The flexible Taimanov Sicilian + A Complete Guide for Black against the Anti-Sicilian
Looking for a realistic way to play for a win with Black against 1.e4 without taking unnecessary risks? The Taimanov Sicilian is a reliable system, and hence one of the best options out there!
Recently my two-volume Black repertoire based on the Sicilian Taimanov got released! As a fan of this opening, it was great to see it featured multiple times in the Niemann-Bacrot match. In most of the games, Niemann employed the setup with 6.Be3 and 7.Qf3, which prompted me to take a closer look at Black's options in this line.
Although White scored well, the games were far from straightforward. Additionally, my recommendation of 7...h5!? hasn't been tested yet, so Black players don't need to panic just yet!
Question: White has voluntarily doubled his pawns on the e-file. How should Black react?
Feel free to move the pieces on the live diagram!
Strategy Training: How to Make a Plan
In every game of chess, there comes a moment when one is confronted with the question: what should I do now?
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