Sicilian Dragon book recommendations?
Riku Simonen
Has anyone? Should bee pretty new, of course.
thank you for your help!
--
*******************
Riku Simonen
rik...@utu.fi
******************
Sheldon Mandel
New isn't necessarily best. A good book on the sicilian is:
How to play the Sicilian by Raymond Keene.
shelly
MojoKnight
The best books I've ever seen on the Sicillian is "The Sicillian Labyrinth
1&2" by Polugavsky
David Ottosen
If you are looking for one specifically on the dragon, I have heard many good
things about the one by IM Chris Ward. However, the dragon is basically losing
by force in any event (:
Long live the yugoslav.
David
Joseph A. Wetherell
In <4v08h9$n...@pulp.ucs.ualberta.ca> David Ottosen
Reinfeld HOW TO THINK AHEAD IN CHESS.
Regards,
Joe
Ron Moskovitz
The problem with Horowitz and Reinfeld's "How to Think Ahead in Chess"
(aside from advocating the Stonewall, which is something I love to play
against!) is that it doesn't talk about how to beat the systems
it advocates. When I'm learning an opening, I want to see at least one
or two losses, so I know what the basic plan for the other side is.
That book makes the dragon sound unbeatable, but playing against it,
when you castle long, and then, as Fischer said, "pry open the h-file,
sac, sac, mate!." (Well, it's not that easy for me, but honestly
I get into the castled-on-opposite sides in the dragon and I start
thowing my kindside pawns away because I know I'm going to get a nice
attack for them.) Almost all of my best combinations have come against
the castled king in the dragon, but H&R hardly mention how exploitable
those kingside pawns can be, aside from a few warnings about not parting
with the dragon bishop.
-Ron
David Revelle
In article <4v0q8o$2...@sjx-ixn5.ix.netcom.com>,
tex...@ix.netcom.com(Joseph A. Wetherell) wrote:
I actually think that the Horowitz-Reinfeld book is fairly bad. They only
give one sample game in which White castles long, and in this game white
proceeds to make several bad moves in a row. It doesn't give any serious
idea of how to try and play against someone who has ever seen the Yugoslav
attack played well, and most opponents will play the Yugoslav attack in
some form or another. They also give a move order that is no longer
standard, as it lets white avoid the dragon and get an easy iniative.
I have seen a book that explained the basic ideas of the dragon in a
manner that is very good for beginners (in fact, much better than the
Horowitz-Reinfeld explanations) and also gives fairly accurate theory. I
think that it was the Ward book, but I don't remember for sure.
Dave
Sheldon Mandel
MojoKnight wrote:
>
> The best books I've ever seen on the Sicillian is "The Sicillian Labyrinth
> 1&2" by Polugavsky
True - but it's not for beginners.
shelly
Paul Hodges
Riku Simonen wrote:
>
> Has anyone? Should bee pretty new, of course.
>
> thank you for your help!
>
> --
> *******************
> Riku Simonen
> rik...@utu.fi
> ******************
Here is a list of Dragon books that I am aware of (because I have them).
SD = Sicilian Dragon
Name (Authors) (Publisher)
SD: Yugoslav Attack (Miles/Moskow) (Batsford, 1979)
SD: Classical & Levenfish Variations (Levy) (Batsford, 1981)
The above two books are probably out-of-print.
SD: Classical & Levenfish Variations (Sapi/Shneider) (Macmillan, 1990)
SD: Yugoslav 9.Bc4 (Sapi/Shneider) (Macmillan, 1990)
The Classical Dragon (Silman/Donaldson) (Chess Enterprises, 1991)
The Dragon! A Sicilian Counterattack (R&D, 1993)
Winning With the Dragon (Ward) (Henry Holt, 1994)
SD: The Complete Black Repertoire (Kosanovic) (Hivokomerc, 1994)
Soltis Variation of the Yugoslav Attack (Mayer) (Hypermodern, 1995)
B75-76 Sicilian (Tiviakov) (Informant, 1995)
Hope this helps,
Paul Hodges
hod...@smartchess.com
Chango Macho
rik...@utu.fi (Riku Simonen) wrote:
>Has anyone? Should bee pretty new, of course.
>thank you for your help!
What level of experience? If you're at the "intermediate" level, I
would suggest <How to Play the Sicilian Defense> by David Levy and
Kevin O'Connell. This book discusses all the varieties of the
Sicilian in terms of strategies and pawn structures. It's not a book
full of variations, but contains instead explanations of the principal
ideas for both sides.
Might be worth a look.
==============================================================
Michael Powe lo...@europa.com
"Chess is a twisted game for twisted minds." A.Yermolinksy
==============================================================
Duncan Vella
David Ottosen wrote:
>
> If you are looking for one specifically on the dragon, I have heard many good
> things about the one by IM Chris Ward. However, the dragon is basically losing
> by force in any event (:
> Long live the yugoslav.
>
> David
Dragon loses by force. Tell that to Anand in his match against
Kasparov!! A good book onthe Sicilian Dragon which I recommend
is "SICILIAN DRAGON" - The complete black repertoire
by IM Goran Kosanovic
regards,
Duncan
David Flude
>Dragon loses by force. Tell that to Anand in his match against
>Kasparov!! A good book onthe Sicilian Dragon which I recommend
>is "SICILIAN DRAGON" - The complete black repertoire
>by IM Goran Kosanovic
>regards,
>Duncan
I have been playing the dragon off and on for thirty years.
From time to time lines are found that make life miserable for black .
Then it has to be put back in the closet until antidotes are found.
Anand did not play the latest theoretical lines for white against
Kasparov. Certainly his matchplay tactics were not good. In a match
if your opponent plays a line that you have mot prepared for then
the correct strategy is to wimp out (like by playing the Classical
dragon) and let your second find a suitable line for later games.
Nevertheless the dragon is just the thing if you have to play for the
win regardless of the risk.
Pierre G. Boutquin
Duncan Vella <dve...@kemmunet.net.mt> wrote in article
<321FFE...@kemmunet.net.mt>...
> A good book onthe Sicilian Dragon which I recommend
> is "SICILIAN DRAGON" - The complete black repertoire by IM Goran
Kosanovic
Publisher? ISBN? Online vendor?
David Ottosen
fl...@werple.mira.net.au (David Flude) wrote:
>
>
> >Dragon loses by force. Tell that to Anand in his match against
> >is "SICILIAN DRAGON" - The complete black repertoire
> >by IM Goran Kosanovic
>
> >Duncan
>
> I have been playing the dragon off and on for thirty years.
>
> From time to time lines are found that make life miserable for black .
> Then it has to be put back in the closet until antidotes are found.
>
> Anand did not play the latest theoretical lines for white against
> Kasparov. Certainly his matchplay tactics were not good. In a match
> if your opponent plays a line that you have mot prepared for then
> the correct strategy is to wimp out (like by playing the Classical
> dragon) and let your second find a suitable line for later games.
>
> Nevertheless the dragon is just the thing if you have to play for the
> win regardless of the risk.
This is absolutely true. Anand made some pretty crazy moves against
the dragon in that match, and it was driving me insane to watch him.
I could understand the first time Kasparov played it if Anand was not
ready for it, and went into some poor lines. However, in the following
games, his preparation was simply awful. The one game where he played an
early Nxc6 in particular stands out.
I do agree that playing the dragon (from both sides!) is a great way to
learn the basics of the sicilian. When I was first starting out, I had
a player "targeted", who always played the dragon. I was only 1500, but
I knew enough theory on the dragon to get out of the opening in good
shape. And while blindly studying opening theory of the dragon, I picked
up a lot of stuff about how to attack the fianchettoed king, and how
to avoid danger from the dragon B. Of course, this DID have the side
effect of making me try to attack with kingside pawnstorms almost every
game, black or white...but doesn't every player go through that phase?
(:
Anyways, most of the more serious dragoneers I have run into swear by the
Ward book.
David
>
>
>
>
>
Steve Mayer
Pierre G. Boutquin (nstn...@fox.nstn.ca) wrote:
: Duncan Vella <dve...@kemmunet.net.mt> wrote in article
: <321FFE...@kemmunet.net.mt>...
: > A good book onthe Sicilian Dragon which I recommend
: > is "SICILIAN DRAGON" - The complete black repertoire by IM Goran
: Kosanovic
: Publisher?
No publisher listed. It's Yugoslavian but they were trying to cover
their tracks.
: ISBN?
Not sure about this one...I kind of doubt it, but I don't have the book.
: Online vendor?
Dunno. I've seen it w/ plenty of "real life" chess book dealers, though.
-Steve
Steve Mayer
David Ottosen (dott...@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca) wrote:
: > Anand did not play the latest theoretical lines for white against
: > Kasparov.
Actually, Anand's first choice against the Soltis (13. Kb1) is the line
that both he and Wolff swore by before that game. We'll see if they ever
use it again.
: I could understand the first time Kasparov played it if Anand was not
: ready for it, and went into some poor lines. However, in the following
: games, his preparation was simply awful. The one game where he played an
: early Nxc6 in particular stands out.
Hard to say. It seemed likely that Tiviakov (the strongest
regular practitioner of the Dragon) had prepped Kasparov. Would he have
been willing to turn over some red hot novelties for the right price?
Probably.
A year after the match, I'm starting to suspect that Kasparov's prep was
primarily in sidelines, e.g., 14.Rhe1 Qa5 and other things that we didn't
see. The fact that he has yet to use it again indicates that it may have
been a pure surprise weapon, though that would be out of character for him.
: Anyways, most of the more serious dragoneers I have run into swear by the
: Ward book.
Yes, Ward offers the best general discussion of the startegy and tactics
of the Dragon; I consider his book indispensible to someone looking to
play it, though I wouldn't play the ...Qa5 lines :-)
-Steve
John P DeMastri
Is anyone here familiar with IM Donaldson's book "Accelerated Dragons"?
I'm studying it as a way to avoid the Yugoslav, which many posters in
this thread seem to think kills off the dragon by force. Is there an
advantage to using this line?
Welcoming all thoughts...
John DeMastri
Bruno Conductier
It's a good way to avoid yugoslav attack but the drawback is
the maroczy bind ...
There's another good book from IM Tangborn, and two recent books
from Neumann (Ste editrice)
Bruno
PS: if the dragon is kill by force why kiril georgiev, topalov,
tiviakov, miles, sosonko, and others used it on a regular basis ?
Matt Guthrie
In article <3223ECBB...@sophia.inria.fr> Bruno Conductier <bruno.co...@sophia.inria.fr> writes:
>From: Bruno Conductier <bruno.co...@sophia.inria.fr>
>Subject: Re: Sicilian Dragon book recommendations?
>Date: Wed, 28 Aug 1996 08:52:43 +0200
>Bruno
The problem with the Yugoslav attack isn't so much that it wins by force, but
that B has to learn oodles and scads of theory (that's a technical term!) in
order to make sure he doesn't get caught in one of the "sac, sac, mate" lines.
"Accelerated Dragons" (which, BTW, is by Donaldson & Silman, not just JD) is,
IMHO a good book for those willing to put in some time studying themes.
There's a good introductory section on strategical, tactical and endgame
themes, which I think helps a lot. The Maroczy bind isn't really that scary
(most players below 2000 aren't very good at exploiting a space edge anyway)
and there's a slightly trappy line (the double fianchetto) which should be
fine for Black at anything below master level.
Drawbacks? My copy wasn't well bound, and by now has some loose pages, some
of the analytical sections are a little dense (they do try to be
comprehensive), and for my taste there are rather too many examples of John
and Jeremy whomping (another technical term) on A players and experts.
however this could be seen by some to be a benefit, as it shows how to play
against lines that weaker players will go into, but a strong player knows to
avoid. (This is particularly evident in the first couple of chapters).
All in all, definitely a book I would recommend.
(Disclaimer: I do know both authors personally, and have in the past written
for Inside Chess.)
Matt Guthrie
Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic. (Thanks, Van)
David Flude
ma...@indirect.com (Matt Guthrie) wrote:
>>It's a good way to avoid yugoslav attack but the drawback is
>>the maroczy bind ...
>>
>"Accelerated Dragons" (which, BTW, is by Donaldson & Silman, not just JD) is,
>IMHO a good book for those willing to put in some time studying themes.
>There's a good introductory section on strategical, tactical and endgame
>themes, which I think helps a lot. The Maroczy bind isn't really that scary
>(most players below 2000 aren't very good at exploiting a space edge anyway)
>and there's a slightly trappy line (the double fianchetto) which should be
>fine for Black at anything below master level.
>Yes I had a real live grandmaster lure me into the Macoczy Bind from the Benoni.
Be warned players graded above 2000 are really good at exploiting
space edges.
Randy Bauer
In article <mattg.155...@indirect.com>, ma...@indirect.com says...
>
(snip)
>
>>John P DeMastri wrote:
>>>
>>> Is anyone here familiar with IM Donaldson's book "Accelerated Dragons"?
>
>"Accelerated Dragons" (which, BTW, is by Donaldson & Silman, not just JD)
is,
>IMHO a good book for those willing to put in some time studying themes.
>There's a good introductory section on strategical, tactical and endgame
>themes, which I think helps a lot. The Maroczy bind isn't really that
scary
>(most players below 2000 aren't very good at exploiting a space edge
anyway)
>and there's a slightly trappy line (the double fianchetto) which should be
>fine for Black at anything below master level.
>
My copy is also in pieces. I thought perhaps it was because I used it so
much <g>.
>All in all, definitely a book I would recommend.
>(Disclaimer: I do know both authors personally, and have in the past
>written
>for Inside Chess.)
>
>
> Matt Guthrie
I can second Matt's recommendation of the book (and I don't know either
author personally and have not written for Inside Chess <g>).
I like the book's objectivity. Even though both authors are black
practitioners of the variation, they're not afraid to assess lines as
favoring white (how many times have you read a repertoire book where every
line ends in black's favor? More than once, I'll bet). They also have a
fair amount of their own analysis in there -- not just a database dump.
I also like the printing. The print is clean and large enough to read and
the diagrams are good.
I also own Silman's Winning with the Sicilian Defense book, where he also
recommends the Accelerated Dragon and offers a complete black repertoire
after 1.e4 c5. It's a reasonable book for the player just wanting to play
the black side of the variation (with the added bonus coverage of other
white ideas against the Sicilian), although some black players may prefer
other lines than the author recommends, especially against the Maroczy Bind.
Randy Bauer
David Ottosen
fl...@werple.mira.net.au (David Flude) wrote:
>
> ma...@indirect.com (Matt Guthrie) wrote:
>
>
>
> >>It's a good way to avoid yugoslav attack but the drawback is
> >>the maroczy bind ...
> >>
> >IMHO a good book for those willing to put in some time studying themes.
> >There's a good introductory section on strategical, tactical and endgame
> >themes, which I think helps a lot. The Maroczy bind isn't really that scary
> >(most players below 2000 aren't very good at exploiting a space edge anyway)
> >and there's a slightly trappy line (the double fianchetto) which should be
> >fine for Black at anything below master level.
>
> Be warned players graded above 2000 are really good at exploiting
> space edges.
>
I also would like to add: even low rated players have to do some work
before they can somehow manage to lose on the white side of the Maroczy.
If you are looking for a sharp game, the maroczy isnt really the way
to go for black. Besides, I have always felt in the dragon that whoever
has the no fear attitude will end up winning anyways. Its all just a
matter of confidence, whether you are attacking from the black side or
the white side..I just tend to have more confidence in the WHITE side (:
David
Matt Pope
Is anyone here familiar with IM Donaldson's book "Accelerated Dragons"?
> (snip)
Where can I get these books? Do they discuss the Morra Gambit?
Regards,
Matt Pope
map...@sloc.net
David Cater
try a chess tournament or club