Welcome to the second half of the course.
Volume 1 was all about the Evans Gambit, the ideal aggressive weapon for club players under 1800 who want a dynamic game. But as Andrew Martin reminds us, a gambit is only half a repertoire. Black doesn't have to walk into the Evans, and this volume arms you against everyone who steers elsewhere after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3.
There's plenty to cover. The Petroff Defense (2...Nf6), the Philidor (2...d6), the quiet Hungarian, and the whole zoo of provocative gambits Black can spring, the Latvian, the Elephant, the Stafford and friends. And, crucially, the Two Knights Defense, which you'll face perhaps half the time you reach for the Evans. If 4.b4 is going to live in your repertoire, you simply must have a reliable answer to the Two Knights, so that's where Andrew begins.
Here he does something worth noting: his recommendation differs from the one in the book, so owning both products hands you two separate weapons. The book champions the sharp 4.d4 Modern Variation, uncompromising, tricky, and quite capable of crushing an unprepared opponent. For the course, Andrew instead backs 4.d3, the move today's elite prefer. It won't hand you an advantage out of the opening, but it steers play into a rich, closed-Lopez-style middlegame with the board full of pieces and everything to play for, exactly the kind of position White can use to outplay even strong opposition.
Two openings, two repertoires, one goal: never be surprised after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 again. On we go.