One book that is sure to find a wide audience among active tournament players is Grandmaster Dorian Rogozenko’s ANTI-SICILIANS: A GUIDE FOR BLACK. This excellent first effort by the Moldovan GM builds on an earlier pioneering work by Grandmaster Joseph Gallagher in covering all non-main line (d4) systems by White in the Sicilian. This means not only answers to the popular Rossolimo and Alapin (2.c3) variations but also sidelines like 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.b3 and 2.g3.

Rogozenko is very thorough and his love of theory shines through. The coverage in this book is extensive enough that GMs and IMs could use it with profit. Rogozenko goes his own way. Where else would you see a GM announce in print that White has enough for the pawn in the Smith Morra Gambit accepted? Readers might initially think that Rogozenko was just being practical, that by declining the Smith Morra with …Nf6 Black was killing two birds with one stone (using …Nf6 versus both the Smith Morra and the Alapin), but that is not the case.

Rogozenko is a perfectionist that believes in playing the best move in the position even if it means learning more lines than are absolutely necessary. For example, he proposes after 1.e4 c5 2.d3 to play a setup based on …g6, …d6, and …e5, while after 2.g3 he recommends 2…d5 while acknowledging that Black would very likely transpose into 2.d3 lines with …g6, …d6, and …e5.

Rogozenko writes after 2…d5: “This is the most principled move, by which Black seeks to exploit White’s temporary vulnerability on the long diagonal. I consider such an approach (to exploit the drawbacks of the opponent’s moves) to be an excellent general policy. One should know the possibilities that exist in a certain position and have the pleasure of choosing for more options. The reader may instead simply prefer to deal with 2.g3 by means of the same plan as in Line D, and this would be an understandable practical decision (reducing two variations to one). However, it is wiser first to acquaint yourself with the present line and only then to make up your mind.

“As explained in the introduction of Chapter 4, the easiest way is not always the best one. For me it would be easier to say that in the diagram position Black should play 2…g6 or 2…Nc6 and reach the same positions as in the previous line. However, that means ignoring the strongest move in the diagram position, which is based on strategic principles (such as developing pieces in the most active and quick way). By learning the best moves in a certain position, the reader will improve his general positional understanding of chess, and this reason alone is enough to justify having a look at good alternatives when learning an opening variation.”

Another example of Rogozenko’s desire to extract the maximum is his advocacy of 3…g6 against the Rossolimo. He could have proposed 3…e6, which would have fit in better transpositionally – for example: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e6 4.Bb5. Another variation where Rogozenko offers multiple variations is against the Alapin System where he proposes both the main lines after 2…Nf6 and also variations based on early …Nf6 and …e6. His coverage is excellent but the reader may not grasp so easily that he can actually employ the latter line against almost all White’s tries after 2.c3.

ANTI-SICILIANS: A GUIDE FOR BLACK is a first rate book which should find a wide audience among players of Master level and beyond. Ambitious readers below that level will also be able to get a lot out of this work.

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