Great Sicilian Book

Originally posted by exigentsky
Sounds pretty intersting. How's the coverage of the Accelerated Dragon?

They got general comments for the first several moves and general ideas about the accelerated dragon. Then they got 2 games.

I know its not much but the layout of the book is, general comments about the specific opening and the moves with some stats and then a maximum of 3 games in that opening.

So the nadjour had 3 games, Dragon had 3 games etc...

Since the Accelerated dragon isn't as popular as the dragon it only got 2 games.

Originally posted by RahimK
They got general comments for the first several moves and general ideas about the accelerated dragon. Then they got 2 games.

I know its not much but the layout of the book is, general comments about the specific opening and the moves with some stats and then a maximum of 3 games in that opening.

So the nadjour had 3 games, Dragon had 3 games etc...

Since the Accelerated dragon isn't as popular as the dragon it only got 2 games.

I only play the Accelerated Dragon (usually the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon) so I'll probably just flip through it without buying it. I think my current opening book is more complete on the Hyper-Accelerated variation.

Switch to the real Dragon and be a man! 🙂

and face the Yugoslav... the one opening where Black loses over 20% more games?

Originally posted by exigentsky
I only play the Accelerated Dragon (usually the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon) so I'll probably just flip through it without buying it. I think my current opening book is more complete on the Hyper-Accelerated variation.

if you do play the accelerated dragon then it wouldn't help you to read about it in that book. That book is just for people new to the sicilian and to wet your appetite. You read about one opening in 7 pages or so, think to yourself, i like it and then go out and pick up a real book on that opening. That's what the book is meant for.

Originally posted by Mopsie
My dad has got this on on his bookshelf, but it has nothing to do with chess?

no kidding?

If you are scared of losing play the Caro Kann. The Yugoslav attack is just as good against the normal dragon as the maroczy bind is for the accelerated dragon. If black knows what he is doing in the Yugoslav then he has just as good of chances as any other opening, but with more winning chances because of the nature of his position. Be a man! 🙂

Originally posted by !~TONY~!
If you are scared of losing play the Caro Kann. The Yugoslav attack is just as good against the normal dragon as the maroczy bind is for the accelerated dragon. If black knows what he is doing in the Yugoslav then he has just as good of chances as any other opening, but with more winning chances because of the nature of his position. Be a man! 🙂

I stick with what I think works best, it has nothing to do with manliness. I really think the Maroczy bind offers black a better game than a Yugoslav. Maybe I'm wrong, I've only played a few games with the normal dragon, but that's my impression. Plus, the Yugoslav is so much more intuitive to play and find OTB, while the Maroczy, if someone has never seen it will be unlikely to be found OTB.

Originally posted by exigentsky
I stick with what I think works best, it has nothing to do with manliness. I really think the Maroczy bind offers black a better game than a Yugoslav. Maybe I'm wrong, I've only played a few games with the normal dragon, but that's my impression. Plus, the Yugoslav is so much more intuitive to play and find OTB, while the Maroczy, if someone has never seen it will be unlikely to be found OTB.

I was just joking about all the manliness stuff. I completely disagree with basically everything you just said though. The Maroczy bind is a completely different type of game. Basically, Black sacrifices winning chances for a more solid, slow type of game. Many lines are already analyzed out to 2 pieces and a king and pawns vs. the same thing, where white normally has more space. In the Yugoslav, White tries to attack and so does black. You can actually win a game with black in the yugoslav, whereas in the Maroczy white normally has a steady edge the whole time, and black is just hoping to neutralize it into an equal ending. What you said about intuitiveness is completely wrong in my opinion. As White in the Maroczy, you can just sit there and put your rooks on the central files and play to stop the only two pawn breaks black has, b5 and d5. Then slowly play f4 and e5, f4 and f5 or just attack in general on the kingside. The plans are really obvious. In the Yugoslav, more concrete lines are necessary to gain any edge at all. If white doesn't know the theory, he risks falling behind quite early, whereas in the Maroczy, I don't know the theory, and can normally get a good game. Take this game for instance. This is one of the first games I ever played on the white side, against someone who plays it regularly. I will give Junior 9's evaluations ever so often so you can see how my position rated. I will give sparse comments.

[Event "ICC 15 2"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2005.10.31"]
[White "Tony Rotella"]
[Black "Big-Ben"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B38"]
[WhiteElo "2045"]
[BlackElo "1962"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O 8.Be2 d6 9. O-O Bd7 10. Qd2 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 Bc6 12. f3 a5

Play has been somewhat standard so far for the Maroczy. Black plays to control the dark squares and stop white from expanding on the queenside, as well as preparing to play ..a4 at some point. My position: + .66, or a little more than half a pawns advantage.

13. Nd5 Bxd5 14. cxd5

Black gives white the two bishops and more space. Given how annoying that knight would have been, and the fact that Nxd5 loses a tempo, an understandable decision, and a typical one for the variation. + 1.01 A ful pawn!

Nd7 15. Rac1 Bxd4+ 16. Qxd4 Nc5 17. b3 Qb6 18. Rb1 Rfc8 19. Rfc1 Nd7 20. Qxb6 Nxb6 21. a3 Rxc1+ 22. Rxc1 Rc8 23. Rxc8+ Nxc8

All these exchanges lead to a typical endgame in the Maroczy where white enjoys some edge. A space advantage, a B vs. N, and a king that will join the action much faster than blacks will. Who's position would you want, and how can Black possibly win this? Notice how bad it gets! + .57

24. Kf2 Kf8 25. Ke3 Ke8 26. Kd4 Kd8 27. Kc4 Na7 28. a4 Kc7 29. f4

Both sides move there kings into play, and White increases his edge to +1.32. Almost winning.

Kb6 30. Bg4 Kc7 31. g3 f6 32. h4 Kb6 33. Be6 Ka6 34. Bd7 Kb6 35. g4 Kc7 36. Be8 Kd8 37. Bf7 Kd7 38. g5 fxg5 39. hxg5 e5 40.dxe6+ Ke7 41. Bg8 Kf8 42. Bxh7 Kg7 43. e7 Kf7 44. Bxg6+ Kxe7 45. f5 Nc6 46. f6+Ke6 47. Bf5+ Kf7 48. Kd5 Na7 49. Kxd6 b5 50. e5 1-0

My favorite part about this endgame was how easy it was to play as white. If you look at the moves that I played from 30 on, I was just stopping black from doing anything he wanted (bringing the knight back into play, playing b5, getting his king active) and slowly improving my position. I eventually fixed his pawns on the kingside on light squared and won them. Simple as that. Granted his play wasn't stellar, and mine was quite well for my normal terrible endgame self, but it's pretty easy to see how some games can go for you in the maroczy if someone plays ok. He gets a little edge that doesn't look like much and you just have to sit there and hope to not lose in a worse endgame. I am not trying to get you to play the normal dragon, I am just trying to show you why the accelerated dragon isn't played that much anymore. Tiviakov, a renowned Dragon expert, tried to play it against one of the weaker players in the latest super tourney Wijk aan Zee, and took a pounding. Hope this made my position clearer.