Modernized: The Open Sicilian

Modernized: The Open Sicilian: A Complete Repertoire for White against the Sicilian. Authors: Kostya Kavutskiy, Zhanibek Amanov

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Edition:    Paperback
Publication date:    January 1, 2015
Number of pages:    562
Publisher:    Metropolitan Chess, Inc
Weight:    916 gram
ISBN:    9780985628116

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IM Zhanibek Amanov and FM Kostya Kavutskiy present a repertoire vs. the Sicilian Defense, one of the most complex and powerful defenses available to Black, and the choice of many top players.

The critical test is to attack it directly with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 followed by 3.d4, the Open Sicilian.

The dynamics of the resulting positions are such that White will get a lead in development while Black will have an extra central pawn. This leads to very sharp middlegames.

The main goal in choosing lines was to reach positions with well-defined plans for both sides, then illustrate how to handle a typical middlegame in each variation through the use of well-chosen instructive games.

The choices against the most frequently seen Sicilians are:

The Najdorf: 6.h3
The Kan and Taimanov: 6.g3
The Classical: 6.Bc4
The Dragon: 9.O-O-O
The Accelerated Dragon: Maróczy Bind
The Sveshnikov: 9.Nd5

The purpose of this book is not only to provide a complete repertoire for the White side of the Open Sicilian, but also to ingrain a number of thematic positional and tactical motifs as well.

The authors provide memory markers, reminders of the ideas and motifs, at the end of each chapter, as well as lots of exercises to test your understanding.

Some comments and reviews about this chess book:

IM Jack Peters:

"Some opening books lose their value almost instantly, but I expect this one to last. The analysis is high quality and the variations are reliable. You can trust that these systems will score points for many years."

Sean Marsh, CHESS Magazine (UK):

"Very strong on explications (..) There is less detail here than in Parimarjan Negi GM Repertoire books for Quality Chess, which make this book more immediately accessible to club players."

IM Anthony Saidy, author of 'The Battle of Chess Ideas':

"As an old Sicilian devotee, I'm glad that my many opponents did not have access to 'Modernized: the Open Sicilian'. This book is clearly and logically written, and will arm the reader well. We Sicilian fans had better get prepared."

IM John Donaldson, author of 'The Live and Games of Akiba Rubinstein':

"A solid and up to date work which should serve a wide range of players from 1600 up to GM/IM quite well (..) These variations are not only transpositionally consistent they also have a similar degree of aggressiveness to them, a style I would characterize as active positional."

IM Danny Rensch, VP Chess.com:

"A great mix of well chosen classic games with the critical games of more recent years, creating a perfect balance of teaching the deeper, strategical points of each variation, while still making sure to update you on the current state of things! Bravo!"