Winning With the Kan (Batsford Chess Library)

The Kan is one of the Sicilian's best-kept secrets. Yet it has been played by several world champions, including Kasparov, Karpov, Fischer, Petrosian and Tal, and many of the top modern grandmasters, such as Anand, Kamsky, the Polgars and Ilya Gurevich. Black adopts a flexible stance and repeatedly obtains postions far removed from the standard Sicilian scenarios. This text illustrates its practical sting - Black is ready to strike if White over-extends. Those who face the Sicilian as White are frequently taken unawares by the flexible Kan - this text focuses on the subtleties of the Kan move order. It discusses the pros and cons of plans and set-ups and contains recent ideas and analysis.