How to Play the Sicilian Defense

Preface . . . ix 1. An Introduction to the Sicilian Defence . . . 1 . . White Kingside Attack . . . 4 . . Black Queenside Counterattack . . . 6 . . Black Pressurises Whites Centre . . . 7 . . The Struggle for d5 . . . 8 . . Weak Squares . . . 12 2. The Maroczy Bind with ... g6 . . . 15 . . White's Basic Strategy . . . 15 . . Blacks Basic Strategy . . . 16 . . Ideas for Black . . . 17 . . . . Black Plays ... f5 . . . 18 . . . . Black Plays ... e6 Followed by ... d5 . . . 19 . . . . Black Plays ... b5 . . . 21 . . . . . . White Counterblows against ... b5 . . . 23 . . Principal Ideas for White . . . 25 . . . . White Plays c5 . . . 25 . . . . White Plays Nd5 . . . 26 . . . . . . Black Does Not or Cannot Exchange the Knight on d5 . . . 26 . . . . . . White Uses Nd5 to Force an Endgame . . . 28 . . . . . . . White Gets a Kingside Attack . . . 29 . . Other Themes . . . 30 . . . . Black Attacks on the Queenside . . . 30 . . . . Black Gives up His Fianchettoed King's Bishop . . . 31 . . The Golden Rule of the Maroczy Bind with ... g6 . . . 32 3. The Maroczy Bind with ... e6 . . . 33 . . White's Basic Strategy . . . 33 . . Black's Basic Strategy . . . 34 . . Ideas for Black . . . 35 . . . . Black Plays ... b5 . . . 36 . . . . Black Plays ...d5 . . . 37 . . . . Black Plays ...f5 . . . 40 . . Ideas for White . . . 42 . . . . White Plays Nd5 . . . 42 . . . . White Plays c5 . . . 43 . . The Golden Rules of the Maroczy Bind with ...e6 . . . 45 4. Little Centre . . . 46 . . White's Basic Strategy . . . 47 . . Black's Basic Strategy . . . 47 . . White's King's Bishop Goes to c4 (and then b3) . . . 48 . . White's King's Bishop Goes to d3 . . . 53 . . White's King's Bishop Goes to e2 . . . 57 . . White's King's Bishop Goes to g2 . . . 62 . . The Golden Rules of Little Centre Positions . . . 65 5. Dragon Positions . . . 66 . . The Classical / Neo-classical Strategy . . . 66 . . White's Basic Strategy . . . 67 . . Black's Basic Strategy . . . 67 . . Ideas for White . . . 69 . . . . White Consolidates in the Centre . . . 69 . . . . White Plays for an Immediate Kingside Attack . . . 70 . . Ideas for Black . . . 71 . . . . Black Plays for an Early ... d5 . . . 71 . . . . Black Creates Piece Play on the Queenside and Prepares the Exchange Sacrifice Rxc3 . . . 73 . . . . Black Provokes a Queenside Weakness and Then Creates Piece Play on the Queenside . . . 74 . . The Neo-Classical Dragon . . . 75 . . The Yugoslav Attack . . . 77 . . . . White's Basic Strategy . . . 77 . . . . Black's Basic Strategy . . . 77 . . The Golden Rules of Dragon Positions . . . 82 6. Positions with ...e5 . . . 84 . . White's Basic Strategy . . . 87 . . Black's Basic Strategy . . . 87 . . Ideas for White . . . 87 . . . . White Occupies d5 with a Piece . . . 87 . . . . White Creates Pressure along the a2-g8 Diagonal by Bc4 . . . 88 . . . . White Attacks Black's Advancing Queenside Pawns . . . 90 . . Ideas for Black . . . 91 . . . . Black Plays for ...d5 . . . 91 . . . . Black Advances his Queenside Pawns . . . 93 . . . . Black Plays ... f5 . . . 94 . . The Golden Rules of ...e5 Positions . . . 95 7. Closed Positions . . . 96 . . White's Basic Strategy . . . 97 . . Black's Basic Strategy . . . 97 . . . . White Plays Nf3 . . . 97 . . . . White Plays Ne2 . . . 98 . . . . White Plays Nh3 . . . 99 . . Ideas for Black . . . 100 . . . . Black Advances his Queenside Pawns . . . 100 . . . . Black Plays ... Nd4 100 . . . . Black Plays an Early ... e6 and/or ... f5 . . . 102 . . Other Ideas in the Closed Sicilian . . . 102 . . . . White Plays Bc4 . . . 103 . . . . White Plays Bb5 . . . 103 . . The Golden Rules of the Closed Sicilian . . . 104 8. Positions with ... e6 . . . 105 . . White's Basic Strategy . . . 106 . . Black's Basic Strategy . . . 106 . . Ideas for White . . . . White Takes Control of b6 Before Black Has Played ...b5 . . . 107 . . . . White Takes Control of d6 by Playing e5 . . . 108 . . . . White Sacrifices on b5 . . . 109 . . . . White Sacrifices on d5 . . . 109 . . . . White Attacks on the Kingside . . . 110 . . Ideas for Black . . . 112 . . . . Ideas for Black Based on ...Bd6 . . . 112 . . . . Ideas for Black Based on ...Bc5 . . . 113 . . . . Ideas for Black Based on ...Bb4 . . . 115 . . . . Ideas for Black Based on ...Ba3 . . . 116 . . . . Black Attacks on the Queenside . . . 117 . . The Golden Rules of ...e6 Positions . . . 118 9. Bg5 Positions . . . 119 . . Sacrifices on b5 . . . 120 . . Sacrifices on d5 . . . 121 . . Sacrifices on f5 . . . 122 . . Sacrifices on e6 . . . 124 . . Other Ideas in Bg5 Positions . . . 125 . . . . White Exchanges on f6 to Double Black's Pawns . . . 125 . . . . Black Drives Away the g5 Bishop by ...h6 . . . 126 . . . . Black Sacrifices the Exchange on c3 . . . 127 . . The Golden Rules of Bg5 Positions . . . 128 10. The Golden Rules of the Sicilian Defence . . . 129 Index of Players