The Black Lion - Leo Jansen, Jerry Van Rekom

More than 85% of all chess games start with either 1.e4 or 1.d4. The Black Lion presents a flexible, logical and sensible way for Black to meet both of these moves.

This robust, multipurpose opening system (in which Black plays d6, Nf6, Nbd7 and e5) looks quiet, like a sleeping lion - hence the name. But when this predator is provoked, and the game heats up, Black eats its prey in an extremely swift and efficient way.

The opening moves are easy to learn, Black has a good choice of middlegame plans, the positions are fresh and interesting, and White will often struggle to counter Black's ideas.

The story of The Black Lion is remarkable: Jerry van Rekom and Leo Jansen are two strong Dutch club players who developed the system and wrote a book about it in 1997.

Their work attracted a lot of attention and had to be reprinted many times. This is a fully revised and updated edition.

Extensive explanations, clear summaries and concise conclusions make The Black Lion an accessible and easy-to-navigate opening manual for chess amateurs. The book is unique in that its many diagrams are all seen from Black's point of view!