The Ruy Lopez is a perfectly fine choice for White after 1.e4 e5, but one that requires you to study the countless different setups and follow the continuously evolving theory. Karsten Müller and Georgios Souleidis present an alternative that is ideal for the average club player: a complete repertoire for White in the Italian Opening. This modern version of the age-old ‘Giuoco Piano’ with some innocent looking pawn moves, is not only popular at club level but is also regularly adopted by many strong Grandmasters including the very best, such as Magnus Carlsen and Anish Giri.
The set-up is based on sound principles and is easy to learn and understand. The Slow Italian may look innocent, but is actually full of venom, because White has a lot of options to create aggressive play by making natural looking moves. Müller and Souleidis have created a solid weapon that every amateur chess player will delight in playing. With a foreword by Anish Giri.