Book excerpt: In this exciting new book, a US Champion provides solutions to the real-life problem of improving one's chess. Grandmaster Alex Yermolinsky, one of the strongest players in the US, passes on many of the insights he has gained over years of playing and teaching, steering the reader away from 'quick-fix' approaches, and focussing on the critical areas of chess understanding and over-the-board decision-making. A large part of this book discusses a variety of important opening set-ups, including methods for opposing off-beat but dangerous lines, such as the Grand Prix Attack. This entertainingly written book breaks new ground in many areas of chess understanding.