The British hit factory shows you how to punch the Sicilian in its teeth with this fresh idea
2.Be2 is only the 15th most played option against the Sicilian, with less than 1000 games in the most popular databases. But it’s
meaner than it looks.
Otherwise, strong players like GMs Vladislav Kovalev, Oleksander Bortnyk, and IM Irina Bulmaga wouldn’t use it day in, day out to crush online events.
Believe it or not, White’s intentions are very aggressive. And when it comes to fighting chess that goes straight for the KO, you couldn’t ask for better coaches than
GM Simon Williams and
IM Richard Palliser!
The British duo is known for their swashbuckling yet effective approach to openings. Their attacking mindset with positional insights already brought us
The Iron English and
Grandmaster Gambits, both highly acclaimed opening courses.
Now they bring into the spotlight a fresh idea against the Sicilian.
The British Grand Prix
The Grand Prix Attack is a well-known attacking system for White against the Sicilian. But the
British Grand Prix is a modern re-interpretation, maybe of
even larger strategic scope.
First off, 2.Be2 is such an enjoyable move to make. Just picture your opponent’s faces trying to figure out what’s going on!
Here’s its simple idea: on e2, your Bishop is not as exposed as on c4 or b5, like in the regular Grand Prix where they often end up traded or as a target for enemy counterplay. Plus, it keeps c3 free (opposed to 2.Nc3) dissuading a Black Knight from planting itself on d4. The modest 2.Be2
doesn’t give anything away.
If possible, you’ll follow with d3/f4/Nf3/0-0/Qe1 in
reverse-Dutch style (something Simon knows a few things about), aiming for the f5 break with a kingside attack as in the regular Grand Prix.
But, with so many Anti-Sicilian setups for Black, they may commit to one that we can
take advantage with a slight adjustment to the plan. So while you can basically ‘premove’ your first seven or so moves, Black can’t!
More proof of White’s flexibility is that, while holding d3 is essential for White’s setup, the Bishop can still become an attacker after a d1-b3 re-route or in case of an exchange on e4.
On top of handling every choice from Black, you will learn the key ideas for White and middlegame hacks like:
♟White’s
kingside-first policy to pressure your opponents from the get-go
♟
How to spice up the game even without Queens♟
Capitalizing your development advantage when Black obsesses over gaining the bishop pair
Add to that 11 inspiring model games to understand the winning plans from start to finish, 10 hours of video with the Ginger GM, and the manageable size of just 163 trainable variations, and you’ve got the
best guide to fighting the Sicilian with a fresh and original idea.
You’ll even learn how to use the British Grand Prix
with Black, and the final chapter will show you how!
So hop on with two five-star authors and
Give the Sicilian a run for its life with the British Grand Prix!
