THE CHEBANENKO SLAV According to Bologan
Author: Victor Bologan
New In Chess (2008)
238 pages
$29.95
Reviewed by Jeremy Silman

After raving about grandmaster Bologan’s previous book (VICTOR BOLOGAN SELECTED GAMES 1985-2004 – click HERE to see my review of that wonderful book), I was very happy to see something new by the super GM. However, unlike the very personal book mentioned above (which can be enjoyed by everyone from 1200 to professional), this is an advanced theoretical work about an odd looking line in the Slav that’s become extremely popular: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6.

As a Slav aficionado, I’ve been following the ups and downs of this system for quite some time. The first book that took a systematic look at this odd little move of the a-pawn was Glenn Flear’s THE …a6 SLAV, which appeared in 2003. After that the line really took off, and the theory has grown in ways that nobody would have thought possible a few years ago. THE CHEBANENKO SLAV fills the literary void that this growth spurt has created.

The introduction, all 17 pages of it (!), is excellent reading. It tells us how this line was created, how the players that championed it fared, and how its new advocates are still raking in points. Clearly, the Chebanenko is a system that will be around for a long time to come. Excerpts from REVOLUTION IN THE 1970’s by Kasparov, SCHOOL OF CHESS EXCELLENCE 4 by Dvoretsky, and Gavrikov’s article A NEW SYSTEM IN THE SLAV DEFENCE flesh things out and serve to give us several highly interesting perspectives.

Once the Introduction ends, the gloves come off and things become very serious. This is no “Starting Out” tome, this is an expansive look at the …a6 system filled with hardnosed, no nonsense analysis. Each of the five “Parts” encompasses several chapters. And each chapter begins with a brief discussion of the subject, then leaps into a dense, “let’s leave nothing out” analysis, and ends with an overall conclusion.

The chapters:
PART ONE: Various Replies on Move 5 (Chapter 1: The Exchange 5.cxd5, Chapter 2: The Cunning 5.h3, Chapter 3: The Uncommon 5.Qc2, Chapter 4: Pressure on Black’s Pawns 5.Qb3, Chapter 5: Catalan-Style: 5.g3, Chapter 6: Developing 5.Bf4, Chapter 7: The Rare 5.Bg5)

PART TWO: Inserting 5.a4 e6 (Chapter 8: Catalan-Style g3, Chapter 9: The Timid 6.e3, Chapter 10, Pinning 6.Bg5)

PART THREE: The Insidious 5.Ne5 (Chapter 11: The Forcing 5…b5, Chapter 12: The Main Move 5…e6, Chapter 13: The Exchange 5…dxc4, Chapter 14: Chebanenko’s Favourite 5…Nbd7)

PART FOUR: The Solid 5.e3 (Chapter 15: Minor Replies 6.cxd4 and 6.b3, Chapter 16: Seizing Space 6.c5 & Various, Chapter 17: Seizing Space 6.c5 Nbd7)

PART FIVE: The Strategic 5.c5 (Chapter 18: The Provocation 5…Bg4, Chapter 19: The Rare 5…g6, Chapter 20: The Sortie 5…Bf5, Chapter 21: Flexibility 5…Nbd7 6.h3, Chapter 22: Flexibility 5…Nbd7 6.Bf4)

The book ends with twelve pages of practical examples, an Index of Variations, and an Index of Players.

Bologan’s THE CHEBANENKO SLAV stands head and shoulders above everything else on the subject, and is how I wish every advanced opening book would be written. A must own for anyone that plays (or has dreams of playing) the Slav with …a6, and anyone that meets this line as White.

Click to buy (or get more information about): THE CHEBANENKO SLAV - According to Bologan

Also by Bologan: VICTORY BOLOGAN SELECTED GAMES 1985-2004 ($28.95)

Flear’s book on the …a6 Slav (just $19.95) is also worth checking out: THE ...a6 SLAV

Also available are:

SCHOOL OF CHESS EXCELLENCE 4 (Dvoretsky)

PART ONE: REVOLUTION IN THE 70s (Kasparov)