fjd wrote on 07/16/21 at 14:10:55:


Aha, sorry my booboo and a severe lack of clarity. Sorry.
Yes, the Seth monster sized rep (2).

It’s out.

And the Kalashnikov section is brief and poor. It stops early - just as Rotella starts a healthy discussion. The rest of it may or may not be good (it probably is!) but this section is cursory at best. 

K players can remain at ease.

There is a chessable course coming soon on the Kalashnikov by GM Daniel King.

Do our resident Kalashnikov experts have any opinion yet on Libiszewski's recent series of 11 short videos at chess.com?

To me it seems a useful introduction, but I'm not sure if it's anything more than that. One doesn't normally expect great revelations in such series, but then again I'm no expert on this particular line of the Sicilian.

Yeah the main developments since my book are Black trying to go ...g6 nearly everywhere, including some 6.N1c3 lines, and the development of 6.N1c3 a6 7.Na3 Be6!?, with or without that ...Rb8 idea. I have to confess that I'm just starting to get "the fire" for chess again after an extended break where I mostly just casually played on lichess. I will likely release either free videos, or if I really end up going deep, some kind of content, be it an update to the book or a Chessable repertoire. Honestly not sure what my contract even allows. For the 17 people who enjoy my content, don't get your hopes up.

Thanks, Wintermondnacht. I'd been failing to keep up! I had in fact seen Anand-Maghsoodloo* on ChessPublishing as well as Kuybokarov-Maghsoodloo, but had managed to completely forget about the former -- but I do now recall looking at 10 Be2 there and thinking Black is OK there too. Exciting stuff, and with the usual slew of possible transpositions to make the head spin!

Why, I've often wondered, is the Kalashnikov not more popular with the elite? Because they're not convinced it's reliable, or because some lines might be too drawish, like some Sveshnikov lines? (I guess it can't be because of the Rossolimo, as that affects 5 ...e5 too, albeit not the rarer 2 ...e6 move-order.)


* Which I mention on the basis that 6 c4 g6 usually(?) transposes to 8 ...g6 lines, after 7 N1c3 a6 8 Na3 Be6. I imagine 7 Be3 will also mainly transpose, and possibly 7 Be2 too, but 7 Bd3 is a different line -- I guess it could be less of a threat as it gives White less control of d4.

Is Tony R. or anyone else abreast of any new Kalashnikov developments, I wonder, esp. in the c2-c4 lines?

@ Wintermondnacht -- Do you know what anti-K line he recommends? The sample doesn't seem to say.

Has anyone seen A Sicilian Stunner - The Kalashnikov by Nicholas Pert?

I wonder if it adds much to the ground breaking work The Killer Sicilian - Kalashikov by Tony Rotella?

https://shop.chessbase.com/en/products/pert_the_kalashnikov_sicilian