®| ® |
|
|
|---|
Back to May 2001 Reviews
Last update: Friday June 3, 2005 9:44
by Danny Kopec
Batsford, 128pages, £13.99
The idea behind this
series of books is good in that it attempts to explain the opening with lots
of words and few detailed notes. However, the Sicilian is a big subject and
Kopec struggles to get his ideas across within the confines of this slim book.
He does excel in the main lines such as the Najdorf and Boleslavsky Variation
by pointing out typical pawn structures and simple plans. At times it is like
reading a best games collection because Kopec has included 21 main games by
himself.
The idea is that the work is geared towards the player with the black pieces and the author has prior knowledge of how to handle the opening. The section on Closed Systems looks like it has been added at a very late stage. This can be the only explanation for such a disappointing chapter that offers so little. For example: the C3 Sicilian is a favourite for club players but there are just two, short games and one has 28 moves but with no words or analysis! The section on the Grand Prix Attack only mentions the discredited Bc4 variation, which is hardly adequate. One might think that at least the Kopec System (1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 Bd3) might have some original analysis or ideas for future plans, but you will have to look elsewhere because there is only one game with just 10 moves.
A good source of background information on the main line Sicilians.