The well-known grandmaster and theoretician Evgeny Sveshnikov has used the Closed Variation (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5) more than 150 times in tournament play with a score of more than 70%. Many theoretically important games have been excluded by the author from 'official' chess databases, and here they are exclusively published for the first time.

The present Volume 1 (Basic Course) contains the following main chapters:

- Historical overview of the Closed Variation;

- Plans for White and Black on the basis of thoroughly annotated games;

- A lesson on the blockade;

- 70 test positions: what would you play?

This two-volume work is intended for a broad range of chess enthusiasts. The author guarantees that anyone making a thorough study of the available material can expect an improvement in his playing strength in this system of approximately 200 Elo points.

Content:
006 Foreword by Anatoly Karpov

008 Introduction

010 Symbols

011 1 For and against 3. e5

024 2 The plans for each side, linked to the pawn structure

025 2.1 Attack on the king

042 2.2 Advantage in space and/or development, typical endgame

068 2.3 For and against the blockade, weak colour complex

082 2.4 Play on both wings

108 3 The many facets of the blockade

108 3.1 Aaron Nimzowitsch: theoretician, practical player and romantic

111 3.2 The classical blockade

119 3.3 The modern view of Nimzowitsch's theory

134 4 What would you play?

146 Check your solutions!

157 Appendix

157 Index of themes

158 Index of names

160 Index of games

175 Index of variations