Winning Chess Middlegames

"Sokolov covers his material deeply, offering not glib generalities but very specific insights and explanations. Great Games, marvelous analysis."

"I recommend this book to everyone who, coming out of the opening more or less ok, doesn't know how to proceed."

"This structured approach is quite instructive as often players choose their opening repertoire according to quite haphazard criteria, randomly picking up lines without giving serious consideration to how the resulting middle games would suite them (..) Invaluable tools for any player."

"Terrific instructional content and great games."

"A pioneering effort from Ivan Sokolov that will benefit players of all levels, including masters."

"An extraordinarily instructive book and indispensable instruction material for d4-players."

"The author skilfully unearths the main ideas and pivotal moments in structures that continuously recur. I like his verbal notes which tend to be very clear and, indeed, instructive."

"The lucid and informative explanations convey a large amount of genuine Grandmasterly wisdom. This is easily one of the best middlegame books of recent times."

"Using 45 model games, which includes a nice balance of analysis and prose, Sokolov explains the pros and cons of each structure. A great book."

"A major achievement by Sokolov. Where opening books stop, this book continues."

"Sokolov, who writes clearly and directly, shows the kind of tactical and strategic play appropriate to a wide range of middlegame pawn positions."

"I recommend it to anyone interested in Nimzo-Indian and Queen's Gambit pawn structures - which should be pretty much everyone interested in chess, of course. The book contains fantastic, personal and sincere views of chess and game analysis."

"Sokolov's appreciation of the nuances of pawn play provides much useful material for aspiring club players, since a structured approach helps resolve many dilemmas which recur regularly in practical play."