The Sicilian Taimanov arises after the opening moves 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6, and is an ideal weapon for Black in the modern era. It is theoretically sound, and strikes a perfect balance between solidity and dynamic counterattacking potential, making it a popular choice among club players and top grandmasters alike. Pavlidis shares top-class analysis as well as expert knowledge gained from his many years of experience with the Taimanov.

Grandmaster John Emms examines his favourite Sicilian variation, the Taimanov, which is one of Black's most reliable answers to 1 e4. He shares his experience and knowledge grown from over 15 years playing the opening at grandmaster level, and offers answers to the all the key questions.

The ever popular English Attack has long been considered harmless against the Taimanov Sicilian, until in recent years some remarkable improvements were found for White. Encouraging results have made this set-up an increasingly popular choice both at club level and in professional chess circles. White develops a dangerous initiative by castling queenside and storming Black's kingside with his pawns. Armenian grandmaster Zaven Andriasyan has thoroughly and systematically investigated this unexplored chess opening territory. He explains the plans and counterplans, and unveils the structures behind the various lines. While doing so, Andriasyan presents a wealth of highly interesting new ideas and novelties. Amateur chess players will discover the English Attack as an easy to grasp and dangerous weapon. Players at (grand-)master level will be delighted by the amount of valuable new information they will find in this excellent monograph.

The Sicilian Taimanov (1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 Nxd4 Nc6) is one of Black's most flexible ways of meeting 1 e4. It leads to the kind of tense, dynamic positions that appeal to players with counter-attacking inclinations, such as Judit Polgar, Joel Lautier and Vasily Ivanchuk. Indeed, Bobby Fischer turned to the Taimanov in the decisive game of his famous match with Boris Spassky. In this book Grandmaster James Plaskett explains the strategy and tactics of this popular variation. Through the use of model games for both sides, the author provides a thorough grounding in the key ideas, so that readers can quickly and confidently start to use the Sicilian Taimanov in their own games.

The book you hold is the first work of GM Sethuraman and contains his efforts to find new paths and fresh perspectives on these two variations of these famous Sicilians. We hope you gain from information in this book as well as simply enjoy the games themselves.

The Sicilian Kan is one of the most flexible and easy-to-play variations of the entire Sicilian complex. In contrast to opening monsters such as the infamous Dragon and Najdorf Variations, Black players are not forced to memorize massive chunks of opening theory. Success in the Sicilian Kan is more dependent on understanding certain principles and a system of development. Another point in its favor is that even more experienced White players are often flummoxed by Black¿s elastic approach. Recently the Kan has received a seal of approval from the highest places, with both Kasparov and Kramnik employing it in the last couple of years. In this book, Grandmaster John Emms considers both the popular main lines and the tricky sidelines of the Sicilian Kan. Using illustrative games, Emms guides the reader through the positional and tactical intricacies of this modern opening. *Written by a leading openings expert *Includes games from world class grandmasters *An ideal weapon at all levels