SICILIAN DEFENSE

The Sicilian Defense, a chess opening that begins with the moves 1. e4 c5, is one of the most popular and highest scoring Black responses to the King's Pawn Opening - 1. e4. With 1... c5, Black asserts control over the critical d4 square and launches an aggressive counter-attack to seize control of the center of the chess board. By choosing to play the Sicilian Defense, Black is willing to offer White both the initiative of the Kingside and an advantage in piece development opportunities in exchange for an advanced Queenside pawn and a spatial advantage that often lead to flank attacks. 

Popular Variations of the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Sicilian, Schveshnikov Sicilian, Scheveningen Sicilian

Practitioners of the Sicilian Defense: Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov, Mikhail Tal,  Viswanathan Anand, Boris Gelfand and Alexei Shirov

 

    Sicilian - Taimanov
    This modern variation goes 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3 a6. It deals with all of the plans that both White and Black can choose. The author gives many suggestions for new lines of exploration, and gives exceptionally clear explanations of the basic strategies of the system. There are a number of illustratives games which show how the Taimanov strategies carry through to the middlegame and which will give you a genuine understanding of the system.
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    Sicilian - Taimanov
    Catalog Code: B0081BT
    Our Price: $19.95

    New Sicilian Gambits
    GM Soltis: "If white gets to attack in the Sicilian Defense anyway, why should he offer a pawn or two for the privilege? The answer is that black gets to counterplay in the Sicilian and his counterplay is usually as good as white's. That, in fact, is what makes the Sicilian popular. There are plenty of familiar Sicilian gambits(like the Smith Morra and Wing, which this book doesn't even cover). But in the last few years, a number of new ideas arising out of positional variations, have been discovered and found to pack a wallop for white". Here are six new white gambits against the Sicilian that the reader will have to attempt to destroy black!
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    New Sicilian Gambits
    Catalog Code: CB0025CD
    Our Price: $6.95

    Beating the Sicilian Defense with the Short-Nunn Attack
    Wanted: Opening system needed to combat the most popular defense to 1.e4. Must be sound, flexible, and aggressive. Experience against all Black formations essential. GM's Short and Nunn came forward in the late 1980's and early 1990's to give us one catch-all system. First it was proven successful against one Black setup, and then against another and another. Its successes were registered at the highest levels. Fischer played it against Spassky in the 1992 return match! Still the most popular system against the Najdorf today.
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    Beating the Sicilian Defense with the Short-Nunn Attack
    Catalog Code: CB0037CD
    Our Price: $6.95

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