Customer Reviews

Sveshnikov Sicilian

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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This is an excellent book. The author says that he loves this opening and it shows. Special features of this book include a separate chapter at the back with 40 important annotated games (see Brodsky-Kramnik 1991 for a violent treat), comments in the introduction on strategies and piece placement, etc, and a two-page index of variations with assessments right there. The only minor problem I have is that the lines contain so many sublines and variants I can almost get lost. You can't play this opening with NCO alone. There are just too many savage alternatives for each side. Which brings me to my last point - are you considering taking up this opening but are not too sure about it? Then be warned, this is not the opening for those who believe in weak squares! You need to be an aggressive player who loves piece activity and despises draws.

The book is written in a format of mass variations, followed in the last chapter with annotated instructive games. the lines are well detailed and complete. All you need to buy to learn the opening. For a reference book I recommend The Pelikan Sicilian, by Sveshnikov himself.

The Sveshnikov Sicillian is an extremely dynamic agressive opening which has been used by top grandmasters including Kramnik, Shirov and Nunn. Black sacrifices pawn structure for dynamic piece play, and the middle game strategies can be very rich and complex as a result. White usually tries to get a grip on the light squares, to try and reduce black's counterplay, whilst black will try and exploit piece play, usually by trying for a violent king attack. This book by Krasenkov who is a loyal exponent of this opening, provides up to date coverage of this defence, and can increase the black player's confidence in playing this opening. Indeed it is the possibility of such as razor sharp defences like this, that is prompting White players to chicken out with moves such as 2. c3 :-)