EXPERTS vs. THE SICILIAN

Multiple Authors

288 pages

$24.95

Quality Chess (2004)

Reviewed by John Donaldson

EXPERTS vs. THE SICILIAN by the new Scandinavian publisher Quality Chess, which features 10 authors, brings back memories to this author of the RHM Opening Surveys of the late 1970s. It also bears comparison to John Nunn’s BEATING THE SICILIAN series. The energetic Jacob Aagaard and his good friend, fellow IM John Shaw, have brought together a team of specialists who analyze one line of the Sicilian from the White side. Interestingly, in the case of Golubev, Aagaard, Nielsen and Raetsky, they have to recommend lines on openings they have written books on.

Contents:

• The Najdorf  (6.Bg5) by Thomas Luther (33 pages)
• The Dragon  (9.0-0-0) by Mikhail Golubev (48 pages)
• The Sveshnikov  (9.Bxf6) by Jacob Aagaard (21 pages)
• The Classical Sicilian (6.Bg5) by Peter Wells (37 pages)
• The Kan and Taimanov (Be3 and Bd3) by Sune Berg Hansen (40 pages)
• The Accelerated Dragon (Maroczy with Nc2) by Peter Heine Nielsen (11 pages)
•  The Scheveningen (Keres Attack) by Viktor Gavrikov (20 pages)
• The Kalashnikov (Nd5, c4) by Jan Pinski (9 pages)
• The Four Knights (Ndb5 and a3) by Alexander Raetsky (8 pages)
• The Pin Variation by Jacob Aagaard (12 pages)
• The Nimzowitsch Variation by Jacob Aagaard (16 pages)
• Minor Lines by John Shaw (16 pages)
• 5th move alternatives by Jacob Aagaard (6 pages)

Having last played 1.e4 regularly twenty years ago, I will write about the system I know something about from the Black side, namely the Accelerated Dragon. The chapter by the highest rated contributor (2650+ FIDE), Peter Heine Nielsen of Denmark, is one of the shortest and least theoretical. This makes sense as the Maroczy Bind arises as often from 1.Nf3, 1.c4 and 1.d4 as it does from 1.e4. Positional ideas play a much larger role here. Nielsen recommends playing Nc2 with the key position being 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 d6 7.Nc2 Bg7 8.Be2 Nd7 9.Bd2 0-0 10.0-0 Nc5 11.b4 when 11...Bxc3 12.Bxc3 Nxe4 13.Bb2 shows the value of the extra move b4 compared to the well-known Maroczy English line where Black must play ...Be8.

One thing that Nielsen writes, which is sure to stick with many readers after they have forgotten some heavy theory elsewhere in the book, is the following pearl of wisdom. White, in the Maroczy, would like to keep all four of the minor pieces on the board or exchange everyone. The first is rather intuitive, White has more space so the classic rule is don’t trade. Exchanging all the pieces seems like it would help Black, but as we discover from Nielsen’s first model game (Botvinnik-Toran, Palma de Mallorca 1967), this is not the case. Another good example of this theme from the same year is Pachman-Gunnarson from the zonal tournament in Vrnjacka Banja.

Nielsen runs the reader through a series of games that show how White handles various treatments by Black (...Nc5, ...a5 and ...Nc5, and ...a6). The emphasis is on explanation, but concrete lines are not neglected. Maroczy players know Evgeny Pigusov as a staunch defender of Black’s chances. Any database will quickly show a number of draws in the Nc2 Maroczy with the great Efim Geller where they tested some ideas.

Geller -Pigusov

Cappelle op Cappelle, 1992

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 d6 7.Nc2 Bg7 8.Be2 Nd7 9.Bd2 0-0 10.0-0 Nc5 11.b4 Ne6 12.Rc1 a5 13.a3 axb4 14.axb4 Ncd4 15.Nxd4 Nxd4 16.Be3 e5 17.Nb5 Nxb5 18.cxb5 Be6 19.b6 f5

In this critical position one dangerous idea for White here is 20.Rc7 Rf7 21.Qc2 Ra2 22.Qc4 Qe8 23.exf5 (23.Rd1!?) 23... gxf5 24.Qd3 e4 though Black might be okay (Shabalov-Donaldson, Vermont 2004). Unfortunately this may be academic as Nielsen proposes the strong pawn sacrifice 20.Bc4 when 20...Bxc4 21.Rxc4 f4 22.Qd5+ Kh8 23.Bd2 Qxb6 24.Rfc1 yielding tremendous compensation for the pawn.

20.f3 Ra3 21.Qd2 Ra2 22.Rc2 Rxc2 23.Qxc2 Qd7 24.Rc1 f4 25.Bf2 Rc8 26.Qxc8+ Qxc8 27.Rxc8+ Bxc8 28.Bh4 Kf7, 1/2-1/2.

Nielsen proposes that White answer 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Bg7 with 6.Nc2. His idea is not to be pragmatic, though this move order does avoid the ...Ng4 and ...b6 variations. What the Danish Giant really wants to sidestep is the old Larsen anti-Maroczy system where Black plays ...0-0, ...d6, ...Bd7, ...Nxd4 and ...Bc6. The trade of Knights helps the second player.

This makes sense, but you don’t see this move order too often. Normally White only plays Nc2 when Black’s Knight is on f6. The question is, can he take advantage of not having committed his Knight so early? The critical line would be 6.Nc2 d6 7.Be2 and now 7...f5. This advance is usually pretty committal in the Maroczy but is sometimes seen when Nc2 has been played. The fact ...Nf6-d7 has not been played to prepare ...f5, might be worth something. This was the way that Botvinnik played against Alexander at the 1954 Olympiad. Unfortunately there have been few tests between top players since then. This line isn’t covered in Nielsen’s very thematic and pedagogical treatment. I would be very interested to read his impressions in a future edition of EXPERTS vs. THE SICILIAN.

A recent game, Nielsen-Lie, Norway 2005, shows the Dane practices what he preaches.

1.Nf3 g6 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 d6 5.e4 O-O 6.Be2 c5 7.O-O cxd4 8.Nxd4 Nc6 9.Nc2 Nd7 10.Bd2 Nc5 11.b4 Ne6 12.Rc1 Ned4 13.Nxd4 Nxd4 14.Be3 Nxe2+ 15.Qxe2 b6  16.Rfd1 Bb7 17.Bd4 Rc8

The first new move and not a good one. Now Black loses a pawn and the game. Nielsen’s main game Aronian-Vorobiov, 2004 continued 17…Bxd4 (17…f6!? Nielsen) 18.Rxd4 Qc7 19.h4 with a large advantage to White.

18. Bxg7 Kxg7 19. e5! Qe8 20. exd6 exd6 21. Qxe8 Rfxe8 22. Nb5 Re2 23. Nxd6 Rb8 24. Re1 Rxe1+ 25. Rxe1 Kf8 26. Nxb7 Rxb7 27. Kf1 Rd7 28. Ke2 Rd4 29. Rc1 f5 30. Ke3 Re4+ 31. Kd3 Ke7 32. f3 Re6 33. Rc2 Kd7 34. Re2 Rf6 35. Kc3 Rf7 36. a4 Kc7 37. b5 Rd7 38. h4 Kb7 39. Kb4 a5+ 40. Kc3 Rc7 41. Re5 Rf7 42. f4 Kc7 43. Re6 Rd7 44. Rc6+ Kb7 45. Rf6 Re7 46. h5 Re4 47. Rf7+ Kb8 48. h6 Rxf4 49. Rxh7 Rh4 50. g3 Rh3 51. Kd4, 1-0.

Most of the chapters in EXPERTS vs. THE SICILIAN are useful for players 1800 up to Grandmaster, a few of the more theoretical ones for players 2000 on up.

Highly Recommended.

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