If my e-mail is any indication, the average player spends more time trying to figure out just what the heck a repertoire is (or should be) than anything else. For those players, John Emms’ new book just might be the answer to their prayers – or at least their primary question.

Repertoire books have been a chess publishing staple for the past decade, and there are some excellent efforts – but they usually involve creating a black, rather than white, repertoire. This can probably be attributed to the fact that some black defenses are relatively forcing or can be played against a variety of white set-ups. For example, the Modern with 1...g6 is playable against every plausible first move. Other forms of the repertoire book concentrate on providing a complete defense against one particular white opening move. Watson’s PLAY THE FRENCH and Silman’s WINNING WITH THE SICILIAN DEFENSE (to see Watson’s review of this book, click HERE) are excellent examples of the best of this genre.

The dearth of strong white repertoire books may relate to the wide variety of defenses that the black player can throw up against the most popular white first moves, 1.e4 and 1.d4. It’s not surprising that one of the better white repertoire offerings, Kosten’s THE DYNAMIC ENGLISH (click to see reviews of this book by Silman and Watson), deals with the slightly less popular 1.c4.

Before discussing this repertoire book, it is useful to explain my criteria for scoring a repertoire book. Repertoire books are, by their nature, a coverage-balancing act. It is expected that all reasonable play for black will be answered, but it must be done so within a reasonable number of pages and in such a way that the reader is not overly inundated with information. After all, the point of a repertoire book is to put all the needed information into one place so that the player with less time to study can readily assimilate it.

In general, I believe that a well-done repertoire book develops a repertoire that is credible (the lines recommended are sound and/or suited to the general style developed), reasonable (the theory can be grasped by the target audience), and systematic (as much as possible the lines fit into similar patterns or characteristics).

ATTACKING WITH 1.e4 does a nice job of developing a useful repertoire that gives the first player winning chances without requiring the knowledge of a ton of theory. The lines recommended are relatively stable – it is unlikely that black is going to completely bust any of these white variations, which means that the book and the repertoire it develops will not go out of style. Finally, the author doesn’t try to over sell – reasonable black positions do occur from time to time in the analysis, and that is as it should be. Emms suggests that even in the relatively equal positions that can arise, white will have his share of the play, and that is about all you can ask for in most lines.

I’ve generally developed theory-limiting approaches in my personal opening repertoire, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how many of my own repertoire choices were incorporated into Emms’ work. For example, Emms recommends the Closed Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 followed by g3) lines with Be3 rather than f4, the Bishop’s Opening/King’s Gambit Declined systems (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 intending, if allowed, to play a later f4), the Exchange Alekhine’s (1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6), the King’s Indian Attack French (1.e4 e6 2.d3) and the Be3 lines against the Pirc (1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be3). As one who has played each of these as white, I think they provide the necessary opportunity for a white advantage while avoiding theory laden black lines after, say 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6/d6/e6 3.d4 or 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 or Nf6. Each chapter starts with a brief explanation of the variation chosen. The theory then is presented in tree fashion. While many books prefer to use the “illustrative games” method for presentation, I think the traditional tree provides more uniform coverage. Emms provides a reasonable amount of theory, enough to help a player learn the lines without turning the book into a tome. On occasion, the author provides more than one approach for white, but in general there is one specific line recommended.

I think the strength of the book lies in the repertoire Emms selects. The lines are durable and playable at every level. These are not obscure variations that must rely solely on surprise value to be effective.

There are no perfect repertoire books, and this is no exception. Emms believes that there is value in selecting differing types of lines, with various pawn structures and ways of conducting the play; while this provides variety, it may lead to situations where a player is not entirely comfortable with the structure. This is a matter of taste, of course, and if a player finds something that is absolutely unplayable to him, there are other places to look for lines against that specific defense. More critical, from my perspective, is a slight lack of explanation of the lines in question. A lot of variations are mostly moves, and there are not as many guideposts of how white is seeking to play as is necessary for some players. On the plus side, each chapter ends with a list of useful points that can help guide the white player's play.

Because of this, the group that might find this book most useful is the player who is already a bit more advanced but hasn’t taken the time to invest much effort in a repertoire. That might be a player of about 1600-1800 strength. It might also prove useful to a more advanced player looking for a “second string” white opening or repertoire.

In conclusion, John Emms has taken a shot at the most difficult type of repertoire book, and he has come pretty close to hitting a bulls-eye. The repertoire he develops should prove useful for the average player seeking a playable middlegame with reasonable prospects for success. While some players may find the book’s explanatory text to be a little on the short side, the quality of the theoretical coverage should prove useful for most players.

Click to see other reviews of this book by Donaldson and Watson.

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