EXPERTS ON THE ANTI-SICILIAN

Authors: Avrukh, Aagaard, Tiger Hillarp Persson, Greet, Bauer, Pavlovic, Cornette, McNab, Shaw, Peter Heine Nielsen

Quality Chess (2011)

440 pages

$25.95

 

Reviewed by John Donaldson

 

EXPERTS ON THE ANTI-SICILIAN is a book that is going to sell a lot of copies and deservedly so. Like EXPERTS VS. THE SICILIAN, another Quality Chess production, this is a group effort involving numerous opening experts who examine primarily non-Open Sicilian variations where White forgoes 3.d4.

 

EXPERTS ON THE ANTI-SICILIAN, edited by Jacob Aagaard and John Shaw, is written primarily but not exclusively from Black’s point of view. Chapters 13 to 20 (pages 317-401) are devoted exclusively to 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bb5, a variation closely identified with the Russian-Dutch GM Sergei Tiviakov. This system, which looks somewhat like a mirror image of a Rossolimo Attack, is very flexible and not all that well analyzed compared to other Sicilian lines. White has a wealth of plans to choose from including play on all sides of the board depending on how Black reacts. Sometimes he plays Bxc6 and on other occasions the Bishop finds a home on c4. The delay of the development of the king knight means that f2-f4 often prefaces Nf3. The early Nc3 on move two means that active attempts like the anti-Grand Prix favorite 1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5 are not available. This is the first time I have seen this variation get such exhaustive treatment. Ditto for 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4, which receives over 40 pages!

 

This book breaks a lot of new grounds and varies from previous anti-Sicilian books by the likes of Gallagher, Rogozenko and Palliser in recommending 3…d6 against 3.Bb5. This chapter by the Swedish GM Tiger Hillarp Persson not only covers the Rossolimo proper but also examines 4.d4 cxd4 5.Qxd4 Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6 proposing interesting and fresh play after both 7.Nc3 h6!? 8.Be3 e5 and 7.c4 f5!?

 

One of the highlights of the book is Jacob Aagard’s 60-page answer to 2.c3 Sicilian. Rogozenko also proposed classical development with 1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.d4 cxd4 5.cxd4 d6 6.Nf3 e6 7.Bc4 Nc6 8.0-0 Be7 in his ANTI-SICILIANS: A GUIDE FOR BLACK published by Gambit in 2003, but the present material is much more detailed going even beyond what Sveshnikov offered in his mammoth tome on 2.c3 last year.

 

There are many opening novelties in this book but the one that stands out the most to me occurs after 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 e6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb5 Ne7 6.exd5 exd5 7.Qe2 and now Avrukh has come up with 7…f6! denying White the use of the e5 square and preparing …Kf7!. The Israeli GM’s main line goes 8.0-0 Kf7 9.Qf2 Nf5 10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.b3 c4! 12.Na4 Bd6 13.Bb2 Re8 with complex play.

 

The contents of this book are:

 

1 Boris Avrukh – 3...e6 versus the Grand Prix Attack 7

2 Jacob Aagaard – A Classical Repertoire against 2.c3 21

3 Tiger Hillarp Persson – Beating 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 with 3...d6 70

4 Tiger Hillarp Persson – Beating 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5† with 3...Nd7! 102

5 Andrew Greet – Moscow Variation with 5.c4 120

6 Christian Bauer – 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 152

7 Christian Bauer – 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3 Nf6 4.h3 – ...g6-lines 194

8 Christian Bauer – 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3 Nf6 4.h3 Nc6 213

9 Christian Bauer – 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3 Nf6 4.h3 – Rare Lines 226

10 Christian Bauer – King’s Indian Attack 246

11 Christian Bauer – 2.Nf3 e6 3.c3 d5 4.e5 d4 276

12 Milos Pavlovic – A 10-minute repertoire against the Closed Sicilian 309

13 Matthieu Cornette – Tiviakov Grand Prix 317

14 Matthieu Cornette – 3...Nd4 – Early Deviations 329

15 Matthieu Cornette – 4.Bc4 g6 340

16 Matthieu Cornette – 4.Bc4 e6 5.Nf3 – Minor Lines 355

17 Matthieu Cornette – 4.Bc4 e6 5.Nf3 – 5...Nf6 6.0–0 364

18 Matthieu Cornette – 4.Bc4 e6 5.Nge2 – 5...Qc7 377

19 Matthieu Cornette – 4.Bc4 e6 5.Nge2 – 5...Nf6 6.0–0 a6 7.a4 379

20 Matthieu Cornette – 4.Bc4 e6 5.Nge2 – 5...Nf6 6.0–0 a6 7.d3 389

21 Colin McNab – Beating 2.a3 with 2...g6 402

22 Colin McNab – Beating 2.f4 with 2...d5 406

23 Colin McNab – Beating 5.f3 with 5...e5 417

24 John Shaw – 2.d3 – A Black Repertoire 425

25 Peter Heine Nielsen – Beating 2.b3 with 2...g6 432

 

A PDF excerpt of this book can be found atwww.qualitychess.co.uk.

 

Highly Recommended

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