Pre Order Understanding before Moving – Sicilian Structures Volume 3 Part 3

Hardback, 465 pages, Thinker's Publishing 2025

Sample

You are holding the long-awaited final volume of my trilogy on the Open Sicilian. This book
has been a while in the making—not only because of the demanding work involved, but also
due to a time-consuming relocation on my part.
The first volume explored the Najdorf and Scheveningen variations, while the second focused
on the Taimanov, Kan, and Richter-Rauzer. In these pages, I complete the series with five
further systems: the Dragon, Accelerated Dragon, Sveshnikov, Kalashnikov, and Four
Knights.
Each of these openings has already been covered extensively in the literature. For that reason,
my aim here—as in the earlier volumes—is not to overwhelm you with endless theoretical
detail. Inevitably, we will touch on some theory, but the real focus is on broader concepts and
strategic themes: the interplay between structure and strategy, and the plans available to both
sides. Some systems share similar ideas—the Dragon with its Accelerated cousin, or the
Sveshnikov with the Kalashnikov—but each deserves its own treatment, because even closely
related openings have their unique traits.
The structure of each chapter is as follows: an introduction to the key ideas and concepts for
both White and Black, followed by a theoretical overview where many of those concepts
resurface in concrete form. This is then illustrated with carefully chosen model games, most
drawn from high-level practice. Some of these games come from my personal archive and
date back decades, though I have updated all commentary where necessary. Others are much
more recent and were annotated from scratch. With the rise of online rapid and blitz, even the
faster games of today are of remarkably high quality—thanks, in no small part, to the
increasing role of powerful chess engines in players’ preparation.
When I began working on this book, Stockfish 14 was the leading engine, marking a
breakthrough by combining classical methods with AI-driven evaluation. Soon after,
Stockfish 15 raised the bar even further. I recall writing on the Dutch website schaaksite.nl
about a puzzle that machines supposedly couldn’t solve—only to be corrected almost
immediately by a reader pointing out that Stockfish 15.1 had cracked it with ease. Since then,
Stockfish 17 and its successors have continued to refine our understanding of the game.
A few personal notes are also in order. In January 2023 I contracted COVID-19, which
unfortunately developed into long COVID. The illness affected both my energy and my
cognition, and for a long time it seemed impossible to complete this project. Now, in 2025, I
am grateful to say I have made a full recovery and was finally able to bring this book to
completion. As part of that process, I revisited all my earlier analysis with the latest engines to
ensure accuracy. While this required many adjustments, I believe it has only strengthened the
final result.
Of course, no work can claim to be definitive. Future discoveries may well challenge or refine
the conclusions presented here. If you do spot errors, I ask for your
understanding—remember, this book is not meant to be a pure theoretical manual. My aim is
to give you a practical, human understanding of each variation. After all, when you sit at the
board—whether over-the-board or online—neither you nor your opponent will have Stockfish
whispering evaluations in your ear.

Finally, I owe my thanks to those who made this work possible:
 GM Daniel Fernandez, for his involvement in both the content and the translation,
 Jos Sutmuller, for editing all the photo material,
 Daniël Vanheirzeele, the great Dragon specialist, for his technical and logistical input,
as well as his help with corrections.
I hope that the insights and examples collected here will enrich your understanding and
inspire your play in the Open Sicilian.
IM Herman Grooten
Waalre, October 2025