CLEARANCE - The Modernized Anti-Sicilians - Volume 2

The second and final volume of the Anti-Sicilian series covers the approach for all alternatives to 2...Nc6. The choice against 2...d6 was obvious. The Moscow variation is the only critical alternative to 3.d4 that has caused ay concerns for Black - by developing with a tempo, we force Black to make an immediate decision on move 3 and wait for the right moment to open the position. We forced Black to make an immediate decision on move 3 and wait for the right moment to open the position.  We created practical difficulties for the opponent. Naturally, it is not possible to find an advantage in every variation but we have ensured to add many detailed explanations to guide plans and aid understanding in the various positions we’ll encounter. We think our analysis makes Black’s path to equality extremely narrow. Finally, we thought it was important to also consider the less popular second moves (2…g6, 2…a6, and 2…Nf6). In particular, we examined both 3.c3 and 3.c4 against 2…g6. The latter transposes to an Accelerated Dragon, which I can justify including in an Anti-Sicilian book as I believe it’s correct to enter an ‘Open-Sicilian’ type position if it benefits us. This approach has been emphasized across both volumes and it is made especially clear inthe chapter against 2…g6.