Editorial Reviews:
The Sicilian Defence is by far the most popular chess opening. If you play 1 e4 as White, on average you are likely to meet the Sicilian in virtually every other game! You need to be prepared to face the Sicilian at all times, and a ready-to-use repertoire against it is an indispensible weapon.

Editorial Reviews:
The Sniper is a dynamic and universal opening weapon for Black which can be used against all mainline openings. Black’s system of development with ...g6 and ...Bg7 initially allows White to occupy the centre but, in true hypermodern style, Black strikes back immediately with ...c5. The Sniper can lead to original or barely-known positions in which Black can strive for the initiative. It’s also rich in move-order possibilities, with potential transpositions into Sicilian, King’s Indian or Benko-type positions.

Editorial Reviews:
Anyone who plays 1 e4 as White must be prepared not only for Black's main defenses but also an assortment of less popular lines which, when added all together, still represent a significant proportion of what you are likely to face. Dealing with these openings is often a daunting task, especially against opponents who tend to specialize in them and thus know them inside out. This book provides the perfect solution. International Master and renowned opening expert Andrew Greet gets to grips with each of these tricky openings. He identifies how to both exploit their weaknesses and avoid their strengths, and provides White with a practical and dependable repertoire. Read this book and you will never have to worry about facing the unknown again. It has everything a 1 e4 player needs to know about facing unusual defenses. It is full of original ideas and analysis. It is ideal for improvers, club players and tournament players.

Editorial Reviews:
Grandmaster and well-known Sicilian Dragon expert Simon Williams takes a totally fresh look at this famous opening. Concentrating on his favourite Dragadorf Variation, Williams constructs a cutting-edge repertoire for Black, one which is perfect for the modern Dragon player who wishes to cause his opponents maximum problems in the opening. The Sicilian Dragon is a highly popular opening, ideal for players of all levels. It enjoys such a great appeal because it leads to fascinating and fun-to-play positions in which both players regularly attack each other’s kings with total inhibition.

Editorial Reviews:
Do you need a well-deserved break from your normal chess openings? Are you tired of constantly having to keep up with modern chess theory? Or perhaps you simply wish to try out something new and inspiring, but cannot decide amongst the numerous choices available? Look no further for the answer! In Dangerous Weapons: The Pirc and Modern, prominent opening specialists take a revolutionary look at two popular and closely related openings. But instead of travelling down well-trodden and analysed paths, the authors concentrate on fresh or little-explored variations, selecting a wealth of ‘dangerous’ options for both colours. Whether playing White or Black, a study of this book will leave you confident and fully-armed, and your opponents running for cover! Dangerous Weapons is a series of opening books which supply the reader with an abundance of hard-hitting ideas to revitalize his or her opening repertoire. Many of the carefully chosen weapons are innovative, visually shocking, incredibly tricky, or have been unfairly discarded; they are guaranteed to throw even your most experienced opponents off balance.

Editorial Reviews:
One of the main reasons the Sicilian is the most popular opening is that is it promotes such bold and aggressive chess. But as White it’s not enough just to attack; you must do so in the right way, using the appropriate weapons. In this book Yury Lapshun and Nick Conticello introduce, categorize and analyse the ‘Seven Deadly Sacrifices’ White has at his disposal. It’s impossible to play Open Sicilian positions with either colour without an intimate knowledge of these sacrifices, and by using illustrative games the authors teach you everything you need to know, including the vital skill of how to recognize when favourable sacrificial conditions arise. *The ultimate guide to Sicilian bashing *Covers main lines of the Sicilian *Includes a feast of entertaining games and violent sacrifices

Editorial Reviews:
This is an updated and largely expanded edition of Starting Out: The Sicilian, the highly acclaimed guide to the most popular and famous opening in chess. In this user-friendly book, Grandmaster John Emms goes back to basics, studying the fundamental principles of the Sicilian Defence and its many variations. Throughout the book there are an abundance of notes, tips, warnings and exercises to help the improving player, while key strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated.
The greatest attraction of the Sicilian is that it allows Black to unbalance the position and play for a win, without having to take any unjustified risks. Its many variations range from the super-solid Scheveningen to the dangerous and ultra-sharp Dragon. For those playing Black it should be easy to find one that suits your style, while those playing White can choose from the range of options given against each line.

Editorial Reviews:
In Dangerous Weapons: Anti-Sicilians, prominent opening specialists John Emms, Richard Palliser and Peter Wells take a revolutionary look at a popular group of openings - the Anti-Sicilians. But instead of travelling down well-trodden and analysed paths, the authors concentrate on fresh or little-explored variations, selecting a wealth of 'dangerous' options for both colours. Whether playing White or Black, a study of this book will leave you confident and fully-armed, and your opponents running for cover!

Editorial Reviews:
The c3 Sicilian is a logical and sensible way of meeting Black's most popular defence to 1 e4. With his second move White sets about constructing a strong pawn centre and cleverly sidesteps the labyrinth of opening theory associated with open Sicilians. Positions that are reached can be either tactical or positional in nature, and the c3 Sicilian particularly appeals to players who enjoy open positions with active piece play and clear objectives for both sides. In this book, c3 Sicilian expert John Emms goes back to basics: he explains in depth the reasoning behind the critical early moves - something that is often neglected - and uses instructive games to demonstrate key plans for both White and Black.

Editorial Reviews:
The Modern Defence is a dynamic, ambitious and universal opening, one that can be used against virtually every system White can play. Black's provocative strategy is based upon allowing White to construct an imposing pawn centre in the anticipation that a well-timed strike will bring about its downfall. Both sides can play for high rewards, albeit at some risk: White can hope to succeed with a direct attack or to squash Black with a space advantage, while Black will aim to destroy White's centre and mop up the remains. All in all this can lead to intriguing battles in which one slip from either side is often fatal. In this book, Nigel Davies studies the Modern by going back to basics, introducing the key moves and ideas, and taking care to explain the reasoning behind them - something that has often been neglected or taken for granted.

Editorial Reviews:
The Caro-Kann is a reliable yet at the same time dynamic answer to White’s most popular opening move, 1 e4. It has the seal of approval of numerous leading Grandmasters including Vishy Anand, Evgeny Bareev and Alexey Dreev, as well as former World Champion Anatoly Karpov, who has utilized it with great success throughout his illustrious career. One of the attractions of the Caro-Kann is that it suits a variety of different styles; it can lead to wild tactical battles as well as quiet, positional play.

Editorial Reviews:
The Pirc is an ambitious counter-attacking response to White’s most popular opening move, 1 e4. Black’s philosophy is based around allowing White to build a large and impressive-looking pawn centre, only to plot its downfall by attacking it with pieces or timely pawn strikes. When it works, the results can be spectacular, but of course this method of play carries with it some danger; if Black is not careful he runs the risk of simply being swamped in the centre. Such a provocative approach has found favour with a line of uncompromising Grandmasters including former Soviet Champion Alexander Beliavsky and Mikhail Gurevich. In this book James Vigus provides an up-to-date appraisal of the Pirc and its many variations.

Editorial Reviews:
The Scheveningen is an uncompromising and flexible variation of Black's most popular defence to 1 e4, the Sicilian. It's a firm favourite of the world's greatest ever chess player, Garry Kasparov, who used it many times in crucial games, including his world championship matches against Anatoly Karpov and Vishy Anand. His success rate against Karpov was so good that the former world champion was forced to abandon his normal first move to avoid it! Black's play in the Scheveningen is based around a solid and resilient pawn structure, a well-defended king and guaranteed counterplay against every white set-up.

Editorial Reviews:
The Sicilian Najdorf is one of Black's sharpest and most popular lines against 1 e4. From the very start Black directs the game into asymmetrical positions in which he or she can play for the win without unjustified risk. For this reason the Najdorf has been a firm favourite amongst the very elite of world chess, including Garry Kasparov and, before him, Bobby Fischer. What attracts such world-class players to the Najdorf is the fact that it is tremendously dynamic and yet both sound and respectable at the same time. Despite numerous attempts, no one has found a sure-fire way for White to gain the advantage.

Editorial Reviews:
The Bb5 Sicilian is a logical and practical weapon against Black's most popular defence to 1 e4 and is an excellent choice for White players who are fed up of constantly trying to keep abreast of the latest developments in the Open Sicilian. The early bishop move signals White intention to develop rapidly and it can lead to both wild gambit play and calmer positional waters. Significantly, this opening weapon has the seal of approval from many of today's elite Grandmasters, including Vishy Anand, Mickey Adams and Peter Leko, while Garry Kasparov utilised it successfully in his famous Internet game versus 'the rest of the world'. Now, for the first time in many years, Richard Palliser provides a comprehensive study of the Bb5 Sicilian and its many variations. Using illustrative games, he examines both the crucial main lines and the more unusual tries for White and Black, highlighting tactical and positional ideas as well as move order nuances. A study of this book will allow the reader to play both sides of this opening with confidence.

Editorial Reviews:
Few would disagree that the Sicilian Dragon is one of the most exciting, high profile and controversial openings in chess history. Right from the very beginning of the game Black chooses to unbalance the position, thus maximising his or her chances of playing for a win. The positions reached are dynamic and of a highly tactical nature, with both players very often going straight for each other's throats in search of a quick-fire knockout blow. In these razor-sharp encounters, it goes without saying that one slip by either side can prove to be fatal. Because of its aggressive nature, the Sicilian Dragon is very popular at all levels of chess, while it received an ultimate seal of approval when Garry Kasparov used it as his main weapon to beat Vishy Anand in a World Championship match.

Editorial Reviews:
Fed up with getting difficult positions with the black pieces? Tired of always having to keep up with all the latest developments. Take a break from the mountains of opening theory and play 1...b6! With the move, preparing a bishop fianchetto, Black immediately directs the game into relatively uncharted territory, one where White players are not able to sit back and rely on their 'opening book' knowledge. The real beauty of 1...b6 is that it can be played against virtually every single first move by White, so it is a perfect choice for Black players with neither the time nor inclination to memorise a multitude of different defences. Despite being relatively unexplored, 1...b6 has been the weapon of some dynamic and uncompromising world-class players, including Britain's first Grandmaster, the late Tony Miles.

Editorial Reviews:
Alekhine's Defence is a sharp and controversial opening in which Black attacks from the very first move, provoking White into lunging forward in the center. White is often able to construct an impressively large central pawn formation, but Black's hope is that this becomes over-stretched and disintegrates in the face of a vicious counterattack.
In this easy-to-read guide, openings expert John Cox goes back to basics, studying the essential principles of Alekhine's Defence and its numerous variations. Throughout the book there are an abundance of notes, tips and warnings to guide the improving player, while key strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated.