Anti-Sicilians - A Guide for Black
Anti-Sicilians - A Guide for Black, 2005 by Dorian Rogozenko (Author)
Author: Dorian Rogozenko
Language: English
Pages: 192
Cover: Paperback
Published: 2003
Publisher: Gambit
ISBN: 1 901983 84 6
Amazon Review:
The Sicilian is far and away the most popular chess opening, and many players prefer to side-step the Open Sicilian with one of the Anti-Sicilian systems at White's disposal. This book equips Black to fight against all these lines. The Anti-Sicilian systems include: positionally motivated lines such as the 2 c3 Sicilian and the 3 Bb5 systems; slow but tricky attacking lines including the Closed Sicilian and the King's Indian Attack; aggressive but loosening ideas like the Grand Prix Attack and a variety of gambits. In the most critical variations, Rogozenko provides a choice between a solid and an aggressive option. He caters for those who meet 2 Nf3 with the three main moves, 2...d6, 2...e6 and 2...Nc6.
The first book by Moldavian grandmaster Dorian Rogozenko, entitled Anti-Sicilians: A Guide for Black, belongs to the eternally popular genre of Sicilian repertoire books. In spite of the large volume of books on this opening, surprisingly few have provided ammunition for Black when White chooses to avoid the Open Sicilian, so from that perspective this title is welcome.
Nearly a decade has passed since Joe Gallagher wrote his repertoire book, Beating the Anti-Sicilians, and many important ideas have since surfaced in the various Anti-Sicilians. In particular the Bb5-variations (Moscow and Rossolimo) have become regular guests at top-notch tournaments. As an experienced grandmaster, who has played the Sicilian throughout his career, Rogozenko is ideally suited to give a well-considered and personal opinion on how to best confront these systems.
Like any other repertoire book, individual taste will determine whether you like the suggestions made or not. If you play the Sicilian because you prefer an unbalanced dogfight, there is a chance you may find that parts of the rather risk-free repertoire outlined in Anti-Sicilians lack the necessary sharpness. Rogozenko’s approach seems rooted in a firm belief that Anti-Sicilians (with the possible exception of the Bb5-lines) do not offer White much potential for advantage, so that Black lacks an incentive for engaging in double-edged lines. However, in some drawish lines, Rogozenko does provide sharp alternatives for those who are not content with merely equalizing as Black.
Anti-Sicilians spans 192 pages, divided into seven chapters. As far as the organization of material is concerned, Rogozenko gives the following explanation: ”I have my opinion about the objective strength of the various Anti-Sicilians and I arrange the material in accordance with it.“ In other words, coverage starts with the somewhat dubious and ends with the objectively better systems. It is interesting in itself to see an active grandmaster’s thoughts on the relative merit of these systems, as expressed in the following list of chapters:
1. Early Deviations (10 pages)
2. The Grand Prix Attack (15 pages)
3. The Closed Sicilian (14 pages)
4. The Alapin Variation (2.c3) (34 pages)
5. Miscellaneous Lines after 2.Nf3 (49 pages)
6. 3.Bb5(+) Lines (49 pages)
7. 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 ( 9 pages)
In the short first chapter, ”Early Deviations”, Rogozenko takes on oddities such as 2.b3 and 2.c4, but also the Smith/Morra gambit that follows from 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3. While the latter hardly ever appears in grandmaster games, it does have some loyal practitioners at club level. Surprisingly, Rogozenko advocates immediately handing back the gambitted pawn in order to head for one of the main lines of the Alapin (c3-Sicilian) after 3…Nf6 4.e5 Nd5. Certainly, it is possible to argue that the suggested transposition may steer an opponent, armed-to-the-teeth with sharp Morra theory, into quieter waters (familiar to you after studying Anti-Sicilians). On the other hand, conventional wisdom suggests that this gambit is not entirely sound, so this - objectively speaking - cannot be the best approach. In other words, the ambitious player should look elsewhere for more satisfying ways of meeting this gambit.
As Rogozenko correctly points out in the second chapter on “The Grand Prix Attack”, the original form of this system with an immediate 2.f4 is a rare bird these days, since Black gets a very comfortable game after 2…d5 3.exd5 Nf6! Not even the hilariously named Toilet variation, conceived by GM Mark Hebden and arising after 3.Nc3 instead of 3.exd5, has been able to change this picture. Thus, for at least a decade the Grand Prix has mostly been sighted in its delayed form with 2.Nc3 / 3.f4, so that it makes perfect sense for Anti-Sicilians to spend most of the second chapter covering these lines.
As it appears, 2.Nc3 has become a very flexible move. White may opt to play either the Grand Prix attack, a Closed Sicilian, or even an Open Sicilian after a tricky move order. In order not to be tricked, Rogozenko suggests Black choose his reply to 2.Nc3 in accordance with his preferences in the Open Sicilian. For example, Najdorf specialists should continue 2…d6, even though this may lead to a slightly awkward version of the Grand Prix attack where the thematic d5-break is less attractive. Should White develop according to a classical Closed Sicilian setup (kingside fianchetto), all the common Black second moves (Nc6/d6/e6/g6) will typically transpose to the main line.
Dorian Rogozenko playing the Sicilian as Black
Player: Dorian Rogozenco Opening: Sicilian (B20-B99)
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