture' so typical in the Ruy Lopez, Black simply gives away a centre pawn. But in return, he gets long-term attacking chances and activity that can persist well into the endgame.

It is almost a century since Frank Marshall invented his sensational gambit, but it is still controversial, and more popular than ever amongst the best players in the world. In their hands, the Marshall Attack looks remarkably solid - even if White neutralizes Black's attacking chances and remains a pawn up, Black often achieves full positional compensation.

However, the Marshall appears a forbidding opening to ordinary club players, who feel that the theory is too difficult to understand and much too complex to memorize. Many simply avoid it with both colours. That, argues David Vigorito, is a shame. He shows that many typical Marshall positions can be broken down into elements that we can all grasp, and so build up an intuition to guide us. Then we are able to tackle this incredible opening and develop a feel for why pieces go to the squares that they do, and when Black has sufficient compensation, and when he does not.

Of course, the Marshall remains a highly sharp and concrete opening, even to those who are versed in its unique brand of black magic. Vigorito provides detailed, cutting-edge theoretical coverage of all its main lines and the most important Anti-Marshall systems.

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. This is his second book for Gambit - see also Chess Explained: the Main-Line Slav.

Download a pdf file with a sample from the book.

"a book for players who are looking for a good weapon against the Spanish. The Marshall is dangerous and totally logical..." - Sthig Jonasson, Ålandstidningen

"... a high-quality monograph, and one that should enable most tournament players to improve their understanding of this opening." - GM Glenn Flear, New-in-Chess Yearbook

"The author has done an outstanding job of researching the material for this book."- Bill McGeary, www.chessville.com

"...a good summary of existing theory, and the author has taken care to track down often overlooked, but sometimes theoretically crucial correspondence games, and importantly there is a decent sized section on Anti Marshall lines that often crop up in practice." - GM Michael Adams, Daily Telegraph

"Suitable for Marshall players of all levels of skill and both colours" - IM Hedinn Steingrimsson, www.schach-welt.de

"...comprehensive coverage of both the gambit and White's various methods of avoiding the gambit on move 8, the so-called Anti-Marshall, the most important of which, 8 a4 and 8 h3, are each given a chapter of their own." - Alan Sutton, En Passant

"Vigorito has made an excellent name as a writer for his ability to break down complex opening systems and explain the plans and ideas behind them in a way that reaches a wide audience. ... highly recommended for players from 1800 on up to IMs/GMs" - IM John Donaldson

"The book has what it takes to become a reference work. Absolutely recommended." - Uwe Bekeman, Fernschachpost

"For anyone wishing to enhance their attacking capabilities, Gambit has a number of interesting books. The Marshall Attack gives Black a spectacular start by means of a pawn sacrifice. Also covered are the so-called Anti-Marshall systems. This is a real 'studieboek' on the opening" - Bab Wilders, Nederlands Dagblad

"The Marshall Attack continues to be popular with top-flight Grandmasters. This book's introduction name-checks a plethora of very strong players including Anand, Kramnik, Adams and Aronian. It's easy to see the appeal; Black sacrifices a pawn in the opening and gets to throw numerous pieces towards the enemy King. Club players often like to emulate their chess heroes when it comes to opening choices. ... This book is a worthy guide." - Sean Marsh, marshtowers.blogspot.com

"...one of those rare objective opening books not aimed at either Black or White, but just intended to give amateurs a good, solid overview and practical tips. ...well-written and has a clever setup. I really liked the 'recommendations' chapter, which contains useful practical advice" - Arne Moll, Chess Vibes