Especially as 5...dxe4 does very well in practice: 8 games in 2005 and 2006, 5 wins - for Black. Overall Black scores 55%.

I just received Palliser's book today.  I've only been able to sneak peeks at it, but I'm pleased so far.  I have no idea if titled players will find anything useful, but it certainly looks well suited to U2000 players.   

One problem I face when playing these "system" openings is how to weigh the merits of certain thematic moves against others.  For instance, in the Closed Sicilian, White often has a choice between Nge2 or Nf3 (or even Nh3).  To the amateur, it sometimes looks like nothing more than a matter of taste.  But from what little I've read, Palliser makes some effort to explain when one type of setup might be preferable to another.

He also offers some tips on when White might be better advised to include an early f4 in the Be3 lines, or perhaps transpose to alternative setups such as the KIA.

Or, as another example, why Bh6 is less useful against ...e5 setups than ...e6 setups.  Good stuff.

He has included complete games of some old Spassky classics in the 6.f4 section.   

The TIPS/NOTES/WARNINGS are, for the most part, instructive, such as: "Black will often arrange to meet f4 by doubling on the c8-h3 diagonal, thereby driving the h3-knight backwards.  That can be a reasonable plan, but White will hope that the g4-bishop is vulnerable to ideas of h3 and f5."  Much more helpful to the audience of this book than "A Knight on the Rim is Dim."

The variations in these Starting Out books are getting to be pretty dense.  I don't remember Gallagher's KID book being quite this, well, messy.

I believe the section on early Black deviations is a little lean, but there's only so many pages to go around, I guess.

The Index of Variations contains diagrams of the tabiyas, I guess you would call it.  Kind of interesting, but I don't know how helpful that will be.  I guess I'd rather have it than not have it.

I'm looking forward to spending some time with it.

9. ...f5 is positional blunder

MNb wrote on 05/12/06 at 20:56:26:

Good questions and I dont think we'll come to a consensus, but I'll add some food for thought anyway.
-Firstly after 2 d3 you are committed to specific closed setups. Your "scare" line against the closed (which is indeed the reason I gave up the closed) isnt necessarily a problem as long as you are flexible as white. Eg many white players use 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 Nc3 to avoid some annoying sidelines in the open sicilian (there's not really a viable way to avoid this as black). So after 1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 e6 it may be a very good idea to transpose to the open sicilian, which is btw a move order I often use. Also if you insist on playing closed, Nf3 isnt really a problem in e6 lines. Eg check Timman-Polu Amsterdam 1981. 
-The closed sicilian with Nge2 is imo underestimated. Ok it is not really a major threat to the survival of the sicilian, but if you're a positionally inclined player it is an excellent weapon. Eg Karpov used it to good effect in his early days.
-I have quite some experience with the KIA from the french (I play it with a quick c5 as black). The problem to me seems to be that white has difficulty finding good plans later on while black basically plays on autopilot. In the 2 club competition matches I got this as black I had about an hour more left than my opponent and never was in any danger.
-My opinion btw isnt based on the objective evaluation of the lines (which are almost all equal in any case) but on the "ease" of play. In the closed you have a bigger variety of options usually.

"the KIA vs the French is weaker than the closed vs the Sicilian."
As 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.g3 d5 is equal (see above), then 1.e4 e6 2.d3 is =+!?

"The KIA is stronger for White than the King's Indian Reversed and Sicilian-KID Conflict"
But is 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.g3 d5 stronger for White than 1.e4 c5 2.d3 Nc6 3.g3 d5 4.Nd2 Nf6 5.Bg2 e5  and why? Moreover, in the latter, is 6.Ngf3 best? The Averbach Variation of the Modern 1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c4 Bg7 knows some lines for Black without Nf6 and they are not that bad. I was especially thinking of 6.Ne2 in the KIR, keeping the option f2-f4 open. I have never investigated this in detail, but it might be interestig to find out, if White can play a kind of KID with a couple of tempi extra.

Just a couple of very biased questions.

I would just like to add my completely unbiased opinion ( ) that the KIA vs the French is weaker than the closed vs the Sicilian. In the KIA you have less pressure on d5. Also as white you have more flexibility in the closed.

MNb wrote on 05/12/06 at 02:07:44:


This is an interesting approach.  If I understand, then the question is who must tip his hand first, White by moving his QN or Black by moving one of his center pawns.

In my (limited) experience, Black players who intend to play ...d5 do so very early, usually on move 3.  Most do not combine ...g6 with ...e6 + ...d5.  So maybe White is in a better position to sit back and see how things develop (as he usually is in these cat and mouse openings).