The Liberated Bishop Defence

In many 1.d4 openings, Black has trouble getting his bishop on c8 into play. Former Russian Chess Champion Alexey Bezgodov presents a radical solution to this nagging problem: liberate your bishop right away and put it on f5 on the second move!

Playing 2…Bf5! against either 2.c4 or 2.Nf3 will surprise your opponent and is also a great way to support your development, because the bishop takes control of the important square e4. If White does not immediately take decisive action, then within a move or two he can relinquish any hopes on an opening advantage.

Alexey Bezgodov has studied and played this chess opening system for a long time. He has found some great antidotes to White’s most dangerous reactions in sharp and attractive lines. To test your understanding of his system he has included more than 100 exercises. 

After studying the fresh ideas and the clear explanations presented in The Liberated Bishop Defence every chess player will enjoy the flexibility of a surprising, effective and universal weapon against 1.d4.

Alexey Bezgodov (1969) is a Russian Grandmaster and writer. He was Russian Champion in 1993 and came shared first in the 1999 Ukrainian Championship. He is the author of 'The Extreme Caro-Kann' (2014), another highly original chess opening book.