Customer Reviews

Mastering the Sicilian (Batsford Chess Books)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book covers certain important aspects of the Sicilian well, namely the Dragon, Kan, and Scheveningen. It also includes a "one size fits all" system against the Closed Sicilian. However, certain aspects of the book are left wanting:

1) It does not provide a great deal of content on the Najdorf, which is one of the most important variations in the Sicilian. It just includes a few games and says "don't attempt without preparation."
2) While it provides a lot of information on the Scheveningen, it does not cover enough on the Keres Attack, which is a very deadly White weapon in this particular variation (in fact, because of it, many transpose into the Schev via the Najdorf by playing ...a6 first).
3) While its one-for-all system against the Closed Sicilian (which the author defines as anything other than 2. Nf3 and 3. d4) is adequate, it does not mention 2. ...d5 3. exd5 Nf6! against the Grand Prix attack, which is a very viable option for Black.
4) It repeats itself a lot in the "mastery" boxes.
5) It does not even mention the Accelerated Dragon.

Despite these pitfalls, the book is well worth reading, especially for those wanting to play the Dragon.

As a Sicilian player this book was very helpfull. It will not cover a lot of lines but it will explain the strategy concepts of the different variations like the Scheveningen, the Najdorf, the Dragon, the Paulsen, the Closed Sistems, the Grand Prix attack etc. If you are alreday an experiencied sicilian player this book will help you very much to improve and understand the posotions arising during the games. On the other hand the games are vey good: Karpov, Kasparov, Kramnik, Fischer, Kopec, Taimanov, etc. All of them are real struggles and you will have a lot of fun. Enjoy.

If you want a book the shows the major plans and themes in various c5 opens, then this is the book for you. If you already know the plans & themes you wont be pleased as this imformation. It is gearded toward the player who can play but aspires to have an intimate knowledge of the system being used. Plans for white and blk are given, the bias is toward black repectively. I fell in the "wanting to know more" category. This was a winner for me.

A masterly work on the best system vs 1.e4 - the sicilian. Learn this opening not through variations and weird sicilians like the Sveshnikov but thematically using "bread and butter systems" These systems would be: the classical, the Dragon sttructure, Najadorf, Schevenigen and Kan. I like attacking chess but have always been intrigued by the more positional sicilians like the schevenigen. Here Kopec reveals how to play this system without knowing every detail of theory successfully. Maybe after reading this book I too may play the schevenigen, by trasposing via the najadorf!! Anyway, this is a great book which teaches you esstenial sicilian themes and where to place your pieces and use your pawns. May this take care of all your sicilian needs.

When I say this book isn't complete, I don't mean that it doesn't cover all the variations. Although that's true, I'm talking about something different.

It is difficult to determine who the book is written for. It certainly wasn't written for a beginner, as it assumes a lot of knowledge and tactical ability. I certainly wasn't written for Expert/Master level, because it only brushes the surface of current Sicilian opening theory.

That leaves only the amateur level player, like myself. However, I am finding that the chapters, which each cover a particular variation, are acting as mere introductions to the openings, requiring more study from other books and opening digests to be able to comfortably play them. In my case, it is not that the book is too simple, but that it assumes to much of my opponents. In every opening, the book covers the main lines for up to 10-20 moves. At the amateur level, your opponents will rarely know the main line, which sometimes means you have to deviate from it yourself. I am therefore finding myself in a game, trying to play the Schevenigen when my opponent plays a non-book move on move 3 and continues to make non book moves after that. Although that usually means that he/she has made a strategic mistake, I have no idea how to proceed. The book makes no effort to cover these alternate lines.

If this book is part of the same series that Mastering the French/Spanish/Nimzo-Indian represent then it is a very poor sibling. The amount of information is minimal and what's there is not very instructive. If you bought this book in the expectation that it follows the pattern of the other Mastering the XXX books you will be very disappointed.

As a survey of Sicilians it has some value though. Not a total waste, but disappointing.