Ebook: How to Play the Sicilian Defense (The Macmillan Chess Library)

The move 1...c5 in response to 1. e4 is baffling to beginners. It does nothing to aid the development of the minor pieces, fails to move out a center pawn and is often followed by even more non-developing pawn moves. Many must surely ask, "How is a defense that seems to flout all the opening priciples so often adopted by super-strong players?" They're right: Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov, Spassky, Tal and others have had the Sicilian figure prominently in their repertoires. Levy an O'Connell do an excellent job of outlining strategies for White and Black in this wide-ranging opening (As far as I can tell, only the c3 Sicilian and the odd gambits are ignored). For those rated 1400-1800, this is a good introduction to the opening. For "A" players, this will provide an excellent foundation for deeper research into the opening. Another fine effort from David Levy.* Highly recommended. (*Excepting his, An Opening Repertoire for the Attacking Player, co-authored with Raymond Keene, which is a clinker -- see my review under that title.)