Black is Back! What’s White’s Advantage Anyway? by Andras Adorjan

PDF Excerpt

Many chess players act intimidated and overly cautious when they have the Black pieces. They are so preoccupied with White’s advantage of the first move, that their predominant urge is to defend against possible threats and to safeguard their position.

With his iconoclastic Black is OK books, Andras Adorjan has consistently been fighting this negative mindset. In Black is Back!, the Hungarian grandmaster continues his crusade.

Adorjan shows that White’s advantage is far from obvious and that winning with Black starts with having the right attitude.

In this book, his ‘Swan Song', Adorjan takes stock. He presents a wealth of Black wins from his own long career and from great players he has worked with. Their creative play proves that Black can often turn the tables.

Surprising statistics and instructive examples from modern-day chess will encourage even the most defensively minded players to look for hidden opportunities.

This book will convince both club players and professionals that there is no reason to be afraid when playing Black. Instead they will start looking for creative solutions and beat White more often.


Sean Marsh, CHESS Magazine (UK):
"Provides plenty of evidence to help to overturn the dogmatic favouring of the first player (..) There is no doubt that Adorjan is a free spirit and an original thinker (..) The epilogue brings this intruiging book to a close in dramatic style (..) Quirky, eccentric, different. Never dull. Like author, like book."

Mark Haast, Schaaksite.nl:
"A book that makes you think. Does White really have an advantage, or is that just my idée fixe? How come the statistics are better for White? Shouldn’t I spend more time on my Black repertoire, and choose more dynamic openings? Adorjan’s arguments are convincing: White’s opening advantage isn’t self-evident."

Elburg Chess Reviews:
"A wealth of super analyses and enjoyable anecdotes (..) One of those chess books you must have read!"

Chris Wainscott, On the Road to Chess Master:
"The most important way this book can help is simply a change in mindset. The next time you sit down to face on opponent with the 'disadvantage' of playing black, just remember that truly, Black is Back!"

Richard Vedder, Schaaknieuws:
"More than 300 pages of success stories for Black. Inspiring for players who have a hard time with Black and a warning for those who think they can smoothly win with White. That is not going to happen that easily, because Black is Back!"

Ian Marks, Chess Scotland:

"Lots of dynamic, inspirational chess, lots of creative ideas, an often edgy text and an engrossing excursion into the philosophy of playing Black. If you’ve never thought about this before, it could easily affect how you look at the game."