HE CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS may not be the first book ever written on this opening (I believe Eric Schiller has this honor), but it is clearly the most comprehensive. The authors do give 30 pages to attempts by White to avoid the Cambridge Springs (primarily the Exchange variation), but the bulk of the book is about the position arising after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.Nf3 c6 6.e3 Qa5.

This is a truly American opening. Named after the Western Pennsylvanian resort where it was tested three times in 1904, the opening was first played by Emanuel Lasker against Hodges in New York in 1892. Isaac Kashdan played the Cambridge Springs in the 1930s with great success, showing a particular fondness for the two Bishops he could obtain in the line 7.Nd2 dxc4. Yasser Seirawan has featured the Cambridge Springs in his repertoire for many years.

As the authors point out, one of the great virtues of this opening is both its solidity and counter-attacking potential. Many strong players opt to avoid it all together by taking earlier on d5. The Cambridge Springs can be reached by several different move-orders including a straight QGD (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6), via the Slav (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6) and even by a feint toward the Nimzo-Indian (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5). If you play the Nimzo, the latter move-order may be especially appealing as the Exchange variation loses its bite when White plays an early Nf3.

IM Panczyk and correspondence master Ilczuk cover the Cambridge Springs exhaustively. My one lament is that the more active systems with …Bb4, often played by Yusupov and Ivanchuk, are considered inferior to 7.Nd2 dxc4 and 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qd2 N7b6 which the authors consider satisfactory for Black.

The Cambridge Springs is that rare opening that can be played by players of a wide range of playing strength, from club enthusiast to Grandmaster.

Recommended.

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