I am a U.S.C.F. LIFE - Master. I teach chess for a living. I do a lot of teaching nowadays on the Internet. One of my former local students got this book. We spent a lot of time going over the lines and explanations in it. This is one of the better books of its type in the field. The author, a former World Champion, tells you about the opening. You get a brief history of the line, and often he will tell you about some of the general plans in key positions. If you are looking to play these types of openings from either side - or you are just looking for a general book on openings of this type; I can not help but think you will benefit from a careful study of the material presented in this book. Get it! Study! And get better!!