Yes but when in July?

Approximately when should this book be published?

This is why I was asking for more coverage of the 3...Be7 variation in the 1.d4 d5 section.  Black is looking so solid in the Bg5 main lines that I was wondering how best to pose Black problems in the QGD.  Perhaps answering 3...Be7 with 4.cxd5 isn't best either but if not then what?

Ametanoitos wrote on 06/25/11 at 10:59:46:


When was the last time when 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 was played in a world championship match??

Smyslov_Fan wrote on 06/25/11 at 21:54:02:


I don't think that one book by one 2500-ish GM advocating a certain repertoire for White can really be said to have shown such a thing.

Whatever the arguments about this variation or that, I welcome a new book on the QGD. Frankly I have been fed up to the teeth with constant coverage (on chesspublishing for example) of Chebanenko Slavs, Merans, Slavs, and various other mixtures. The literature is still missing a decent book on the good old QGD (Jangava is a bit like the telephone book and Sadler a bit too basic and the Socratic dialogue gets annoying) and hopefully this is it.

F22's point is valid. The elites (2700+) gravitate more towards 3...Be7 than 3...Nf6 by a landslide, especially recently.

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding.

However, it's Cox's book and I'm sure he makes a good argument for the lines he chose - so who cares, really?

@F22: The "problem" is that you are sure that 3...Be7 is best when great specialist aren't! Rowson said somewhere that the better player you are the less sure you get about some chess positions. I had the same strong opinions some years back. My advice: be less sure. Anyway....

I'm a big big fan of Mr Cox. I have every book he has written and this one will be in my collection for sure. 

As a chess coach i tried many times to make those ...e5 lines work (in Lasker) , especialy the ...e5-e4 stuff that were recommended by GM McDonald in his Starting Out book. I always thought that the IQP lines are very dangerous. Now i have second thoughts about the theoretical assesment, but i am not yet convinced that in practice Black will not suffer. I'll work more on this and i'll share with you my thoughts (if you are interested for those!)

I also liked this ...Nh5 system in the exchange  especialy when i saw Shandorff's book paying little respect in that line. The "problem" that i found and kept me away was that if White plays a move order with Bd3 and not Qc2 i cannot play that ...Nh5 idea. I hope (i can say that i am sure) that Mr Cox solved this. I'll soon find out when i get his book at my hands.

I always advice people that want to take up the Tarrasch QG at their repertoire to have a QGD variation as a back-up line as a weapon that they can use 100 years from now. Seeing at last a good book on it is fantastic news.