THE ITALIAN RENEISSANCE vol 2 HC

The Italian Renaissance, Volume 2 is an English-language hardcover chess book by GM Martyn Kravtsiv, offering a modern White repertoire after 1.e4. It focuses on the Italian Game and the Bishop's Opening as practical ways to meet 1...e5 and the Petroff Defence.

What this book covers

Kravtsiv presents The Italian Renaissance from White’s point of view, with the Italian Game taking shape after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4. The Bishop's Opening also plays an important role, giving readers another route into the same opening family.

The book begins with the Bishop's Opening, which can work as an anti-Petroff system or as an independent opening choice. It shows that after 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4, White does not have to head straight into the main Italian lines, leaving more room to choose move order and adapt the repertoire to the opponent.

A practical White repertoire

The next section moves to the more classical setup after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3. Before the Italian Game appears on the board, White must also be ready for the Petroff Defence after 2...Nf6. Kravtsiv recommends the well-regarded line 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3, with ideas designed to create real problems for Black.

This is a practical repertoire book rather than a dry theoretical survey. Alongside the main ideas, it highlights less familiar but dangerous concepts that can be especially useful in tournament play and training.

Who it is for

This title is a strong fit for players building a White repertoire after 1.e4 and looking for a modern approach to the Italian Game. It will also appeal to club players and ambitious improvers who want a clearer understanding of the relationship between the Bishop's Opening, the Italian Game and the Petroff Defence.

Key details

• Title: The Italian Renaissance, Volume 2
• Author: GM Martyn Kravtsiv
• Product type: hardcover chess book
• Language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• Subject: Modern White repertoire after 1.e4 e5
• Opening focus: Italian Game and Bishop's Opening
• Number of pages: 264