Death to the 2.c3 Sicilian

When you are ready for a great fighting game in the Sicilian Defense, there are few things there are more annoying than facing the hatefully solid 2.c3 variation, the so-called Alapin Variation.

This is not a shady gambit but it is a weapon that has been used by several grandmasters, including World Champion Magnus Carlsen.

B50-B99

Half a century ago the first edition of the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings was released, as a truly unique, ground-breaking tome. Such monumental work was a logical continuation to the Informant series which came to life a few years earlier. Chess Informant introduced a completely revolutionary system of chess signs, and also created the classification of chess openings, according to codes (ECO codes). Today Chess Informant’s ECO Codes and System of Signs are integral parts of the universal chess culture and heritage.

New Ideas and Strategic Plans

The Rossolimo is the Anti-Sicilian that is by far the most popular with club players – and with elite grandmasters such as Magnus Carlsen, Anish Giri, and Alireza Firouzja.

Opening Repertoire

The O’Kelly variation of the Sicilian Defence (1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 a6) is a wonderful system for those who enjoy playing Sicilian positions but don’t want to get bogged down in heavy theory. The O’Kelly relies far more on an understanding of general strategic ideas and middlegame planning than on rote memorisation of opening moves

“I have always been interested by less theoretical Sicilians. I have been playing the Classical Sicilian for a long time and right before the covid period, I decided to find a new one. The Sicilian Kan came to me as a very serious option, and I decided to work on it. In the meantime, my friend and editor Daniel Vanheirzeele offered me the chance to author a book about it. This came to me as a complete surprise, as I had no experience with it.

The Grivas Sicilian is a very attractive Sicilian set-up as it allows him to set the agenda from the outset, preventing many weil known white schemes.

During his active chess life as player, he extensively used this unique system with great success.

6.a3, 6.a4, 6.Sb3, 6.Bd2, 6.Nd3 etc.

A comprehensive guide through the Najdorf Sicilian jungle that enables you to find your way to security and initiative with the black pieces.

The so called “rare lines” have become extremely popular in recent times, so we offer you a single volume “solution” to all the nuances and complications that may arise in these less common lines.

Taimanov - Kan - Richter Rauzer
Understanding before Moving - Vol. 3/2

The first volume dealt with the Najdorf and Scheveningen variations, and it is now time to pay attention to three other extremely popular systems: the Taimanov, Kan and Richter-Rauzer variations.

After careful consideration within the Thinkers Publishing team, we decided that it made sense to group these variations together. In particular, the first two are closely related and share the feature that, in both cases, Black plays …e7-e6 and …a7-a6 at an early stage. They typically have the idea of retaining more options for their king’s bishop by postponing …d7-d6 (or even omitting it entirely.) The bishop may go to b4 or c5 in different lines.

Rossolimo Variation

In my first volume of the Anti-Sicilians, we will be examining the Rossolimo variation. The Sveshnikov and Classical Sicilians, where Black begins with 2 ... Nc6, have consistently been a popular way for Black to acquire counter-attacking chances straight from the opening. These openings are the favorites of many top level Grandmasters; none more so than Magnus Carlsen, who most famously fashioned the Sveshnikov Sicilian against Fabiano Caruana in the 2018 World Championship match

B 00-B 49 (5. Auflage 2020)

Half a century ago the first edition of the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings was released, as a truly unique, ground-breaking tome. Such monumental work was a logical continuation to the Informant series which came to life a few years earlier. Chess Informant introduced a completely revolutionary system of chess signs, and also created the classification of chess openings, according to codes (ECO codes). Today Chess Informant’s ECO Codes and System of Signs are integral parts of the universal chess culture and heritage.

The Sveshnikov is undeniably one of the most dynamic and aggressive Sicilians available these days.

Most recently, it was made popular again by World Champion Magnus Carlsen in his match against Fabiano Caruana at the end of 2018.

The main lines lead to complex positions, and a deep knowledge and understanding of the opening is a real necessity for any player who wishes to enter this battlefield.

Sicilian Warfare is a practical guide to the most dynamic and ambitious defence against 1.e4, starting where opening theory ends and the middlegame begins. Ilya Smirin breaks down the strategic battle into easily understood elements and then looks at them in a dynamic setting.

Alapin Variation

In the Alapin System White´s strategic idea is extremely simple. He prepares to advance with d2-d4, to build a solid pawn centre and then dictate the play. He will have to pay for this with the fact that his queen´s knight has been deprived of the best square for its development, but it may have other suitable squares (in many variations this will be not the d2-square but a3).

Fighters Repertoire Against Famous Sicilians

Preface

In 2019 I was approached by Mr. Daniel Vanheirzeele of Thinkers Publishing about writing an opening book. This would be a new challenge and such things are always exciting and give me a new high! After some discussion I was asked to work on two specific variations of the Sicilian: the sharp Najdorf and the trendy Taimanov. Over the past few years, I have played some sharp ideas when facing these variations.

Kozul Variation - 2nd Revised Edition

Four years have passed since the first edition of our Richter-Rauzer Reborn book and if we look at the recent past, we can see that this variation of the Sicilian has been gaining more and more popularity and is very often seen in tournament practice.