Customer Reviews

Meeting 1e4 (Everyman Chess)

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This is a nice book for a club player who is frustrated on meeting various responses from white after 1.e4 c5. As this book solely recommends a sicilian variation (four knights/classical sicilian), French-defence or Caro-kann players may be dissapointed with the material inside. However, sicilian players will rejoice to find a complete repertoire against sicilian c3, morra gambit, closed sicilian, grand-prix attack, etc.
All the variations are solid and theory approved, which is a good and a bad thing, for example 1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 against sicilian c3. The bad thing is that veteran 1.e4 players may be familiar with this repertoire. However, the author has put latest theory update on these variations and I find them very interesting.
Plus side: Solid repetoire, an honest evaluation of positions
Negative side: Familiar lines (less surprise value)

Bravo Alex Raetsky! Before this book, I had not even heard about this under-rated opening called the Four Knights Sicilian. Since I have started using it, my black score has improved a great deal. I haven't strayed into other black replies to 1.e4 since, because I love this opening so much. The Four Knights suit an aggresive positional player like me, who doesn't like to really get into the mating races that often happens in other sicilian defences. Another good thing about this opening is it has a basic theme running through it even when treating the c3 sic, closed sic, etc... The only reservation I can give is that if your a beginner this book will probably be over your head (lots of lines and variations), but if your an intermediate to advanced player like myself go for it! I promise you will not regret it. While your at it get the "meeting 1.d4" book too, it is great too but not as great :).

This is a great book that can be used a number of ways in building a repetoire. The main objective I believe is that most buyers want a playable opening that they can use over the long term thats solid and easy to learn. This book uses the Sicilian Four Knights as your main defense to E4. As a bonus it also covers Black responses to Whites variations to avoid the Sicilian main lines, such as the Grand Prix, Alapan etc. The Four kinghts is very solid, without the complexity of the Dragon or Najdorf. Its avery forgiving defense with clear strategic plans and the ability to swap off material to simplify the game. No less a player than Kramnik has played it over 25 times at the highest level.
One word of advice I came upon the Four Knights after using the Positional opening reptoire book by Gufeld. For me this book by Raetsky gives me more depth to the Gufeld book which I highly recommend (Gufeld's book also covers a repetoire for white uisng E4 and Black using KID). Raetskys book also covers the lines where white tries to avoid the Sicilian in great depth.
Therefore I blieve it would be advantageous to use the Gufeld book or similar first to get a good feel for the Four Knights without getting overwhelmed by the depth of variations given by Raetsky.
This book provides you with a first class response to E4 and anything that white throws at you thereafter. With the advantage of you (as black) choosing the variation rather than White, you should be more familiar with the themes & ideas of the opening which should at least give you a psychological advantage.

Two years after describing the Sicilian Four Knights as "...perfectly playable and not to face serious threats on its right to existence in the coming century..." IM Alexander Raetsky demolishes his pet line in another book (Experts vs the Sicilian). Just thought this information could be of interest to potential buyers of 'Meeting 1.e4'...