Cheparinov's 1.d4! Volume 1

This repertoire book is cutting-edge theory, recommending f3 for White against the fianchetto systems. In fact, at the time of writing this column, Ding and Nepomniachtchi fought out a theoretical line analysed in depth in this book. There is a tremendous amount of original ideas and analysis in this book. I was intrigued what Cheparinov recommended against Ivan Ivanisevic's in the Modernized Delayed Benoni! As it happens it is 1-0 to Cheparinov in that regard, as he both considers Ivanisevic's subtle move order in depth, and then suggests a move that Ivanisevic does not consider! Once again, it's definitely a book for experts, but really a good one! GM Matthew Sadler, NIC Magazine 2020/4.
To say Cheparinov's coverage is exhaustive would be an understatement and it is easy to see why he was Topalov's second during his days as World Champion. The lines in this book routinely go 20 to 25 moves deep and in some cases up to move 40! Explanatory prose is provided to assist the reader but concrete lines are the heart of Cheparinov's 1.d4!. Some amateurs might mistakenly believe they can reproduce Cheparinov's analysis using a strong computer engine but they would be grossly mistaken. It takes a world class grandmaster with a strong work ethic and deep knowledge of opening theory to produce a work like this which is aimed only at the most serious and ambitious. IM John Donaldson, September 2020.