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Poll Question: Would you buy a new book on the Anti-Sicilians?
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Yes    
  13 (34.2%)
No    
  6 (15.8%)
Depends on the author    
  11 (28.9%)
Maybe    
  8 (21.1%)




Total votes: 38
« Last Modified by: Glenn Snow on: 08/02/06 at 02:06:23 »
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Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) Good books (or software) on Anti-Sicilian lines (Read 10615 times)
woofwoof
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Re: Good books (or software) on Anti-Sicilian line
Reply #15 - 12/12/06 at 06:41:38
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OstapBender wrote on 08/03/06 at 10:20:41:
Keano wrote on 08/03/06 at 07:50:31:
I would appreciate a book entitled "Bashing up 2.c3 Sicilian players - A guide for Black presenting 10 different systems, of varying degrees of risk, which can be played against the typical 2.c3 player"

I like this!! Smiley

This could be part of a "Bashing Up" series arming Black to play aggressively against all of those limp, bland, unambitious, soulless, draw-seeking White openings.  A well-written "Bashing Up" series might be every bit as successful as the "Starting Out" series has already proven to be. Grin

Put me down for an advanced order on the "Bashing the 2.c3 Sicilian" book!  Wink


I second this idea too, for very much the same reasons. Id like to order all those related to Indians (chess openings), Sicilians & Marshalls, if ever there were any!! Cheesy
  

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Re: Good books (or software) on Anti-Sicilian line
Reply #14 - 12/12/06 at 04:06:24
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OstapBender
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Re: Good books (or software) on Anti-Sicilian line
Reply #13 - 08/03/06 at 10:20:41
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Keano wrote on 08/03/06 at 07:50:31:
I would appreciate a book entitled "Bashing up 2.c3 Sicilian players - A guide for Black presenting 10 different systems, of varying degrees of risk, which can be played against the typical 2.c3 player"

I like this!! Smiley

This could be part of a "Bashing Up" series arming Black to play aggressively against all of those limp, bland, unambitious, soulless, draw-seeking White openings.  A well-written "Bashing Up" series might be every bit as successful as the "Starting Out" series has already proven to be. Grin

Put me down for an advanced order on the "Bashing the 2.c3 Sicilian" book!  Wink
  

"If God had wanted us to vote, he would have given us candidates."  -Jay Leno
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Keano
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Re: Good books (or software) on Anti-Sicilian line
Reply #12 - 08/03/06 at 07:50:31
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I would appreciate a book entitled "Bashing up 2.c3 Sicilian players - A guide for Black presenting 10 different systems, of varying degrees of risk, which can be played against the typical 2.c3 player"
  
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OstapBender
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Re: Good books (or software) on Anti-Sicilian line
Reply #11 - 08/03/06 at 02:31:28
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I answered depends on the author, a conditional yes, because this is true for any book I might consider purchasing.  Some authors consistently produce excellent work, while others... (well, the word "excrement" comes to mind).

I'd rather a well-written book on an opening line I'm mildly interested in than a mediocre book on an opening line that's critical to my repertoire.  On occassion this may even tempt me to change part of my repertoire.  For example, I once decided to take up the French Defense (switching from 1...e5) solely on the basis of outstanding opening books by Watson and by McDonald & Harley, and the absence of such a book (at that time) on playing the open games as Black.

Against 1.e4, I've been trying out Sicilian lines (Sveshnikov at the moment) as a potential alternative to 1...e5, which I usually play, and 1...e6, which I used to play at one time.  Gallagher's book is a good one, but it's a bit dated on some lines and the repertoire recommendations aren't necessarily what I wish to play on some other lines.  Rogozenko's book may be a book to get, but I won't be sure until I get a chance to look at it.  If a good Anti-Sicilian book comes out from the right author, I'm likely to buy it.
  

"If God had wanted us to vote, he would have given us candidates."  -Jay Leno
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Re: Good books (or software) on Anti-Sicilian line
Reply #10 - 08/03/06 at 02:05:55
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No, because I am only interested in Anti-Sicilians from White's point of view.
  

The book had the effect good books usually have: it made the stupids more stupid, the intelligent more intelligent and the other thousands of readers remained unchanged.
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Re: Good books (or software) on Anti-Sicilian line
Reply #9 - 08/02/06 at 02:05:47
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OK, we've gotten a few results in but only Scholar and I have told why we've voted the way we did.  Really like to here from the other "yes", "no", "maybe", "and depends on the author" voters.
  
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Glenn Snow
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Re: Good books (or software) on Anti-Sicilian line
Reply #8 - 07/31/06 at 05:04:26
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I think these books don't get written as much as the demand would seem to be because different flavors of the sicilian require different approaches to the anti-sicilians.  A dragon player and a Taimanov player are hard to please with one book, unless you do everything twice.


Actually both books I know of on this topic did offer a couple of different variations against a lot of the majory White Anti-Sicilian tries.  Since it would be a repertoire book not covering the Open, I don't think it's unpractical to offer a solid as well as a more ambitious choice where more than one valid choice is possible.

Quote:
So if the title of the book was A Practical Guide to the Anti-Sicilians for the Dragon Player, I'd probably buy it, but no one is going to write that book.


A long title, but I love it!  If such a thing is possible then I think a lot of Dragon players would buy it.  However, that's probably still a small market so unfortunately you're right that no one is going to write such a book.


  
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Re: Good books (or software) on Anti-Sicilian line
Reply #7 - 07/31/06 at 04:52:16
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I voted a solid maybe.  I currently play fairly conservatively against the various anti's, and haven't had too many problems with this approach, since most of the players favoring the mainstrem anti's (2.c3 or 3.c3, Smith-Morra, Grand Prix) who I've met tend to be looking for complications at any cost.  I should probably learn sharper stuff against these, but then I have to memorize a lot of lines which I won't see very often, slight deviations from which spell disaster.  (As Frendo reminds us, and I think there was also a Tim Taylor column with the same point, the most theoretical lines often require Black to remember non-intuitive solutions to a wide assortment of White's possible approaches.)

I think these books don't get written as much as the demand would seem to be because different flavors of the sicilian require different approaches to the anti-sicilians.  A dragon player and a Taimanov player are hard to please with one book, unless you do everything twice.

So if the title of the book was A Practical Guide to the Anti-Sicilians for the Dragon Player, I'd probably buy it, but no one is going to write that book.  Better to try and glean solutions one variation at a time from ChessPub...
  
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Re: Good books (or software) on Anti-Sicilian line
Reply #6 - 07/30/06 at 21:16:20
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Added a poll to satisfy my curiosity and because I at least would favor another Anti-Sicilians Black repertoire book.  Of course this poll is intended for those that play either the Sicilian or possibly play an Anti-Sicilian (although you'd have to be rather ambitious to buy a book for that reason.  Choices 3 and 4 are of course similiar, but the choice 3 ("depends on who wrote it") is intended to mean you would purchase it if you new the trusted the author.  Choice 4, on the other hand, means that you might buy it if you liked the author and/or read a good review of the book or such.
« Last Edit: 07/31/06 at 04:56:02 by Glenn Snow »  
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OstapBender
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Re: Good books (or software) on Anti-Sicilian line
Reply #5 - 07/20/06 at 21:03:24
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It's also been mentioned elsewhere on the forum that The Safest Sicilian goes a long way in preparing an ...e6 Sicilian player to meet the Anti-Sicilians.

Forum Link (in Open Sicilians): http://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1131715909

Table of Contents Link: http://www.chess-stars.com/graphics/eshop/books_special/The_Safest_Sicilian.pdf
(enough detail to get a feeling for Anti-Sicilian coverage, which is actually quite good for a book focusing on an Open Sicilian line - including what lines are recommended in some cases.)

The Delchev-Semkov 'Safest Sicilian' book recommends a Taimanov-based repertoire, and has received a lot of praise in this forum.  Probably not a book to get if you want to play the Classical Sicilian, but maybe with this book will you will want to learn the Taimanov as well?!
  

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Glenn Snow
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Re: Good books (or software) on Anti-Sicilian line
Reply #4 - 07/20/06 at 20:42:05
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It's also been mentioned elsewhere on the forum that The Safest Sicilian goes a long way in preparing an ...e6 Sicilian player to meet the Anti-Sicilians.  

Despite the other resources available, how many of you would buy a book on meeting the Anti-Sicilians if say IM Palliser wrote one?   Wink
  
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Re: Good books (or software) on Anti-Sicilian line
Reply #3 - 07/20/06 at 07:47:00
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Frendo is correct. I certainly liked Timman's opening play (in the critiical 8...g5 line) against Tiviakov, and hope that Jonathan will analyse this game in some depth. Short covered it a little in his Grauniad column, but didn't really analyse beyond ...0-0-0 being a key improvement.
Gallagher's older (1994?) 'Beating the Anti-Sicilians' was a classic and is still good in several places, such as on the Closed, but is now a little dated in other areas.
  
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Re: Good books (or software) on Anti-Sicilian line
Reply #2 - 07/18/06 at 22:06:18
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Rogozenko's book is very good but as I've warned before, you should check out this review to be forwarned about a few variations http://www.jeremysilman.com/book_reviews_js/js_anti_sicilians_gd_black.html.

I think if you have Rogozenko's book and subscribe to the "Anti-Sicilians" section here at Chesspub then you should have plenty of material to form a very good anti-anti-Sicilian repertoire.  Smiley  Of course using the forum here also helps out.
  
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Re: Good books (or software) on Anti-Sicilian line
Reply #1 - 07/18/06 at 09:02:34
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The Rogozenko book is excellent and unless you play against Tiviakov with a prepared novelty I dont think it is outdated. He also often gives explanations and alternatives, the former of which is for me more useful than the actual variations.
Incidentally Tiviakov also got into trouble with his c3-sicilian in the dutch ch, despite his results.
  

If nothing else works, a total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face will see us through.
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