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Andy Martin has taken a break for a few months due to being extremely involved in a number of other projects, but he will be back! I just hope that he had time to follow the English side's very respectable performance in the European Team Championship which finished on Tuesday. Along with Mark Hebden, debutante Gawain Jones starred, due in no small part to his use of the Grand-Prix Attack. Indeed, Gawain has recently completed Starting Out: The Grand-Prix Attack for Everyman Chess! As such, the least I could do is to examine recent developments in this traditionally very English opening.

Download PGN of October '07 Anti-Sicilian games


The Grand-Prix Attack: 2 f4 [B21]

We begin our coverage by examining White's traditional move order, 1 e4 c5 2 f4. This isn't especially popular due to the gambit line 2...d5 3 exd5 Nf6, but Black needs to know his stuff here and a well-prepared white player might score well:

Sulskis - Ringoir follows the modern main line of this variation with 4 Bb5+ Bd7 5 Bxd7+ Qxd7 6 c4 e6 7 Qe2 Bd6, in which Black plays to break with a quick ...e5.

He can also handle his compensation in a much more long-term manner with 7...Be7, as we'll see in Hodgson - Mestel. That game also features the challenging if less popular 4...Nbd7 in the notes, before we move on to the immediate 4 c4 in Kahn - Ruszin. As shown by that game, this line can still catch the unwary by surprise and Ruszin is quickly blown away in a sharp opposite-side castling situation.


The Grand-Prix Attack: 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 f4 [B23]

Prefacing an advance of the f-pawn with 2 Nc3 is the modern handling of the Grand-Prix, although I must admit that I've never been too convinced by 3 f4 in response to 2...e6. However, it is quite viable after both 2...d6 and 2...Nc6, with the latter our focus here.

Following 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 f4, I advocated 3...e6 in my recent Fighting the Anti-Sicilians, if only because the main lines after 3...g6 4 Nf3 Bg7 5 Bb5 Nd4 are becoming rather theoretical and it's extremely hard to surprise white players in them. Nevertheless, the traditional fianchetto remains the main line and a respectable choice:

We begin our coverage by examining the old approach, 6 Nxd4 cxd4 7 Bd3 in Gelashvili - Kotronias. That allows Black a number of reasonable options and so White is much more likely nowadays to prefer 6 0-0, a move with which Gawain Jones has recently racked up three impressive victories. No lesser player than Loek Van Wely was quickly put to the sword after 6...a6 in Jones - Van Wely and neither did 6...e6 bring Black much success in Jones - Gelashvili. However, as the notes to both games reveal, Black should be fine here. Do please, indeed, judge this update, especially from Black's point of view, from my notes and not the game results!

The main line of the modern Grand-Prix sees Black preferring to grab the bishop pair with the critical 6...Nxb5 7 Nxb5:

He can then sharply break in the centre with 7...d5 or prefer the more restrained 7...d6, as we'll see in Jones - Agopov, which quickly turns into a good, old Grand Prix hack!

Finally, while 5 Bc4 is no longer considered a good alternative to 5 Bb5, 5 a3!? might have some mileage. Just check out the obscure and very exciting game, Glek - Stellwagen!



Until next month, Richard


Please post you queries on the Anti-Sicilians Forum, or subscribers can write to me at AMartin@ChessPublishing.com if you have any questions or queries.