Be prepared

Last week I wrote about Cyrus Lakdawala’s new book, which provides an aggressive repertoire based on the solid move 1 d4. This week I focus on what might be termed a companion volume by the experienced chess coach grandmaster Neil McDonald, Coach Yourself (Everyman Chess), which aims to provide a training programme for those who wish to seriously improve their results. McDonald’s book is packed with essential tips on teaching yourself to calculate, honing your feel for the initiative, and practising planning. It is thoroughly recommended for club players or anyone who has decided that it is time to put up a fight against the chess app on their phone. The following game is an excellent illustration of how to seize the initiative by opening lines of attack.
 
Malakhov-Predojevic: Croatian League 2017; Queen’s Pawn Game
 
1 Nf3 d5 2 e3 Nf6 3 c4 e6 4 d4 b6 5 b3 Bb7 6 Bd3 Nbd7 7 0-0 Bd6 8 Bb2 0-0 9 Nbd2 Ne4 10 cxd5 exd5 11 Ne5 Qe7 12 f4 Nxd2 13 Qxd2 Nf6 14 Qe2 Ne4 15 Bxe4 dxe4 16 f5 Qg5 (see diagram 1) Malakhov has to decide how to build up his initiative.