Classical Sicilian

by Alexander Raetsky and Maxim Chetverik

Published 7 November 2007
Everyman Chess are delighted to present two further offerings from their original and best-selling Starting Out opening series. The Classical Sicilian is one of Black's most popular and highly regarded opening choices against 1 e4, and it's been a favourite of such greats as Vladimir Kramnik, Alexei Shirov and Vishy Anand. White has a number of aggressive ways to battle against the Classical: the fashionable Richter-Rauzer Attack; Bobby Fischer's favourite, the Sozin Attack; and finally the wild Velimirovic Attack, and no work on the Classical would be complete without a study of these fascinating variations. The Grand Prix Attack is one of White's most aggressive ways of fighting the Sicilian. It leads to a sharp, complex battle from the very beginning, and White's play is characterized by its lightning attacks against the black king. The opening became a powerful weapon to use in the cut and thrust of weekend tournament chess, where victory is everything and draws are not enough.
It steadily became more popular and even gained the seal of approval from some of the world's elite such as the UK's top two Grandmasters, Nigel Short and Michael Adams, who have both utilized it with success. Everyman Chess's Starting Out series has firmly established itself as the leading guide to studying openings for up-and-coming players. These books are distinguished by their easy-to-read layout, the lucid explanations of the fundamentals, and the abundance of notes, tips and warnings to help the reader absorb vital ideas. Starting Out opening books are ideal for enthusiastic chess players who have little experience of the openings in question and who wish to appreciate the essential principles behind them. *User-friendly design to help readers absorb ideas *Concentrates on the fundamental principles of the openings *Ideal for improvers, club players and tournament players

The Queen's Gambit Accepted (QGA) is Black's simplest way of dealing with one of White's most fashionable openings, the Queen's Gambit. Black grabs the gambit pawn and thus refuses to succumb to the passive positions so typical of the Queen's Gambit Declined. This direct and uncompromising way of playing gives rise to dynamic positions where both sides have excellent chances to play for the win. It's no surprise that the QGA has attracted many high-class advocates, including Garry Kasparov and Vishy Anand. In "Starting Out: Queen's Gambit Accepted" Alexander Raetsky and Maxim Chetverik take a fresh look at this famous opening. The early moves and ideas are introduced and care is taken to explain the reasoning behind them - something that is often neglected or taken for granted. As with previous works in the popular "Everyman Chess Starting Out" series, the reader is helped throughout with a plethora of notes, tips and warnings highlighting the vital characteristics of the QGA and of opening play in general. Written by opening experts, this book covers the all the main lines and is ideal for the improving player.