Fernandez Daniel. The Modernized Modern Defense

Thinkers Publishing, July 31, 2020. — 376 p. — ISBN13: 978-94-9251-088-4.The Modern Defence is not a solid opening. In fact, on some level maybe it's not an opening at all. It's the Wild West of chess opening theory, a safe haven for true chess lovers who are just spoiling for a fight. The structures that can result are almost unlimited in their variety and the potential for dynamic piece play is also huge. You need real passion to play it, and also the ability to work hard at the board. But it's also played at the very top: even the names Carlsen and Kramnik occur sometimes in these pages! This book is primarily intended for players who want to play the position after 1.e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 for Black. However, and inevitably for the computer age, there is also a strong focus on chess truth. That means there are also some recommendations for White that are not yet well-known in mainstream opening theory, and that the book has something to offer everyone.But can this cavalier, “chess is art” approach still work in the modern computer era? In this book, you will see how you can make it work. Drawing on a decade of his own experience using the Modern as one of his main weapons, Fernandez explains the concepts and theory in rigorous detail, all the while not forgetting that chess is to be played for fun.GM Daniel Fernandez (b.1995) is the leader of a promising generation of English chess players. He won several national under-18 and under-21 titles and has since coached other players to do the same. During his masters' degree he has also become known for his work as an author. He is a regular columnist at ChessPublishing and this is his second book for Thinkers, the first being The Modernized Caro-Kann (2018.)