1.e4 e5
1…e5 for Black
The classical answer to 1.e4, built for club players: the Giuoco Piano against the Italian, the Berlin against the Ruy Lopez, and a clear plan against every gambit and sideline.
1…e5 is the oldest answer to 1.e4 and still one of the best. Black puts a pawn in the centre straight away, opens lines for the queen and the dark-squared bishop, and meets White on equal terms.
Against 1…e5 club players throw everything at Black: the Italian, the Ruy Lopez, the Scotch, gambits like the Evans, the Danish and the King's Gambit, and early queen raids. This book gives one answer to each, built on three habits: develop a piece with every move, keep an eye on f7, and strike back in the centre with …d5 whenever White's play allows it.
The chapters follow how often you will meet each system. The Italian Game comes first, because it is the most common at club level, and it is free to read.
Chapters
- 1The Italian Game and the Evans GambitAfter 3.Bc4 Bc5 both sides aim at f7 and f2. Against c3 and d4 Black counterattacks e4; against the slow d3 systems, Black copies White's solid set-up and keeps the bishop on the a7–g1 diagonal.
- 2The Ruy Lopez: the Berlin3…Nf6, the Berlin Defence. Black counterattacks e4 instead of chasing the bishop, and in the main line heads for a queenless middlegame that White has struggled to break for over twenty years.
- 3The Scotch and the Centre GameWhen White opens the centre early with d4, Black takes and develops with threats: …Bc5 against the Scotch, …Nc6 against the queen in the Centre Game, and …d5 against the Danish Gambit.
- 4The Four Knights and the ViennaWhen White develops the queen's knight to c3 early, Black meets the bishop on c4 with the fork trick …Nxe4 and …d5, and the Vienna Gambit with …d5 straight away.
- 5The King's GambitTake the pawn with 2…exf4, then 3…d6, …h6 and …g5 to hold it. White gets an attack; Black gets an extra pawn and, if the attack fails, a won endgame.
- 6The Bishop's Opening and 2.Qh5Against 2.Bc4, hit e4 with …Nf6 and take over the centre with …c6 and …d5. Against the early queen, defend e5 and f7, then chase the queen with your pieces.
How this book was checked
Every move recommended for Black is within 0.3 pawns of Stockfish 18's first choice at depth 20. Every White reply played in at least 5% of club games is covered, checked against millions of Lichess blitz and rapid games between 1600 and 2000 rated players. Where several moves are equally sound, the book takes the one that scores best for Black at club level. Every mistake and trap shown is confirmed by the engine, and every number in a note comes from the engine, not from memory.