With all the 120-140 page “only give the best moves” opening tomes out there (see my review of Aagaard's QUEEN’S INDIAN DEFENSE for more on this topic), it’s a relief to see Gambit Publications making the effort to put out detailed, honest, studies of various opening systems. Their PLAY THE 2.c3 SICILIAN is yet another example of how good it feels to hold such a book in one’s hands.

Though I no longer compete in tournaments, I do try and keep up on the latest theory. This is a virtual must since opening questions by students, or the same kinds of questions while lecturing, force me to come up with some kind of educated answer (and, of course, this doesn’t even address my own burning curiosity -- after all, once chess is in your blood it’s almost impossible to rid yourself of the addiction).

Actually, it’s very difficult to be honest when presenting a whole opening system (The Sicilian Dragon, for example) in a mere 140 pages (Steve Mayer’s excellent book on THE SOLTIS VARIATION OF THE YUGOSLAV ATTACK only covered the position after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0-0 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0 Rc8 11.Bb3 Ne5 12.h4 h5, yet it needed 333 pages to do the position justice!). Those short books leave a tremendous amount of material out and always cut away whole lines -- anything and everything is done to ensure that the size conforms to the prearranged amount of pages (usually at a very high price, both creatively and financially).

This isn’t to say that shorter books aren’t useful. They allow you to quickly get a feel for the lines in question, and often help lower rated players choose the right path (since even a professional often has trouble making sense out of hundreds and hundreds of pages). Both kinds of books have their place, but few things thrill me more than a well-done academic study of an interesting opening.

A couple years ago, I was asking International John Watson about the theoretical standing of 2.c3 against the Sicilian. At that time it seemed that 2.c3 was in trouble and, though it had enjoyed a huge measure of international popularity this last decade, the ideas and hopes of White adherents had dried up (and John and his students were huge fans of 2.c3). This view, though, has proved erroneous, and PLAY THE 2.c3 SICILIAN shows that Black is having a hard time in many of the lines that were once considered to be safe havens.

Personally, I’ve long felt that 2.c3 was one of the very best ways for White to avoid the many sharp Sicilian systems that Black can use. The fact is, even in Black’s better lines against 2.c3 it always seems that White is quite safe. Mix this with the knowledge that many Sicilian players aren’t well versed in the intricacies of 2.c3, and you have a White system that is solid, at times deadly, and often acts as a surprise to unprepared opponents.

The authors of PLAY THE 2.c3 SICILIAN have done a wonderful job. They explore all major AND minor lines. They often go into detail about the plans, ideas, and tactics of various key positions. And they are not shy about presenting their own analysis and assessments.

Without a doubt, this is a must buy for anyone wishing to add 2.c3 to their arsenal, but it’s also a no-brain purchase for anyone answering 1.e4 with 1…c5. Unlike many “White to Play” or “Black to Play” books, PLAY THE 2.c3 SICILIAN tries hard to seek the truth. Nevertheless, both authors are experts of the White side and this shows in their tone and, I suspect, in some of their analysis and assessments. Anyone who has an emotional investment in one side or the other will always try and make “their” opening conform to their dreams (though this often occurs subconsciously). This means that the many favorable assessments for White deserve close scrutiny -- the fervor the authors show for White’s cause can be used against them if you are willing to look deeply enough at the many complicated and unclear variations (translation: there is still plenty of room for original work and discovery).

Once again, let me congratulate the authors on a wonderful effort (by far the best ever done on 2.c3). And let me thank Gambit for continuing to embrace the concept of the “complete” opening book.

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