The Sicilian Defence is by far Black's most popular
answer to 1 e4 at all levels of chess. The reason is
easy to understand: from the very first move, Black
unbalances the position and can play for a win without
needing to take unjustified risks. This is particularly
the case with the Open Sicilians, where Black can take
comfort in the fact that his superior pawn structure
ensures control of the centre and excellent long term
chances. Faced this with type of problem, along with the
fact that many Open Sicilians carry with them a massive
build-up of opening theory, it's unsurprising that many.
White players prefer to avoid the Open Sicilian
altogether, preferring one of the many 'Anti-Sicilians'
lines on offer.These numerous options for White include
the primitive but dangerous Grand Prix Attack, one or
two wild gambits, but most of all some tedious and
niggling variations such as 2 c3, the Closed and Bb5
systems, all of which are designed to stamp out any fun
Black was envisaging when playing 1...c5. These annoying
lines have become the scourge of Sicilian players, but
in this book Richard Palliser, a lifelong Sicilian
devotee, decides it's time for Black players to finally
fight back! Drawing upon his vast experience and
understanding of Anti-Sicilians, Palliser devises a
compact and practical repertoire for Sicilian players
against each of White's many alternatives. Using
examples from modern play, he examines tactical and
positional ideas for both White and Black, and pays
special attention to tricky move orders which are very
much in the armoury of contemporary Grandmasters.It is
an essential reading for Sicilian players, where all of
White's main tries are covered. It is ideal for club and
tournament players. |
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