Our Price: £ 20.85 (only UK)

Publisher: New In Chess, 2009
Edition: Paperback medium
ISBN: 978-90-5691-294-9
Pages: 336
Language: English

The Sicilian Defence is the most widely played chess opening, both at club level and among top grandmasters. Since Black gets dynamic play in almost all variations, black players of all levels will probably continue to play the Sicilian for a long time to come.

It has been difficult for White to obtain any advantage in Sicilian sidelines, and this book therefore presents a complete repertoire for White in the most widely played main lines: the Open Sicilians with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3. All of Black’s possible answers are covered.

Dismantling the Sicilian is clearly organized, and each variation is presented with its history, its main ideas, its typical tactics and strategies, and with instructive games. Jesus de la Villa thoroughly explains the relevant themes and always summarizes the most important features.

+ A reliable system for White to dismantle Black’s most widely played chess opening
+ Main ideas, tactics and themes clearly explained
+ Packed with crystal-clear analysis and summaries

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Jesus de la Villa (1958) is an International Grandmaster born in Spain. He is a successful author and a well-known chess coach. He has won the Spanish Championship twice.

Arne Moll, ChessVibes:
"A total knockout (..) Somehow, Jesus de la Villa succeeds in explaining opening systems which have always seemed completely random to me, in a straightforward and simple way so that I can really imagine myself playing these lines with some confidence."

Marshtower Chess Reviews:
"I think Sicilian players AND Sicilian slayers will find this an extremely interesting volume."

Klaus Kreuzer, Europa Rochade:
"Also very good for building up, or changing, your Sicilian repertoire, because you get a quick view on every system with its typical features."

British Chess Magazine:
"There is a great deal of theoretical ground to cover but this the author does in a systematic and comprehensible way. In fact, it would also constitute a good general grounding in the main variations of the Sicilian for anyone who was thinking of taking it up as Black."

IM John Donaldson:
"[De la Villa] shows himself to be a skillful author who offers clear explanations and organizes his material well. The repertoire he offers is internally consistent and well thought out. He shows a strong preference for the practical over the theoretical (..)"

Gary Lane, ChessMoves Magazine:
"The best thing is that [De la Villa] shows all the tricks and traps even if White is always on top."

Carsten Hansen, ChessCafe:
"[T]his is a very good book. It is well presented, with well-chosen lines that offer some durability (..)"

Richard Vedder, Schakers.info:

“A very inspiring book, that might convince quite a few of those who play Bb5 or c3 Sicilians to start playing the ‘real’ Sicilian.”

Glenn Flear, Yearbook 94:
"Each variation and sub-variation receives its own mini-assessment, thus enabling the reader to have a convenient aide-memoire to hand. The overall effect is impressive and highly recommended (..) I will certainly use it for training purposes."

IM Merijn Van Delft:
"I won the Wine Open in Najac sur Mer (France) and the key game was round six against a young talented opponent, Adrien Demuth (..) I prepared with the help of De la Villa's interesting book 'Dismantling the Sicilian' which gave me some useful ideas."

John Anderson, British Correspondence Chess Association:
"An excellent collection of games, ideas and analysis, bang up-to-date and very user-friendly."

Gerard Rill, De Beste Zet:
"An impressive book (..) This repertoire is consistent and coherent, it is complete without being too detailed, it is up-to-date and it makes you enthusiastic for the Open Sicilian."

Max Euwe Centre, Amsterdam:
"Also usable as a reference work. Very well presented."

Klaus Koegler, Kaissiber Magazine:
"[De la Villa] brings the reader up-to-date with the latest theory and indicates concrete ways for White to proceed."

Edward Scimia, About.com:
"Well organized and accessible (..) these chapters aren't just shallow surveys, but complete guides to fighting for an advantage (..) I found that 'Dismantling the Sicilian' just clicked for me."

Acclaim for Jesus de la Villa's 100 Endgames You Must Know:

Marsh Towers Chess Reviews: 
“The greatest strength of the book: breaking things down into well-worded chunks of easily digestible information.”