The Taimanov-Scheveningen Hybrid

This book offers a full repertoire based on the Taimanov move order 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6! 5.Nc3 Qc7.

It is especially effective against the English Attack and early kingside pawn storms. However, the fianchetto 6.g3 and the Classical System with 6.Be3 a6 7.Be2 pose certain problems. The autor proposes to meet them with the Scheveningen set-up ...d6, thus taking the best of two different worlds.

The book practically does not overlap with the 2014 Chess Stars bestseller The Most Flexible Sicilian or with Pavlidis’s The Sicilian Taimanov as the author recommends other lines, which are better or keep more tension, in his opinion.

Semkov has been a devoted Sicilian fan all his life, and he has played at least 10 000 blitz games starting with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6. Since a good half of them featured 3.c3, 3.g3, 3.d3 or other anti-Sicilians, the author included these lines in the book.