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Michael Adams is the latest in a long line of stars that like to dabble with off beat lines to avoid the main line Sicilian. After 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 then 3 Bc4 will catch people out which means it is good news for White and will make essential reading for Black...

Indeed, my colleague Chris Ward has been delighted with the response from his video and site but a number of players have asked what to do against this tricky line. It should be noted that 2 Nf3 is often a prelude to playing the c3 Sicilian because 2…e6 3 c3 cuts out some of Black's options. The only snag is that 2…d6 3 c3 Nf6 is not a very convenient line for White which brings us back to the benefits of 3 Bc4.

The Kilkenny tournament in Ireland is renowned for the generosity of the hosts, the excellent ambience and the high quality of the games. Ferguson-Landenberger from this year's event is a good example of how White starts aggressively before carefully creating a pawn centre with c3-d4.

In the game Leko-Romero Holmes, White gives a top class example of how to handle the opening with careful manoeuvring reaping the desired result.

This year's European Team Championship produces plenty of good ideas and anyone playing Black can plunder the game Lobzhanldze-Solak to find a decent defence.

Finally, Battin-Mustapha reveals a reckless attempt by White to attack but it is premature and Black has no problems.

3 Bc4 has the approval of the best players of the world but at club level it is still relatively unknown.
My thanks to Nick Jones for his comments and keep sending in the e-mails with ideas and games.