Squeezing the Sicilian. The Alapin Variation

Description

In the Alapin System White's strategic idea is extremely simple. He prepares to advance with d2-d4, to build a solid pawn centre and then dictate the play. He will have to pay for this with the fact that his queen's knight has been deprived of the best square for its development, but it may have other suitable squares (in many variations this will be not the d2-square but a3). Secondly, it very often happens that after d4 cxd4 cxd4, White's queen's knight still gets access to its best square on c3. The modern evaluation of this system is that Black has comfortable enough lines in which he can obtain an acceptable game. The authors try to prove that not all of these lines are equally good. Title Page and Bibliography Preface 7 Part 1. 1 Rare; A) 2...Qc7; B) 2...Qa5; C) 2...Nc6 14 2 2...b6 3.d4 28 3 2...g6 3.d4 50 4 2...a6 3.Nf3 65 5 2...e5 3.Nf3 84 6 2...d6 3.d4 95 7 2...e6 3.d4 128 Part 2. 2...d5 3.exd5 8 3...Nf6 4.Qa4; 3...Qxd5 4.d4 Bf5; 4...e5 175 9 3...Qxd5 4.d4 g6 5.Nf3 182 10 3...Qxd5 4.d4 cd 5.cd e5; 5...Nc6 6.Nf3 Bg4; 6...e5 191 11 3...Qxd5 4.d4 cd 5.cd e6 6.Nc3 w/o Nc6; 5...Nc6 6.Nf3 e6 7.Nc3 203 12 3...Qxd5 4.d4 e6 5.Nf3 234 13 3...Qxd5 4.d4 Nc6 5.Nf3 242 14 3...Qxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 268 Part 3. 2...Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nf3 15 4...b6; 4...a6; 4...g6; 4...d6 307 16 4...e6 5.Bc4 Nc6; 5...b6; 5...Nc7; 5...Nb6 318 17 4...e6 5.Bc4 d6 6.d4 Nc6; 6...Be7; 6...de; 6...cd 7.cd de; 7...Bd7; 7...Nb6; 7...Be7 (w/o Nc6) 34 18 4...e6 5.Bc4 d6 6.d4 cd 7.cd Nc6 8.0-0 Be7 9.Qe2 374 19 4...Nc6 5.d4 e6; 5...cd 6.cd g6; 6...d6 7.Bc4 de 8.Nxe5; 8.de 403 20 4...Nc6 5.d4 cd 6.cd d6 7.Bc4 Nb6 8.Bb3; 8.Bb5 415 Index of Variations 452