Modernized Berlin Wall Defense

Pridyadharshan Kannappan

Sample pages (pdf)

The Berlin Defence to the Ruy Lopez is one of the most popular openings among world class players. After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 Black can play a completely sound opening based mainly on understanding rather than memorizing theory. Many opening books make this claim, but the lack of forcing lines in the Berlin mean that, in this case, it is true.

Pridyadharshan Kannappan has palyed the Berlin for most of his chess life and here he shares his understanding of pawn structures and piece play in the, often queenless, positions which arise. The book examines all White's move 4 options as well as the main lines and the famous "Berlin Endgame" positions. It also includes 100 instructive games in the Berlin Defence.

From the author:
"When I set out to write this book, I was clear on certain aspects, like keeping the moves simple and giving as much explanation as possible at the critical moments, as I wanted to ensure that someone interested in learning the intricacies of the Berlin doesn’t get swamped by long theoretical lines, but acquires a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the positions. If you manage to grasp the dynamics of these lines, then you can play not just the systems recommended in the book, but also other popular Berlin variations that have not been covered in this book for the Black side."

Published 2019, softback, 216 pages.