Winning with the Sicilian defense: A complete repertoire against 1 e4
About this book
"Winning with the Sicilian Defense A Complete Repertoire Against 1 e4," Revised 2nd Edition is a tome of 353 pages, which provides a system, or repertoire, of opening variations for playing the Black side of the Sicilian. A significant portion of the book is devoted to the Accelerated Dragon, where Black plays an immediate g6 after 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cd4 4 Nxd4, rather than entering the Dragon proper with Nf6. The work consists of a total of seven parts and includes some complete games, but mostly game fragments, analysis and ideas. The initial part, segregated into five chapters, covers the Accelerated Dragon, which occurs after the moves 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 g6. As anticipated, there is a particular focus on how Black should best meet the Maroczy Bind, 5 c4. Part Two examines Black's best lines against the Rossolimo Variation, 3 Bb5 g6. Closed lines with 2 Nc3 Nc6 and either 3 f4 (transposing to the Grand prix Attack) or 3 g3, the Closed Sicilian, are discussed in Part Three. Subsequent sections are devoted to the Alapin, 2 c3; the Smith-Morra Gambit, specifically the variation 2 d4 cxd4 3 c3 dxc3 4 Nxc3 Nc6 5 Nf3 d6 Bc4 e6 7 0-0 Be7 8 Qe2 a6 9 Rd1 Bd7; 2 f4 with ...d5, the Grand Prix Attack, and unusual White second moves, such as 2 b4 (the Wing Gambit), 2 b3 2 c4, 2 g3 and 2 d3. There is little doubt that Silman's latest edition of "Winning With the Sicilian" provides comprehensive coverage of recommended variations for Black against virtually all White second moves in the Sicilian. It was also refreshing to find that, though the focus of the book is on the Black side, Silman retained his objectivity in his analysis of the material. Silman claims in the Preface of the 1997 edition of the book that, previously, he "thought that [he] was writing for 1400-2000 players, but when I saw Anand and Kamsky take up the Accelerated I was quickly forced to reevaluate this view.