Mythos wrote on 04/19/11 at 20:32:12:


You don't have to intend just one scheme there. 3.Qe2 is more annoying for Black if you adjust the move-order according to his setup. For example switch to the KIA with d3 and often e5 and c4 if Black plays it like a French, play h4 only against an early ...g6, and so on.

TN wrote on 03/30/11 at 09:17:47:


Apparently, Gawain will soon release a dvd on the GP too - check gingergm.com for more info.

Beating Bologan in the Moscow was a good advertisment. http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=7113

wolfsblut wrote on 03/24/11 at 05:39:57:


I used most of this repertoire a few years back, but shelved it for two reasons: 1) in the KIA vs 2...e6 turning into a French, black can simply not castle or at least delay it until white has given up on an automatic kingside attack. And 2) the Rossolimo with 4.Bxc6 worked well for a while, but since you face the sicilian so incredibly often (especially in online blitz) it's gets really tedious after a while to never having the Tal-bishop to attack with and never enjoying the bishop pair...

So, I'd rather seen a book with many different recipes which one can choose from according to mood and situation. 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3, 2.Nf3 & 3.Nc3 2.Nc3 & 3.f4 2.f4, 2.Nc3, 2.a3 and so on, there are a lot of lines to choose from - and since the black player never knows everything it's usually more effective to play the player instead of playing the theoretical mainline - over the board at least...

TalJechin wrote on 03/08/11 at 08:51:41:

 
Hi,
oh yes, my prayers are answered! ... and 352(!) pages- I´am really looking forward to that one!
greetings!
wolfsblut

wolfsblut wrote on 10/09/07 at 15:33:52:


Seems they've answered your prayers: http://www.everymanchess.com/chess/books/How_to_Beat_the_Sicilian_Defence%3A_An_...

Though yet another book recommending the KIA vs 2...e6 sounds more like How to bore the Sicilianites but maybe that's the first step towards beating them?!

I always hated most of the anti-sicilians. On internet I tried the anti-sicilians based on the section of Ftacnik in GM rep 6.

My experiences:
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5 Bd7 4.Bxd7 Qxd7 5.c4 it seems for me in practice that black has almost zero winning chances while white can pull a little bit for a long time. I consider to play 3...Nd7 in future.

1.e4 c5 2.c3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Ld3 g6 maybe I don't have the right feeling for the positions but my feeling is that white has a space advantage and his play is easier. I think I go back to my old reportoire with 2...Nf6

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.f4 I used to play the grandprix with 2...Nc6 and g6, e6, Nge7 and d5 which gave me always easy play.
My experience is that this is messy. Sometimes it's ok for black and sometimes I get less grip on the white position.

The 4.Qxd4 variation was exellent covered in the book and gave me nice play.

I think that if someone masters the typical plans, ideas and structures of some anti-sicilian systems that he/she can't objectively count on an advantage but in practice has some weapons to pose a lot of problems.

2.Nf3 and 3.d4.
Really, I loved to meet the Anti-Sicilians. But if you put a gun against my head I would probably say 3.Bb5.

TopNotch wrote on 10/09/07 at 17:49:23:


I stated the above sometime ago in this very thread and was challenged. Now we have the privilege to hear what GM John Shaw, a career long advocate of the Anti-Sicilians had to say in his very first Update for chesspublishing.com.

I am new to this site, but not new to the Anti-Sicilians as I have played most of them on both sides. My feeling is that having extensive experience of the Anti-Sicilians with White is more of a confession than a boast. Serious players in search of an opening advantage should be playing the Open Sicilian. Therefore, my approach is to assume that the reader is mainly interested in playing the black side, although I have a few thoughts for those who feel the need to play such lines with White. - GM John Shaw

I hate to say that I told ya so, but I told ya so. 

Tops  


    

TopNotch wrote on 11/20/07 at 00:18:47:


I predict that it will not win Quote of the Week ...

Greetings,

When I was younger, I chose the Sicilian myself having become fed-up with e-pawn players choosing all sorts of other openings before I could get to my then favourite - the Marshall Gambit in the Ruy Lopez.

From my point of view, I wanted to get a fighting game with Black - the closed openings, like the French and Caro-Kann, did not appeal to me at all. I know - the French does have a lot of pent-up energy, but you have to weather the storm first, something in which I was not interested.

I think that a lot of "Open" Sicilian players wouldn't fancy being transposed into a "Closed" defence like the Advance French.

I'd agree with others here that one should learn to play (main-line) Open Sicilians, if only for your own development as a player - who knows, you might discover that you play certain resulting positions well and thus realize that you've no need to avoid them.

[As an aside, I'm often puzzled at the 2. c3 Sicilian being called a "Anti-Sicilian", as it is no more so than is 2. Nf3, since they both prepare 3. d4. I'd be more inclined to think of 2. b4 as such!  ]

Kindest regards,

Dragan Glas

I recommend Joel Benjamin's anti-Sicilian series at the Jeremy Silman website:
http://www.jeremysilman.com/chess_opng_shrtcts/archive.html
It's free, so you can't go wrong.... 

But I have to agree with one comment that someone made, that if you want the edge as White then you will sometimes have to play the open Sicilians.  I don't much care for the sidelines I've seen against an ...a6 and ...e6 Black set-up, for instance (including Benjamin's version of a Closed Sicilian), and think White has to play d4 at some point there to seek the edge.  The trick is to develop a repertoire against the Sicilian that gives you choices and chances, and where you control the transpositions.  You can't just try to find some "tabiya" response or Black's going to choose a line that makes you uncomfortable.   

You should also be happy with the potential transpo possibilities from any line you choose -- such as to the French.  That's what turns me off to the c3-Sicilian: I just cannot get myself to believe in or enjoy the Advance French as White and I'm not crazy about the alternatives when Black chooses an ...e6 and ...d5 set-up.  The straight c3-lines are just too commital in my opinion.   

Best to wait and see what Black does and only choose c3 set-ups where they are effective.  That's what makes the Bb5 lines so pleasant for White -- it gives him lots of choices.  The only problem is what to do against ...a6 and ...e6 set-ups?  Against those, I think you have to fianchetto, but I'm not crazy about the Closed lines with my Knight at c3 (if I wanted a closed position, I'd have played the KIA).  Check out these two articles for my suggestions, though I'm still of two minds here:
http://www.kenilworthchessclub.org/games/java/2006/anti-paulsen.htm
http://www.kenilworthchessclub.org/games/java/2007/anti-paulsen.htm
In the second article, I now think White can improve by 12.c3 or 12.c4, for instance.

MNb wrote on 10/31/07 at 21:30:40:


Hi,
Oh yes- I know that stuff....- but since I found out the hole in 3...b6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Sxd4 Lb7 6.Sb5 Sf6 7.e5(!-Kindermann) Se4 8.Sd2 Sxf2! (and not 8...Bb4), I had enough- but perhaps Kindermann is right, when he writes, that there is much to find out. But I do not really think that this is a reliable variation for White....- 3.c3 is perhaps better.
greetings
wolfsblut

Quote:




Hi,
thanks for your advice/idea! But I really don´t like 3.b3 - there is too less dynamic in certain positions... so for example 3.b3 b6!? 4.Bb2(4.d4!?- perhaps not good enough for a reliable repertoire)Bb7 5.e5(Kaufman) Nc6 6.Na3 d6 7.exd6 Nf6 8.Nb5 Bxd6 9.Nxd6+ Qxd6 and White has the bishops- but a poor position in my eyes- no active plan available...!

greetings

wolfsblut

wolfsblut wrote on 10/10/07 at 15:56:59:


There's also 3.b3 and 3.d3 with a KIA - Kaufman's repertoire book deals with both plus 3.Bb5. 
Btw, 3.b3 often transposes to Bb5 variations unless black plays an early ...a6 of course.

Besides, even those who prefer the open sicilian should know how to play at least one of the big anti-sicilians as otherwise 2...a6 would be a problem...

[quote Also (after 1. e4 c5) 2.Nf3 e6 3.c3 Ne7!? is a very interesting idea. [/quote]

What's the idea, to transpose into Advance French after 4. d4 d5 5. e5 Nbc6 6. Bd3 cd 7. cd Nf5, or something more specific ?  Note that mainlines with ...b6 (Rogozenko) or ...Nb6 (Delchev) are good enough for top GMs.

By the way, there was a fuss some time ago with Rogozenko's book ("Black is equal") and DVD ("White has chances"). Who has better equality now in the sicilian c3 ? it seems to be less played in tournaments, but i'm not sure.

After a look in Palliser's book, I would say that Bb5+ doesn't look very strong. It seems that Black equalizes comfortably with Bd7, Bxd7+ Qxd7 against both c4 and c3-d4 ideas.

Also 2.Nf3 e6 3.c3 Ne7!? is a very interesting idea.

This was an interesting idea, but I'm afraid I won't be writing this book any time soon (if ever). Having just finished a book on the Accelerated Dragon, I'm now signed up for Play The Queen's Indian with a June 2008 submission date. But after that, who knows...

I agree that for the time being Palliser's book is probably the best general reference point for Bb5 players, although I'm sure there is potential to expand upon Richard's work, especially if the author is focusing on a specialist repertoire for one side.

Hello,
thanks for your opinions!
O.K.- good books about 3.Bb5(+) are available- I think the best is the Palliser-book.
But I have to commit, that 2...e6 makes me !
So I thought, that an skilled writer could explain a system (no 3.d4!!), which I can understand and just play! Have a look in the book about Ruy Lopez from Greet- fantastic explanation and detailed coverage! 
At last: I think I give 3.c3 a go...! 

greetings

wolfsblut

I actually find myself disagreeing with someone who says that we should look to the main lines of a variation for an advantage!   
(Sorry Toppy!)

The Sicilian is so rich that I don't think the Open Siclian has been proven to be objectively better than some of the Closed Sicilian lines.  As many GMs (Bronstein, Taimanov, Geller, Kotov, Spassky and other Soviets wrote as much) from the 1960s pointed out, there may yet come a time when the Open Sicilian will be supplanted by one of the Closed variations.

I prefer the Open Sicilian as White, but I'm a product of my own time.  I don't pretend to know for sure that exchanging the d-pawn for the c-pawn in return for a piece in the center is the best way to play.  White does need to pressure Black as soon as possible, but 2.Nf3 and 3.d4 aren't the only ways to accomplish this.

I think there is only so much benefit one can reasonably expect from an Anti- Sicilian repertoire. If you want an advantage against the Sicilian you will have to play the main lines at some point.

Toppy