(Formerly published as "Training for the Tournament Player" in 1991, this is a renewed and expanded edition)

The second volume explains the basic principles of the opening, discusses how to build an opening repertoire and produce opening novelties, and explores the connection between the opening and the later stages – the middlegame and the endgame.

The materials of this book have been made out of lectures read at sessions of the Dvoretsky/Yusupov chess school, with the most interesting articles on the given topic. It's intended for players wishing to deepen their understanding of chess in general and the opening stage in particular, and to learn to work independently on the opening.

The book consists of five parts:
- part I: Problems you will encounter in the opening and how to solve them
- part II: The development of an opening repertoire
- part III: Creating opening novelties
- part IV: The connection of the opening with the other stages of the game
- part V: Games by the pupils of the school