Understanding before Moving 101: Play the Sicilian! (3)

by ChessBase
11/27/2022 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books about chess training and chess strategy. In the 101st instalment of his ChessBase show "Understanding before Moving", Herman continues to explain why it is good to study and to play the Sicilian. | Photo: Pascal Simon
In this two-part course the emphasis will be on typical pawn-structures.

The Sicilian offers both White and Black wonderful prospects of winning in grand style. Often there is chaos just after the opening and crazy things can happen. In the Open Sicilian White often has active pieces and it is no surprise that Black is often punished after a hesitant move.

Mikhail Tal, the attacking Magician from Riga, liked to put his knights on d5 and f5 in the Sicilian even though Black had a pawn on e6, and these sacrifices were usually successful. Today, we often see that the young grandmasters have studied their classics well. One example is the diagram position below.

This position is from a game between Dutch grandmasters Anish Giri and Daan Brandenburg. The still young  Giri threatens to be overrun on the king's wing but he has a fantastic move that forces a win. Can you see what he had in mind? And can you provide some variations to support your thoughts?

 
A. Giri - D. Brandenburg, Dutch Open 2009
White to move

No other World Champion was more infamous both inside and outside the chess world than Bobby Fischer. On this DVD, a team of experts shows you the winning techniques and strategies employed by the 11th World Champion.

Grandmaster Dorian Rogozenco delves into Fischer’s openings, and retraces the development of his repertoire. What variations did Fischer play, and what sources did he use to arm himself against the best Soviet players? Mihail Marin explains Fischer’s particular style and his special strategic talent in annotated games against Spassky, Taimanov and other greats. Karsten Müller is not just a leading international endgame expert, but also a true Fischer connoisseur.

This week’s show (for Premium Members only)

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