This book - the first in a brand new series - follows on from "My Great Predecessors" and sees chess legend Garry Kasparov reflecting on a pivotal time in chess history. Bobby Fischer's spurt towards the chess summit (1970-1972) marked the approach of a new era affecting all aspects of the game and opening theory in particular. Fischer demonstrated the need for deep preparation with both colours, expanded the range of openings knowledge, and laid the foundations for present-day professional chess. The leader of the new generation, Anatoly Karpov, fully reaped the benefits of the Fischer revolution by mastering the lessons of his great predecessor. Of the players of the older generation, only Victor Korchnoi was able to achieve such a high level of professionalism. Alas, Fischer then left the chess stage. However, the tectonic shifts he had brought about led to the beginning of a genuine revolution in opening theory - a revolution that overturned traditional impressions about many typical positions. Between 1972 and 1975 alone, progress in the field of opening theory was more significant than in the entire preceding decade! Under Fischer's influence chess was radically regenerated - a process which then continued to accelerate. As a result, from the 1972 Fischer-Spassky world championship match to 1984 and the Kasparov-Karpov matches, the overall picture of chess openings changed almost beyond recognition. This fascinating book tells the story of this opening revolution. This story is told not only with the insight of Garry Kasparov, but also as seen through the eyes of the leading players who were at the forefront of the development of chess theory during those key years. The reader will witness at first hand how rapidly and inexorably chess development approached the coming computer era.
Foreword: Era of Great Changes 1. 'Hedgehog' System(Game Nos.1-9) 2. Chelyabinsk Variation (Game Nos.10-29) Monologues by Evgeny Sveshnikov and Gennady Timoshchenko 3.Najdorf Variation (Game Nos.30-41) 4. Dragon Variation (Game Nos.42-49) 5. Classical Scheveningen (Game Nos.50-61) 6. Neo-Scheveningen without ...a7-a6 149 7. In the Sicilian Labyrinths 8. Main Variation of the Grunfeld Defence (Game Nos.62-82) 9. The 'Hungarian' Grunfeld 10. Caro-Kann with 4 ... Bf5 (Game Nos.83-86) 11. Caro-Kann with 3 e5 (Game Nos.87-90) 12. Sicilian 2 c3 13. French with 3 e5 14. Zaitsev Variation of the Ruy Lopez (Game Nos.91-95) 15. Arkhangelsk Variation of the Ruy Lopez 16. Metamorphoses of the Nimzo-Indian Defence (Game Nos.96-99) 17. Queen's Indian Defence with 4 a3 (Game Nos.100-101) 18. Queen's Gambit Accepted with 3 e4 (Game No.102) 19. Semi-Slav Circle 20. Sergey Makarichev's Triptych 21. The Chebanenko Line 22. Volga Gambit 23. Odds and Ends 24. The Opinions of 28 World Experts Epilogue Index of Complete Games
