Checkpoint

Reviewed this month:

Easy Guide to the Sveshnikov Sicilian
by Jacob Aagaard
Easy Guide to the Classical Sicilian
by Jouni Yrjolä
The Taimanov Sicilian
by Graham Burgess
Sicilian Grand Prix Attack
by Jim Plaskett
Checkpoint B22 EE
Carsten Hansen by Evgenij Sveshnikov

Greetings from Sicily

Happy New Year!
THE SICILIAN DEFENCE seems to be as popular as ever and particularly the
Najdorf has been and still is the battleground where many of today's super-GMs go
head to head. Therefore you would perhaps expect a bouquet of new books on the
Najdorf to appear on the scene. But that's not the case. Since Kosten's book Easy
Guide to the Najdorf appeared at the beginning of 2000, none of the major publishers
has published anything on this exciting and topical line. However, in this month's
edition of Checkpoint I will take a look on a number of other titles that have been
published recently on other lines of the Sicilian.
Easy Guide to the Sveshnikov Sicilian by Jacob Aagaard, 2000
Everyman Chess, Figurine Algebraic Notation, Paperback, 144pp.,
$19.95
This book is the second book by my compatriot, international
master Jacob Aagaard; the first book being the well-received Easy
Guide to the Panov-Botvinnik Attack, which was okay, but not
exactly my cup of tea.
The present book covers the popular Sveshnikov Sicilian which
normally arises after the following moves: 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6
5 Nc3 e5 6 Ndb5 d6 (See Diagram)

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but also often occurs after Taimanov Sicilian

move-order: 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4
Nc6 5 Nc3 Nf6 6 Ndb5 d6 7 Bf4 e5 8 Bg5.
The material is divided into three parts which is
then split into a total of 17 chapters.
Part 1 is Strategic Introduction and Sidelines. This
part contains both what impresses me most and
what I found most odd, but I will return to both
things a bit later. Part 2 is The Sveshnikov with 9
Nd5 and Part 3 covers The Sveshnikov with 9 Bxf6
gxf6 10 Nd5.
It's quite clear that the book is written from a black perspective, yet Aagaard manages
to stay level-headed and doesn't make outrageous claims such as that Black can expect
win no matter what White comes up with. The lines are well-documented and
improvements are presented for both sides, which also makes this book of interest for
those who play the open Sicilian as White. The positional assessments throughout the
book are very objective; the book thus separates itself from the numerous one-sided
monographs so prevalent from some authors.
Chapter 1, which really ought to be called the introduction, covers How to Play the
Sveshnikov and is the best introduction I have seen in any opening book for a very
long time. It's about 20 pages long. He starts by discussing Typical Plans and
Structures, which in my point of view is essential when a book is aimed at a wide
range of chessplayers. Next subject is the Piece Placement, where he explains the role
of each piece (pawns and Kings excepted); this is also useful to those who are just
taking up the opening. Finally, there is a selection of Practical Examples, 22 in all,
reasonably well annotated, but all excellently chosen. By studying this introduction,
any newcomer to the opening will feel a certain familiarity with the play that typically
arises in this opening, when they first try this wonderfully exciting, but tactically and
strategically difficult opening.
In chapter 4 (7 Nd5), I came across something that leads me to believe that this
chapter was written before the introduction (not an uncommon procedure, since an
author always should start with the coverage of those lines where theory develops at
the slowest pace, since the number of theoretical corrections at the end will be fewer).
It has as the only chapter some annotated practical examples. Although Aagaard
appears to make a case for this addition, it really belongs with the other examples in
the introduction.
My next and final point of criticism is perhaps not really criticism at all. In chapter 5,
Aagaard gives a very brief look at the Larsen/Bird Variation (8...Be6), which is played
very rarely and is, theoretically, a little better for White. Since the book is written
mainly from Black's point of view, the inclusion of this line may seem a little puzzling
at first, but it is another indication of the author’s balanced approach.
The theoretical coverage is very solid and Aaagard provides us with numerous
examples of his inventive and creative approach to chess as well as his total lack of
respect for authority. His witty comments only add to this wonderful presentation; one
of my favourites from this book is the following which follows White's 12th move in
the following line: 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e5 6 Ndb5 d6 7
Bg5 a6 8 Na3 b5 9 Bxf6 gxf6 10 Nd5 f5 11 Bd3 Be6 12 0-0 (See Diagram)

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Aagaard here comments: "This is not as active as

12 Qh5, but it is still a line where Black finds
himself on shaky ground, if White follows the
main path. My instincts tell me that Black is OK,
but they have been proven wrong once or twice
before. Still, if you don't feel safe playing the
positions arising after this, then you should maybe
find another opening."
Overall the material is well-organised,
well-presented and well-annotated, and in
conjunction with Aagaard's plentiful input of
original analysis and ideas, this book is ideal for
anybody, weak or strong, playing this opening. An absolute must-buy for anybody
with interest in this opening and one of the best Easy Guides to date. I can
wholeheartedly recommend this great book.
My assessment of this book:
Order Easy Guide to the Sveshnikov Sicilian
by Jacob Aagaard

Easy Guide to the Classical Sicilian by Jouni Yrjolä, 2000

Everyman Chess, Figurine Algebraic Notation, Paperback, 128pp.,
$18.95
Finnish Grandmaster Jouni Yrjolä, debuting with his first book,
isn't a name familiar to most people, but nonetheless he is
considered quite an expert in the lines that he writes about.
While the Sveshnikov Sicilian has been covered in several books
over the last few years, the Classical Sicilian has not received the
same attention. Just to clarify what we are talking about, the Classical Sicilian arises
after 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Nc6 (See Diagram)
The Richter-Rauzer (6 Bg5) has been covered in a
separate volume by Peter Wells, but a general
work that also covers the Sozin and Boleslavsky
Variations, the Velimirovic Attack as well as the
many minor options such as 6 g3, 6 f3, 6 h3 and 6
f4 has, as far as I know, never been covered in a
single volume. I don't think that it would have
been possible had the book not limited itself to
focusing mainly on a repertoire for Black in the
Classical Sicilian.
The book is split into eight chapters of which the
first is the introduction. Unlike Aagaard's book,
the introduction doesn't give examples of typical play, pawn structures etc. This
material has been sorted into each chapter for the student better to able to relate it to
the specific material presented. Instead, the introduction gives a little bit of history,
discusses which lines are covered in this book, comments about transpositions,
speculates why you should play these lines, warns you which names to look out for
(The Specialists) and describes how the present book has been organised.
This last is particularly interesting because the material has been divided according to
the typical pawn structures that arise, and then by theoretical variations. So, for

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example, Yrjolä writes: "In the Classical [Sicilian], we encounter the following basic
positions-types: Boleslavsky, Dragon, Velimirovic, Sozin, Rauzer without doubled
f-pawns and Rauzer with doubled f-pawns. This is also the order they are introduced
in this book." Yrjolä continues with: "In every section there is a strategic introduction
to that position-type before the theoretical lines are discussed in detail. The lines are
organized around base games, which usually represent the main line in this book. The
main lines do not always coincide with those accepted by theory as the principal
variation, but are those that I regard as important and playable. For example, the main
line I have selected against the Velimirovic [Attack] is the one thing that is doing best
in practice, but is not the most popular by any means."
I fully support this way of organizing the material, since it makes it easier for the
student to understand the material if first there is a general discussion about typical
plans, what to look out for, both as Black and White, and then to study the theory on
top of this. For example, in Chapter 2, The Boleslavsky Position-Type, the author first
discusses the two most common pawn structures insofar as which squares are
important for either side and which plans usually are associated with the individual
pawn structures. Then he moves on to cover Typical Methods for White, which
according to the book is "Occupy the d5-square (sometimes f5)", "Attack on the
queenside with the pawns", "Play on the light squares", "Manoeuvre the knight from
f3 to e3", "Advance the f-pawn", "Keep the pawn-formation solid and watertight".
After that the Typical Methods for Black are discussed, before we move on to the
theory itself.
In general the author manages to cover the typical plans quite well, but unlike
Aagaard, he doesn't give many practical examples to support his introduction, so the
student has to find the examples in the theory section by him- or herself, which is not
necessarily bad, just different.
Moving on to the theory, I have found the theoretical coverage to be quite good
overall, a good selection of lines, not necessarily main lines, but lines that are easily
memorized and that do not require an enormous amount of theoretical knowledge. In
addition, Yrjolä presents us with quite a bit of his own analysis and new ideas
compared to existing theory. This always pleases me, because I know that the author
wants to give us something that we can't get somewhere else.
When I first browsed through the book, chapter 3, The Dragon Position-Type, struck
me as quite odd, because not only does he cover non-Dragon lines where Black
develops his Bishop to g7, he also covers lines that are regular Dragon lines, such as 6
g3 g6, which is the main line in the fianchetto line of the Dragon Variation. But after 6
g3, there isn't really much better for Black than to enter these lines, therefore Yrjolä
does the correct but brave thing: to cover these Dragon lines. Many authors would
have stuck to a purely Classical Sicilian approach, and would have suggested an
inferior choice for Black in order not to extend themselves by offering the best
possible, but more complicated, solution to the reader.
On top of the g3-lines, he also introduced me to a couple of lines which I have never
seen before: 6 Be2 Nxd4 7 Qxd4 g6 and 6 f3 Nxd4 7 Qxd4 g6, both of which gets a
bit of coverage, so the reader may be able to use the lines as surprise weapons.
In general, when reading the book and studying his recommendations, you really feel
the author's sincerity and his firm belief that the recommended lines will serve you
well. In repertoire books you often see those outrageous claims by the authors that
White (or Black) is busted in every line; not so with Yrjolä, who manages to keep his
head clear, being objective while guiding us through the Classical Sicilian jungle.
Overall, I found this book very satisfying and trustworthy, and so therefore I have no

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problem recommending this book to anybody with interest in the Sicilian, both as
White and Black.
My assessment of this book:
Order Easy Guide to the Classical Sicilian
by Jouni Yrjolä

The Taimanov Sicilian by Graham Burgess, 2000 Gambit

Publications, Figurine Algebraic Notation, Paperback, 208pp.,
$21.95
Although Graham Burgess is one of the busiest chess book
authors, this is the first book of his that I have reviewed at The
Chess Cafe.
For those who don't know who Mr. Burgess is, I can inform you
that he used to be the editor of Batsford, until he got together with
John Nunn and Murray Chandler to start the hugely successful
Gambit Publications that has released a long list excellent books, such as Watson's
Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy, Yermolinsky's Road to Chess Improvement,
Sanakoev's World Champion at the Third Attempt, and perhaps most notably the best
one-volume opening encyclopaedia to date, Nunn's Chess Openings, which was a
co-production with Everyman Chess, but written by Nunn, Burgess, Emms and
Gallagher.
Burgess has also written other opening manuals. His two books on the Alekhine
Defence are mandatory for anyone who plays this opening. His book on the
Morra-Gambit is also interesting, although now a bit outdated. His co-productions
with Nunn on the King's Indian are also pretty much standard for anyone playing this
opening while his Torre Attack book is the best available book on the market. Other
titles include his Mammoth Book of Chess, which won the British Chess Federation's
Book of the Year award a few years back, and the Mammoth Book of the World's
Greatest Games of Chess (again with Nunn and Emms).
Aside from that, he is the chief editor for all books that are released by Gambit and
several published by Everyman Chess (the two "easy guides" above are both edited by
Burgess). Where does he get the energy? Don't ask me, but he is always courteous and
very professional, yet flexible to work with. I should know because my first three
books were all commissioned by him and the last two on the English Opening were
both edited by him, as well as published by Gambit.
By the way, just the other day I read a very funny comment by John Watson in his
most recent book reviews on TWIC: "I'm not impressed by the output by Graham
Burgess. I'm convinced that there are two Graham Burgess, neither of which ever
sleeps or has any vacation!"
Burgess is a very competent author and his books are all standard reference books in
the openings he has covered. Now after a little break from opening books, he returns
with a work on the Taimanov Sicilian, which has never really been the topic for a
great number of books, and none in recent years.
The book starts with an interesting introduction, in which Burgess explains among
other things the differences between the Kan, the Paulsen and the Taimanov
Variations of the Sicilian. This book, in spite of the labeling, does also cover the
Paulsen Variation in its entirety, however, but nothing of the Kan, where Black
generally doesn't play an early ...Nc6.

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It's of course of interest to find out how he works. Burgess gives us a peek in the
introduction under the heading "How This Book was Written":
"Every time I write an opening book, it seems necessary to reinvent the writing
process to cope with the constantly mushrooming amount of data, and to make best
use of all the available electronic tools. My first step this time was to set Junior 6 to
work, blunderchecking the main source data (annotated games from Mega Database
2000, ChessBase Magazine 73 onwards and
two correspondence databases, and all games from Informator and TWIC 266
onwards). I gave it enough time to analyse 2-3 million positions at each point. This
saved a lot of time later, as it helped identify possible improvements and holes in
published analysis (and it's amazing how many there were, even in recent games
annotated by strong players, who have no excuse not to have checked their analysis
properly). The bulk of the writing work was done inside ChessBase. I made extensive
use of ChessBase 7's trees: in particular, by making a tree from the work I had done so
far, I could see with one key press whether a given position was already discussed
anywhere in the material so far written. This was a great help in tracking down
transpositions. A similar process made it possible to determine quickly whether a
position was discussed anywhere in the source data. I was assisted by several
analytical engines (in addition to Junior): Fritz 6 (background analysis), Hiarcs 7.32
and Crafty 17.11 (blunderchecks of the whole book), and the new tactical monster
Goliath Light (for cracking tough positions). Using different engines to check the
work at different stages should lessen the effects of certain engines being weak in
some types of position. Of course, human judgement (rightly or wrongly!) had the
final say in all matters. I used BookUp's backsolving feature to help determine the
assessment symbols that, where possible, are given where a transposition is indicated.
These assessment symbols should be taken with a pinch of salt, since they are often
based on a minimax of the assessments of several other variations." (My sincere
thanks to Graham Burgess for e-mailing me this piece, so I didn't have to re-type the
whole thing!)
I find the above very interesting, and I must add that his intelligent use of computers
does cut down on the work that would otherwise have taken many, many hours.
Having written three books myself, and only used computers in a very limited fashion
on the analytical side, I can safely say that many analytical mistakes are avoided when
working as Burgess does. However, I can also say that as a chessplayer your strength
only truly increases when you analyse by yourself (even if aided by a computer).
But back to the book. There is a total of 10 chapters of theoretical coverage. These
chapters are mainly theory and only a few explanations of the typical ideas, which
must be extracted by the reader him- or herself by studying the presented material.
This is quite demanding, particularly if you are not a very strong player, and therefore
his book is best for players who have reached a certain level. But again, neither the
Taimanov nor the Paulsen are really easy to understand, and therefore really only
should be played if you can crunch the strategic ideas behind this openings yourself.
With everything checked and re-checked by various computer programs, I have had a
difficult time finding anything that looked wrong in one way or the other, but a few
interesting things have come up.
On page 88 there is coverage of an idea I looked at in the April 2000 Checkpoint. It is
Ponomariov's sharp line: 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6 5 Nc3 Qc7 6 Ndb5
Qb8 7 Be3 a6 (Burgess thinks that 7...Nf6 which transposes to a Scheveningen after
7...Nf6 8 f4 d6 9 Qf3 Be7 10 Bd3 0-0 11 0-0 a6 12 Nd4 Qc7 is the safest response to 7
Be3) 8 Bb6!? axb5 9 Nxb5 (See Diagram)

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and now instead Burgess' main line 9...Bb4+, I

had a brief look at 9...Ra5!?, which I found to
be in Black's favour, but Burgess only writes
"9...Ra5!? is an idea for the future" without
going into any depth, which probably should
have been done, since much of the future in this
line likely will focus around this move.
Very recently, the following line was tried out
between Shirov and Anand in Baghdad in their
FIDE World Championship Final: 1 e4 c5 2
Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6 5 Nc3 Qc7 6
Be3 a6 7 Be2 Nf6 8 0-0 Bb4 9 Na4 Bd6!? (See
Diagram).

For that reason, I took a quick look at Burgess'

coverage, and I wasn't surprised to find 1.5 page
coverage of Black's 9th move. However, after
Shirov's 10 g3 (which gets a "!?" by Burgess
who has it as his main line), we are relegated to
a sideline after Anand's 10...b5, which is also
mentioned by Burgess, who continues: 11 Nb6
Rb8 12 Nxc8 Rxc8 13 a4 +=,
Suetin-Taimanov, USSR Team Championship
(Riga) 1968. This line has actually been tried
out by Beshukov a couple of times, most
recently against Dolmatov in Novgorod 1999,
where Black lost, but according to my analysis
(and I'm quite sure Anand's too!) not because of the opening. The game continued
with 13...Nxd4 14 Bxd4 e5 15 Be3 Bc5 16 Qd3
Shirov tried 16 axb5, which is more aggressive, but cannot be right on purely
positional grounds. Another try is 16 Bxc5 Qxc5 17 axb5 axb5 (See Diagram),

and here the original game between Suetin and

Taimanov continued 18 Bd3 0-0 19 Ra5 Rb8 20 c3
with a small plus for White (even if my computer
insists Black has equality after both 20...d5 and
20...Qc6, neither of which Taimanov played), who
went on to win the game. In the game
Mohaupt-Zitzmann DDR corr.-championship
1971, Black held a draw after the much more
logical 18...b4, which moves the pawn to a dark
square, where the white Bishop cannot attack it,
but also restrains the white queenside. That game
continued 19 Ra4 0-0 20 Qe2 Ra8 21 Rfa1 Rxa4
22 Rxa4 d6, and Black was doing just fine.
More critical is 18 Ra5 which forces Black to keep the b-pawn on a light square a bit
longer. This approach was tried out in the game between Galkin (future World Junior
Champ) and Beshukov (played in St. Petersburg 1997), who went on to equalize after
18...0-0 19 c3 Rb8 20 Qd3 Qc6 21 Bf3 Rfe8 22 Rfa1 Re6 23 R1a3 Ne8 24 Rb3 Nc7.
The game against Dolmatov showed a somewhat different approach by Dolmatov:
16 Qd3 Bxe3 17 Qxe3 0-0 (here Black can consider the somewhat odd-looking

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17...bxa4, which pretty much looks like Black has abandoned his queenside, but it is
surprisingly difficult for White to take advantage of it, e.g.: 18 Rxa4 Qxc2 19 Ra5 0-0
or 18 c3 Rb8 19 Rfb1 Qc6 or 18 Bxa6 Rb8, picking up either White's b- or c-pawn,
but in each case Black doesn't appear to be worse) 18 g3 Qc5 (18...Qc6 is less forcing;
keeping the Queens on appears to be in Black's interest, at least for now) 19 Qxc5
Rxc5 20 f3 Rb8 21 axb5 axb5 22 Ra5, and White already has a solid edge in the
endgame since the black b-pawn is more or less fixed on a light square, and the Rook
on c5 is quite passive, defending the weak b-pawn. The endgame was later won by
White.
The above things are minor, but could easily have been covered more in-depth. Of
course, every author has to draw a line somewhere, and while I would have preferred
to show the most recent example in a particular line, Burgess chose to show an
example by the inventor of the system.
I didn't find any errors, but Burgess felt compelled to point one out himself: on page
21, after 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6 5 Nb5 d6 6 Bf4 e5 7 Be3 Nf6 8 Bg5
a6, he fails to mention that 9 N5c3 transposes to Line F2, which makes one of his
comments 'appropriate', but this is a very small thing which easily can be forgiven.
Before I finish this review, I must compliment Burgess on his implementation of
putting transpositional lines in italics, which leads the student to material somewhere
else in the book. In an opening such as this, where transpositions are found
everywhere, this is a very important tool.
The Taimanov Sicilian has the best coverage of a line that is sure to gain popularity,
given that Anand now is playing it regularly with solid results. The presentation is a
bit dry without many verbal explanations, but at the same time it's very in-depth with
loads of improvements over existing theory. The material is well-organised and for the
serious student of opening theory, there is probably no way around this book, while if
you have a particular interest in this opening with either colour, this is a must buy.
My assessment of this book:
Order The Taimanov Sicilian
by Graham Burgess

Sicilian Grand Prix Attack by Jim Plaskett, 2000 Everyman Chess,

Figurine Algebraic Notation, Paperback, 144pp., $19.95
On the back cover of this book we are told that "Grandmaster James
Plaskett is one of Britain's most imaginative and exciting players.
With his dashing and uncompromising approach, the former British
Champion has provided chessplayers with great entertainment over
the years." They couldn't be more right. Plaskett’s playing style
should generate invitations from all over the world, because when
he is on, he can crush even the strongest grandmasters in great
combinational style. As an example of his practice in the Grand Prix Attack, I offer
you the following which I found in the book (but has also been published many other
places).
Plaskett-Shipov, Hastings 1998/99 (annotations are selected from those by Plaskett in
the book)
1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 d6 3 f4 Nc6 4 Nf3 g6 5 Bb5 Bd7 6 0-0 Bg7 7 d3 a6 8 Bxc6 Bxc6 9
Kh1 Qd7 10 Qe2 (See Diagram)

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A new move, attempting to improve upon the

usual 10 Qe1. However, in many ways 10 Qe2 is a
more logical move. As Black players become more
clued in, White is increasingly unlikely to get
away with a crude mating attack based on Qe1-h4
and f4-f5. Therefore the idea of placing the queen
on a different colour complex to the dark-squared
Bishop, is logical and constitutes good positional
play.
10...f5?
This is often a good method of blunting the power
of a white kingside attack, but here the move is
inappropriate. Black weakens the light squares in general and the e6-square in
particular and does nothing for his development.
11 Nd5 Rd8? 12 Ng5! Nf6 13 Nb6
White's Knights are fantastic pieces and he is not about to trade them in for modest
material gains. 13 Ne6 Nxd5 14 exd5 Bxd5 15 Nxd8 gives White a clear advantage,
but I wanted to play for the attack.
13...Qc7 14 Nc4 fxe4 15 Ne6 Qc8 16 f5! Rg8 17 Nb6 exd3 18 cxd3 Qb8 19 fxg6
Bh8 20 g7 Bxg7 21 Bg5 Bh8 22 Rae1 Rd7 23 Rxf6! (See Diagram)
It is rather ironic that White has been declining to
accept the advantage of the exchange over the past
few moves and now chooses to sacrifice Rook for
a Knight himself.
23...exf6 24 Nxc5+ Kd8 25 Ncxd7 Bxd7 26 Qe7+
Kc7 27 Nd5+ 1-0
A beautiful effort by Plaskett.
I know that Plaskett wrote a book on the Taimanov
Sicilian a few years ago, but to be honest I have
never had a look in it, so I cannot comment on the
content. But for those who want to see more and
read more about Plaskett, you may be lucky to dig up an old copy of his book Playing
to Win, which came out many years ago, but has a good selection of his games.
The back cover blurb also gives us the following: "The sharp and dangerous Grand
Prix Attack is one of White's most aggressive ways of countering the Sicilian
Defence. It leads to very complicated play right from the first moves and contains of
pitfalls for the unwary Black player. Here James Plaskett takes a new look at this
dangerous opening. Whether you play the Sicilian as Black, or need an antidote for
White, this book is an essential addition to your armoury."
It sounds okay, but after having read the book I'm not that enthusiastic.
The material has been divided into two parts, 2 Nc3 (with 3 f4) and 2 f4; there are a
total of eight chapters.
The theoretical coverage is based around 91 main games. But the coverage is not
particularly deep, and with few exceptions, I didn't find much independent work from
Plaskett on the theoretical side. Many times (read: pretty much all the time) he merely
quotes a game excerpt to move 18-25 without any comments, suggestions or
explanations. That is not the way an opening book should be written. It appears as if

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Plaskett knows that Black or White can improve in certain lines, but he never tells us
why. In short, it is disappointing.
Therefore this book should merely be considered a selection of interesting games
featuring the Sicilian Grand Prix Attack and nothing more. While Plaskett's
run-through of the material and lightweight, but often amusing, annotations can be
entertaining, I doubt that most players will get much benefit from this book. Therefore
people with a specific interest in this opening can consider buying this book, but it is
by no means an essential or a must-buy. Better books have been written on this
opening.
My assessment of this book:
Order Sicilian Grand Prix Attack
by Jim Plaskett

B22 EE by Evgenij Sveshnikov, 2000 Sahovski Informator, Figurine

Algebraic Notation, Electronic Edition, $10.00 (approx.)
A couple of years ago the first (printed) edition of this book
appeared under the phrase "Win or Draw!", and since it was a
couple of years ago I was hoping that the material in this electronic
edition had been updated to cover all the material up to 2000, but
unfortunately it has not.
For those readers who are unfamiliar with the author, I can inform
you that the Russian GM from Chelyabinsk in the Ural Mountains, more than
anybody revived this line, and brought it up to its present popularity, just like he did
simultaneously with the Lasker-Pelikan Sicilian, which now is just known as the
Sveshnikov Sicilian (see the review above). He has been a firm believer of sticking to
a few systems, which not only meant that he was the ultimate authority on these lines,
but also made (and still makes) him an easy target for preparations. He is rated just
below 2600 so he is still very much a strong grandmaster.
When the book came out it was pretty much the book to read on this opening, but
since then there has been much water under the bridge and British-Swiss GM Joe
Gallagher among others gave the opening a solid bust in his 1999 book on the c3
Sicilian. Gallagher simply questioned White's ability to produce an edge in most of
the main lines. This makes it even more necessary for Sveshnikov's book to be
updated, because he is very pro-White. For those who are interested, you can also visit
kasparovchess.com, for which Sveshnikov wrote a series of articles on the c3 Sicilian,
although the articles admittedly are very superficial.
You cannot call B22 superficial; on the contrary it presents an abundance of material
in ECO style, non-verbal, but coded evaluations. This is in contrast to Aagaard's
Sveshnikov, where everything was balanced excellently and Plaskett's very 'chatty'
style with almost no analysis.
It is very difficult to review these Informator Monographs because they are nothing
but games, analysis and suggestions, no-verbal explanations to weigh which lines are
to be preferred, except the evaluations at the end of each line.
But despite the recent developments in this opening, and despite my disappointment
with the work not being updated before the re-release in this electronic edition, I can
wholeheartedly recommend this book to anybody playing the c3-Sicilian or playing
the Sicilian as Black, because you are bound to run into some of Sveshnikov's many
recommendations (and there are really many) in your own games, and could it hurt if

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Checkpoint

you had a chance to look at them before it happened?

In my humble opinion, this is one of the best Informator Monographs to date. That
being said, I'm still not too keen on the software, The Chess Informant Reader, which
still is sub-standard for the ambition level of our friends in Belgrade. But it's
workable. However, given the choice between the printed and the electronic editions, I
would pick the printed edition every time.
My assessment of this book:

The Ratings

— A poor book, not recommended.

— Not a particularly good book, but perhaps useful for some readers.

— A useful book.

— Good book, recommended.

— Excellent book, highly recommended.

Copyright 2000 Carsten Hansen. All rights reserved.

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