“So a couple of gripes there, but they shouldn’t detract too much from the excellence of the book in general. Viewed in the light of the French sun (37C and rising!) this was worth 4 stars!”

GM Mathew Sadler, New in Chess

“I am highly recommending this series – I had used so many of these lines and have gotten good positions in virtually all the time where I have tested the theory coverage from these books. Shaw’s writing style is fun to read, with flecks of dry humour littered throughout the book… these books have attained ‘must-have’ status for all 1.e4 players.”

IM Kevin Goh (full review)

“This massive book – which could, quite easily, have been split into three volumes – comes dangerously close to swamping the reader with too much information. However, Shaw’s skill as an author keeps things from tipping too far.

The book is structured very well and the conclusions at the end of each chapter are very welcome, allowing the reader to consolidate some of the material in an orderly and succinct fashion.”

Sean Marsh, CHESS

Reviews of the author’s previous work:

“John Shaw’s long-awaited Magnum Opus The King’s Gambit is an impressively objective attempt at covering one of the sharpest openings.”
GM Michael Adams, Daily Telegraph

“The King’s Gambit is a fantastic publication that is clearly the result of a tremendous amount of work by Shaw, for which he deserves immense credit.”
GM David Smerdon, ChessVibes

“It took the author five years to write this book… It’s truly a work of love.”
GM Hans Ree, New in Chess