Chess Explained: The Taimanov Sicilian - Rizzitano

Chess Explained is a new series of books about chess openings. They are not theoretical works in the traditional sense, but more a series of lessons from a chess expert with extensive over-the-board experience with an opening. You will gain an understanding of the opening and the middle-games to which it leads, enabling you to find the right moves and plans in your own games. It is as if you were sitting at the board with a chess coach answering your questions about the plans for both sides, the ideas behind particular moves, and what specific knowledge you need to have. The Taimanov Sicilian is one of the most flexible options for Black in the Open Sicilian. Black avoids committing himself to a rigid set-up, and tailors his response once White has shown his hand. This can lead to a great variety of central structures, and the player with the better understanding of typical Sicilian themes will often emerge victorious --Taimanov positions need to be understood well in order to be played well. Many of the post-war World Champions have used the Taimanov, and amongst the current world elite, Anand has played it most frequently. This book focuses mainly on the popular Paulsen set-up with ...Qc7 in addition to covering the 'pure' Taimanov with ...Nge7.

Author James Rizzitano is a strong international master who dominated chess in the New England region during a 14-year period from 1976 to 1989 - he won 157 out of 336 events in which he competed. His career highlights include victories over Alburt, Benjamin, Benko, Christiansen, Dlugy, I. Gurevich, and Wolff. Rizzitano has recently made a return to competitive chess, and has already written two successful books for Gambit, Understanding Your Chess and How to Beat 1.d4.

Features

• 25 recent and highly instructive games discussed in detail
• Chapter introductions and conclusions emphasize the key points
• Full indexes of games and variations
• Extensive verbal explanations of plans and maneuvers

Specifications

• 112 Pages
• Paperback
• Publisher: Gambit
• Published: 2006

Reviews

• "Once again [Rizzitano] has a winner." - IM John Donaldson
• "The games are well chosen and nicely annotated, and there are numerous references in the notes to other games which the diligent reader can consult if he so wishes." - Alan Sutton of En Passant
• "A very impressive effort!" - John Elburg
• "I think Rizzitano was a good choice for this particular book not only because he played the system again upon his return to chess, but because he is a lucid writer who can say the right things and you don't feel choked with information that, at this stage, isn't all that useful." - Bob Long of ChessCo