Sicilian Attacks: Powerful Charges & Typical Tactics

Learn how to attack in the sharpest lines of the most widely played chess opening!

Against most Sicilian variations, White’s sharpest and often best weapon is queenside castling, a strategy that frequently leads to spectacular fireworks. Regrettably, these powerful charges have never been properly categorized. Until this book.

In Sicilian Attacks, Grandmaster Yuri Yakovich, who has more than thirty years of experience with complex Sicilian systems, analyses the Najdorf, the Scheveningen, the Dragon, the Taimanov and the Richter-Rauzer Variations. 

He teaches how their pawn structures dictate typical methods of attack for White, but he also gives the best defending techniques for Black.

This book provides cutting-edge analysis full of original ideas, but also contains useful verbal guidelines to help you to recognize typical Sicilian plans and counterplans. An abundance of highly instructive games illustrate the various strategic and tactical themes. At the end of each chapter you will find practical conclusions.

Yuri Yakovich is a highly esteemed chess trainer and a wellknown grandmaster from Samara, Russia, who has won a number of strong tournaments such as San Antonio 1999. Yakovich has written two opening books: ‘The Complete Sveshnikov Sicilian’ and ‘Play the 4 f3 Nimzo-Indian’. 

GM Sergey Rublevsky, 2005 Russian Chess Champion: 
"A brilliant middlegame textbook"

Richard Vedder, Schakers.info:
"This book deals with middlegame situations that may arise after the opening; situations that are dependent on pawn structures (..) A feast of sacrifices!"

Ross Jackson, New Zealand Chess Magazine:
"Both an opening guide and a masterpiece of middlegame exposition."

Ian Marks, Chess Scotland:
"Great stuff, essential reading if you find yourself on either side of the Sicilian and recommended even if you don't."

Carsten Hansen, ChessCafe:
"This book is really, really good. And to boot, the book is very attractively priced. For the chess student who wants to understand the sharp Open Sicilians better, this book is an excellent purchase and will provide a mountain of study material that is well-chosen, well-analyzed and well-explained."


Max Euwe Centre, Amsterdam:
"An important middlegame book which has been scrupulously produced. After studying this work you will be more efficient in studying the actual Sicilian opening labyrinth."

Johan Hut, Gooi-en Eeemlander:
"A splendid book for those who are unwilling to memorize variations."

Paul Motwani, The Scotsman:
"A feast of highly noteworthy strategies and tactics."

Dr W.Schweitzer, Rochade Europa Magazine:
"A real goldmine for the attacking player."

Garry Lane, Chess Moves Magazine:
"A nice mix of prose and analysis."

IM John Donaldson, Jeremysilman.com:
"Not only an outstanding work, but also a bargain."

A.C. van der Tak, Yearbook 98:
"Fantastic."

IM Hans Bohm, De Telegraaf:
"Instructive and full of fresh ideas."

Joe Petrolito, Australasian Chess Magazine:
"Each chapter also includes a good summary of the current state of the theory."

GM Luke McShane:
"A book like this can serve a useful role in bridging the gap between learning variations and actually playing an opening with success."

Dennis Monokroussos, ChessToday:
"It is perhaps better thought of as a work on middlegame rather than opening theory. To be sure, particular lines are examine
d from a theoretical perspective, too (..) It's excellent (..) the book succeeds on many levels."