Fighting the Anti-Sicilians

The Sicilian Defence is by far Black's most popular answer to 1 e4 at all levels of chess. The reason is easy to understand: from the very first move, Black unbalances the position and can play for a win without needing to take unjustified risks. This is particularly the case with the Open Sicilians [...]
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The Sicilian Defence is by far Black's most popular answer to 1 e4 at all levels of chess. The reason is easy to understand: from the very first move, Black unbalances the position and can play for a win without needing to take unjustified risks. This is particularly the case with the Open Sicilians, where Black can take comfort in the fact that his superior pawn structure ensures control of the centre and excellent long term chances. Faced this with type of problem, along with the fact that many Open Sicilians carry with them a massive build-up of opening theory, it's unsurprising that many. White players prefer to avoid the Open Sicilian altogether, preferring one of the many 'Anti-Sicilians' lines on offer.These numerous options for White include the primitive but dangerous Grand Prix Attack, one or two wild gambits, but most of all some tedious and niggling variations such as 2 c3, the Closed and Bb5 systems, all of which are designed to stamp out any fun Black was envisaging when playing 1...c5.These annoying lines have become the scourge of Sicilian players, but in this book Richard Palliser, a lifelong Sicilian devotee, decides it's time for Black players to finally fight back! Drawing upon his vast experience and understanding of Anti-Sicilians, Palliser devises a compact and practical repertoire for Sicilian players against each of White's many alternatives. Using examples from modern play, he examines tactical and positional ideas for both White and Black, and pays special attention to tricky move orders which are very much in the armoury of contemporary Grandmasters.It is an essential reading for Sicilian players, where all of White's main tries are covered. It is ideal for club and tournament players.