FIDE MASTER Alexey Kovalchuk reached his highest Elo yet of 2445 and is considered an IM without the norms. Alexey has never had a coach having studied with the aid of books and other materials. His tournament successes include winning the Rostov Championship in both classical and rapid. He is a three-time winner of the Taganrog Championship and has won prizes in many events including Taganrog, Togliatti, Astrakhan, Lipetsk, Kharkov and Donetsk. His reputation as a theoretician is well known. This is his fourth book for Thinkers Publishing, after he achieved successes with the Modernized Modern Benoni and two volumes on the Benkö Gambit. Currently Alexey serves as a second for countless grandmasters as well as coach for several aspiring students.