By IM John Donaldson, USA Olympic Team Captain and author
Serbian Grandmaster Milos Pavlovic’s book on the Petrov (or Petroff if you prefer) differs from the earlier book in this review in that presents an overview of the opening rather than a specific repertoire. This includes both the main line (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Be7 7.0-0 Nc6), the trendy (5.d3 Nf6 6.d4 d5 7.Bd3 Bd6 8.0-0 0-0) which transposes to the Exchange French where White’s tries to use his first move advantage in a symmetrical position and odd-ball lines like 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nd3, a favorite of Andrew Karklins, a two-time participant in U.S. Championships in the 1970s.
Pavlovic gives a lot of attention to 3.d4 Nxe4 and 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 in this book which is quite comprehensive but lacking in explanatory prose.
