Play 1d4!

Rating:
Summary: At last!
Review: At last, there is a comprehensive repertoire book for white, that totally lacks offbeat or inferior lines (to "surprise" or "stun" your opponents). This is a great book by Palliser, that is, along with the new "The Chess Advantage in Black and White" by Kaufman, for 1. e4, the best repertoire book I have ever seen.

Rating:
Summary: A rare case of an objective repertoire book.
Review: This is an excellent book. It provides white with a complete (unlike some other repertoire books I could mention...) set of systems with 1. d4 and usually 2. c4. The recommendations are sound and promise white at least an edge. Palliser gives detailed coverage of the lines he suggests and seems to me to give very objective and fair evaluations of the resulting positions. The book does not show the bias towards the author's side which some similar works do. The advice on plans is useful, sensible and always revealing. Palliser's flexibility is shown in the chapter on the Dutch where he is willing to suggest 2. Nc3, which departs from the 2. c4 rule. He covers 2. c4 as well to cope with 1. ... e6 move orders, and many authors would only have put in the 2. c4 material. Palliser goes the extra mile and offers the extra line. This is something always noticeable in this book; there are no obvious short cuts. Palliser's calm writing style helps to guide the reader through what are sometimes quite densely packed variations without losing sight of the most important points. I think anyone who plays 1. d4 and wants to play sound but promising lines would benefit from studying this book. A very fine effort.