The MacCutcheon, named for John Lindsay McCutcheon (1857–1905) of Philadelphia who gained notoriety for the variation when he used it to defeat World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz in a simultaneous exhibition in Manhattan in 1885. Although Steinitz won that first encounter, MacCutcheon impressed his American compatriots, Harry Nelson Pillsbury, Frank Marshall, and Jackson Showalter with the possibilities in this new line.

Through the years, the line has been played by Capablanca against Moroczy, Tarrasch and Marshall against Lasker, Tartakower against Steiner, Reti against both Bogolyubow and Reti, and Alekhine against Capablanca. The line has many modern adherents, who have fondly dubbed the variation the "Big Mac."

The author has faced the MacCutcheon four times against some of the world's best correspondence players. He stresses a new approach here for White with a move first recommended by American Grandmaster Yassar Seirawan.

Unlike many other inexpensive chess e-books, these are fully annotated in understandable, simple language. The profuse use of diagrams make these among the first chess books that you can read WITHOUT A BOARD at your side.

Jon Edwards won the 10th United States Correspondence Championship in 1997 and the 8th North American Invitational Correspondence Chess Championship in 1999.