This
new series, aimed at explaining an opening for
the average player, had an auspicious debut with
GM Joe Gallagher’s discussion of the King’s
Indian Defense; unfortunately, GM John Emms does
not pass on to the reader the same depth of knowledge
and understanding about the Sicilian Defense.
The Sicilian Defense is the most
popular reply to 1.e4, and it is widely favored
because it provides black with an unparalleled
variety of viable approaches, ranging from the
solid and positional to the wild and tactical.
It is possible that the sheer number of reasonable
methods for both white and black ends up overwhelming
the author; I found little that was fresh in the
games, analysis, or explanations.
The book covers the entirety of
the Sicilian in nine chapters. After a brief introduction,
the author covers the Dragon Variation (1.e4 c5
2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6) in 20
pages; the Najdorf Variation (5…a6) in 22
pages; the Scheveningen Variation (5…e6)
in 18 pages; the Sveshnikov Variation (2…Nc6
3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5) in 15 pages; the
Classical Variation (5…d6) in 17 pages;
other open Sicilians (such as the Accelerated
Dragon, Kalashnikov, Tamainov, and Kan Variation)
in 28 pages; Bb5 systems (mostly 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3
d6 3.Bb5+ and 2…Nc6 3.Bb5) in 12 pages,
the c3 Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.c3) in 13 pages; and
other systems (such as the Closed, Grand Prix
Attack, and Morra Gambit) in 13 pages. As just
about any of these variations has been the subject
of entire books, it is obvious that brevity will
be the order of the day in these chapters.
Of course, the author would probably
argue that this book is intended for a player
with very little knowledge of the defense and
is just getting started in his/her opening study.
While the book might prove useful for this niche
of player, I think a similar level of understanding
could be found from a few well-annotated games
and various sites on the Internet. There really
isn’t anything special here.
I’ve played the Sicilian for
over 30 years, and I’ve dabbled in most
of the variations (from both sides of the board).
I was constantly confronted by little or no analysis
of favored lines; often they are just noted as
other possible moves for white/black with little
or no further analysis. I doubt that any even
slightly serious player will find the chapter
on his/her favored variation to be useful as a
reference guide.
The book doesn’t really make
an attempt at being an up-to-date look at the
variation. Although it carries a 2002 copyright,
none of the 59 illustrative games was played after
1999; about half of the games are from the period
1995 to 1999. By contrast, Gallagher’s book
Starting Out: the King’s Indian included
14 games from 2001 and another 5 from 2000 among
its 68 illustrative games.
The book is all the more disappointing
because John Emms is an accomplished player and
author. It is notable, however, that he is not
known as an expert or exponent of this defense.
It is interesting that the only illustrative game
of the author’s included in the book is
one where he lost on the white side of the Classical
variation. By contrast, Gallagher included 14
of his own efforts as black in his book on the
King’s Indian.
In conclusion, this is a shallow
look at the defense that probably has the most
depth and complexity in all of chess. While it
might be useful for the uninitiated, anybody with
more than a passing knowledge of the defense will
find little that is new or useful.
To see Watson’s review
of this book, click HERE.
YOU
CAN FIND THIS BOOK AT
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