The English Attack Against the Taimanov Sicilian

Book excerpt: The ever popular English Attack has long been considered harmless against the Taimanov Sicilian, until in recent years some remarkable improvements were found for White. Encouraging results have made this set-up an increasingly popular choice both at club level and in professional chess circles. White develops a dangerous initiative by castling queenside and storming Black's kingside with his pawns. Armenian grandmaster Zaven Andriasyan has thoroughly and systematically investigated this unexplored chess opening territory. He explains the plans and counterplans, and unveils the structures behind the various lines. While doing so, Andriasyan presents a wealth of highly interesting new ideas and novelties. Amateur chess players will discover the English Attack as an easy to grasp and dangerous weapon. Players at (grand-)master level will be delighted by the amount of valuable new information they will find in this excellent monograph.