One of the important issues players face 8211 both relatively inexperienced ones at the beginning of their career as well as seasoned ones as they realize their chess craves change 8211 is choosing an opening repertoire As a player and a coach, I have seen many approaches to this question, both remarkable and mistaken Some players believe that the opening is something to ignore, that everything is decided in the middlegame Others think that studying opening traps is what wins games Some tend to follow their favorite worldclass players recommendations, while others like to sidestep wellknown opening theory early on, preferring unpopular sidelines To me, opening choice is about all those decisions I think that many openings are good there are some dubious ones, but they can also yield formidable results overall or in specific situations if chosen and handled carefully I firmly believe that your opening repertoire should mostly be based on your playing style and other personal traits, such as memory and work ethic It is important to evaluate yourself as well as your strengths and weaknesses properly in order to be able to build the right repertoire that would not only suit you well, but also improve your overall chess The little detail, though, is in the word 8220mostly8221 Namely, I firmly believe that there are a few classical, rocksolid openings with an impeccable reputation, such as 1 e4 e5 as a response to 1 e4 or the Queens Gambit and Nimzo as an answer to 1 d4 that players of all styles and standards should try, no matter what their style is This will enable players to learn, appreciate and practice some of the key chess values, such as the importance of space, lack of weaknesses, bad pieces, and comfortable development and so on 8211 you name it I, myself, started out as a keen Sicilian player Just like all youngsters, I cheerfully enjoyed complications, tactical massacres and everything else that the Sicilian is all about However, as I was developing as a player, my style was changing also Eventually, I realized I was much more successful with positional play, so it was time to change the outfit 8211 and 1 e4 e5 suited me well I have used this move as a response to 1 e4 nearly exclusively in recent years, both versus weaker and stronger opposition, with fantastic results If only other openings would grant me such results as well I have not only studied these variations myself but have also shown them to numerous private students To be frank, we have almost always concentrated on Whites most dangerous possibilities, such as the Ruy Lopez, Italian and Scotch Occasionally, we have also analysed the sidelines 8211 either as a part of preparation for specific opponents or to make sure my students become more universal players and gain more allround knowledge Eventually, I realized that the knowledge I gained from 1 e4 e5 can and should be shared with more players, and this is how my book came to life Of course, the readers will differ, so there is a no 8220onesizefitsall8221 solution But, I have carefully and diligently tried to achieve the same goal I used when working with my students: to keep my recommendations both theoretically sound as well as practical and accessible I expect not only titled players but club players and the less experienced readers to equally benefit from this book So, sometimes you will find razorsharp novelties, but in many cases, we will rely on positional understanding, typical structures and standard ideas I believe the opening is not all about memorization, so I have taken a different approach from many authors by keeping the balance between recommending objectively good variations as well as making sure an adequate amount of work will suffice to get you started You wont need to spend years studying the material, fearing there is still much more to learn 1 e4 e5 is not just an opening It is repertoire that represents our game as a whole It is something players of all styles will enjoy due to the countless possibilities 1 e5 provides Hopefully, learning 1 e5 will also make you a better player And, finally, I hope the book you are now holding in your hands will not only give you joy but illustrate a passion for chess with the variations presented in this work