“Once . . . Twice . . . Three Times a Sicilian”
Reviews by S. Evan Kreider, October 2007
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Starting Out:
Closed
Sicilian
by IM Richard Palliser
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Starting Out:
Sicilian
Najdorf
by IM Richard Palliser
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Starting Out: Sicilian Scheveningen
by IM Craig Prichett
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All three books: 192 pages, softcover, figurine algebraic notation
So, that Michael Jeffreys guy thinks he’s soooo cool with his “Double
Shot of Scotch” review. Well, that’s nothin’! This week, I present
you, not one, not two, but THREE Sicilian reviews! How you like me now,
Mike?!
Let’s start with Starting Out: The Closed Sicilian, by IM Richard
Palliser. Here’s the table of contents, for those of you are like that sort
of thing:
Bibliography and Acknowledgements
4
Introduction
5
1. Spassky’s 6 f4: The Main Line with 6…e6
20
2. Spassky’s 6 f4: Black’s Other Defenses
66
3. The Fashionable 6 Be3: 6…e6 and 6…e5
97
4. The Fashionable 6 Be3: Black’s Alternative Set-ups
126
5. The Tricky 6 Nge2 and 6
Nh3 143
6. Early Black
Deviations 165
7. Crafty Move-orders: 2 d3 & 2 g3
183
Index of
Variations
202
Index of Complete
Games 207
Palliser is a somewhat new author on the chess scene, and so far I’ve heard
nothing but positive reviews of his work. His reputation certainly isn’t
sullied by this work. Starting Out: Closed Sicilian is everything
you could want in a chess book. It’s jam-packed with explanatory text,
including the usual Starting Out series tips, notes, and warnings (clearly
indicated with their respective symbols and bold print), as well as lots of
theory for those who need it. A typical excerpt follows:
1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 g3 g6 4 Bg2 Bg7 5 d3 d6 6 f4 e6 7 Nf3 Nge7 8 O-O O-O
      
   
 
 
    
Both sides have developed their forces in a sensible manner and this is
the main line of the Closed Sicilian. As we have already discovered,
White should be expecting a queenside advance from Black, while White
needs to complete the mobilization of his forces and will generally then
look to advance on the kingside.
TIP: Should Black neglect to sink his knight into d4, White may break with
d4 after which the d6-pawn can become a target.
9 Be3
By far the most popular move and practice has shown the alternatives to be
inferior. For a while White dabbled with the concept of holding his own
on the queenside and thus he preferred 9 a3 (9 Bd2 b5! 10 a3 Rb8 11 Bd2
transposes) 9…Rb8 10 Rb1 b5! 11 Bd2, but Najdorf’s idea of 11…c4! Nips
White’s plans in the bud.
White unsurprisingly shouldn’t expect too many favours from the direct 9
g4 due to 9…f5! 10 gxf5 exf5, but 9 h4!?, softening up the black kingside,
isn’t as stupid as it looks. The Dutch IM and theoretician, Karel Van der
Weide, has employed it on a few occasions, although 9…h5 10 Be3 b6 11 Ng5
d5! 12 Bf2 dxe4 13 dxe4 Ba6 14 Re1 Qc7 was fine for Black and hardly gave
White any real attacking chances in K.Van der Weide-D.Rogozenko, Dieren
2001. 9 h4 still packs some surprise value in a speed game, but White
also needs an idea against 9…e5!?. Such an advance is usually risky due
to the pawn sacrifice 10 f5, but here the h-pawn badly gets in the way of
White’s pieces. Thus White might try King’s logical suggestion of 10 h5!?
As 10 Ng5 can be well met by Sammalvuo’s 10…f6! 11 Nh3 Be6 12 Be3 Qd7 with
a pretty comfortable position for Black.
As far as I’m concerned, this is now the definitive book on the
closed Sicilian. Most players could do with just this one book in their
chess libraries and not be missing out. I’d recommend it to players of a
wide variety of ratings. Anyone minimally competent enough to start looking
into openings in a serious way could be happy just looking at the main lines
and reading the explanatory text, while those higher rated will find enough
theory to keep them happy in all but the most intense correspondence game.
I’d strongly recommend this book to almost anyone from about class-C all the
way up.
Palliser apparently wasn’t content to stop there, since he’s written another
Starting Out book for another Sicilian, this time the Najdorf -
Starting Out: Sicilian Najdorf.
Here’s the table of contents:
Bibliography and Acknowledgements
4
Introduction
5
1. The Positional 6 Be2
9
2. The English Attack with
6…e5 45
3. The English Attack with 6…Ng4
83
4. Fischer’s 6
Bc4 116
5. 6 Bg5: Black Prevents
e5 152
6. 6 Bg5: Black Allows
e5 183
7. The Tricky 6 f4 and 6
g3 203
Index of
Variations
233
Index of Complete
Games 239
This book is similar to the previous one, although it feels geared toward
slightly higher rated players, probably because the Najdorf itself is better
suited for higher rated players than the closed Sicilian. Here’s an
excerpt:
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Bg5 e6 7 f4 Be7 8 Qf3 Qc7
9 O-O-O Nbd7 10 Bd3
10…b5
Preparing counterplay and to develop the light-squared bishop. However,
Black has an important alternative in Walter Brown’s preferred 10…h6,
intending to gain control of e5 after 11 Bh4 g5! as we’ll see in Game 39.
11 Rhe1
Preparing Nd5 to crush Black in the centre. Black should continue to
develop in reply rather than provoke White with 11…b4?. After 12 Nd5 exd5
13 Nf5! White has the sort of position 10 Bd3 exponents dream about and,
for example, 13…Bf8 14 e5 dxe5 15 fxe5 Nxe5 16 Nxg7+ Bxg7 17 Bxf6 regains
the piece with a winning position.
11…Bb7 12 Qg3!
Adding further pressure to the battle for the e5-square and delaying Nd5.
However, an immediate 12 Nd5?! is possible and also quire dangerous, but
if Black knows his theory he should be happy to see it as 12…exd5 13 Nf5
Kf8! removes the king from the e-file and covers g7. After 14 Qg3 dxe4 15
Bxe4 Bxe4 16 Rxe4 Qc5! White badly needs a good move, but doesn’t appear
to have one, while a counterattack is brewing. 17 Bxf6 Bxf6 18 Nxd6 Nb6!
saw Black defend fairly comfortably in A.Garland Ghio-S.Nenciulescu,
correspondence 2002, but 17 Bh6 Nxe4 18 Qxg7+ Ke8 19 Qxh8+ Nf8 20 Bxf8
Bxf8 21 Qxh7 Rc8 (Nunn) is also insufficient.
Palliser spends a bit more time on theory than explanation compared to the
previous book, but only by a bit. This is unavoidable, as the Najdorf
simply demands concrete analysis rather than general principles. At the
same time, the massive amount of Najdorf theory means that only a fraction
of it can be included in any one volume.
I’d recommend this book to a narrower range of players, perhaps from high
class-B to expert. Anyone with a lower rating will probably feel
overwhelmed, and anyone with a higher rating will probably need specialized
opening monographs and databases. None of that should be seen as a
criticism of the book itself, which is excellent for its intended audience.
Rounding the bend, we come to the last of my three mini-reviews.
Starting Out: Sicilian Scheveningen is by Scottish IM Craig Pritchett. The table of contents:
Bibliography and Acknowledgements
4
Introduction
5
6 Be2 and the Modern Scheveningen
1. The Main Line with 9…Bd7
9
2. The Main Line without
9…Bd7 43
Aggressive White Set-ups
3. Set-ups with Be3 and
O-O-O 100
4. The Keres
Attack 124
5. 6 f4 and the Sozin, 6
Bc4 154
Other Set-ups
6. 6 g3 and Rare 6th
Moves 175
Index of
Variations
186
Index of Complete Games
191
IM Pritchett has apparently written on the Sicilian Scheveningen before, and
though I’m not familiar with his previous work, his experience really
shows. The following short excerpt really shows the quality of his
explanatory prose:
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 Be2 Be7 7 O-O O-O 8 Be3
Nc6 9 f4 Bd7 10 Nb3 a6 11 a4 b6 12 Bf3 Qc7 13 g4
Played immediately, this advance forces Black’s hand.
WARNING: Black can no longer play 13…Be8 satisfactorily as 14 g5 Nd7
leaves his rooks out of play, while after 13…Rfc8 14 g5 Ne8, his knight
hasn’t been able to reach the d7-square.
13…Bc8!
Fortunately, this third alternative is also a good one, and Black’s bishop
often stands well on c8: it vacates d7 for the king’s knight, while not
impeding the further development of Black’s king’s rook. Sometimes the
bishop even stays on c8, where it can supply useful influence along the
c8-h3 diagonal and does not get in the way of plans based on …Rb8, or it
can relocate to b7 with pressure against e4 and down the long diagonal.
This text walks the difficult path between theory and explanation and
somehow makes it look easy. Advanced players will eventually need more
theory from other sources, but this book would make for a great first book
on the Scheveningen for just about anyone from at least class B on up.
From the
Publisher's website:
Richard
Palliser is an International Master with numerous tournament successes
to his name, and in 2006 he became Joint British Rapidplay Champion.
Craig Pritchett
is an International Master and a former Scottish champion who has
represented his country on top board in numerous Chess Olympiads. He's the
long-time chess correspondent of The Glasgow Herald and is currently Schools
Chess Development Director for Chess Scotland. He wrote a landmark first
book on the Sicilian Scheveningen in the late 1970s.
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