Posts

383

One of the best practical features of the Bb5 Sicilian is how little theory there is to learn, compared to the mainline Sicilian. For example, you can be fully prepared for 2...d6 3.Bb5+ in less than the time it would take you to wade through the analysis of a sharp line versus the Najdorf - and that would still leave you with the small matter of the Dragon and Classical systems to worry about. Neil McDonald, The Sicilian Bb5 - Revealed

382

Spend only 25% of your chess time studying the openings. There are lots of other areas in chess that will make a more dramatic difference in your results - just one compelling example is the study of tactics. Lev Alburt, Chess Openings For Black, Explained

381

The single most important principle to remember is that Black cannot afford as much as White. Edmar Mednis, Practical Opening Tips

380

The idea of the Queen's Gambit is to exercise pressure on the bishop's file. If Black plays in order to avoid such pressure sooner or later ...c5, White, by an exchange of pawns in the centre, isolates the pawn at d5 and attacks the latter. Richard Réti, Modern Ideas In Chess

379

Examine all checks and all captures. Cecil Purdy, How Fischer Won

378

Most amateurs are less at home against 1...e5 (after 1.e4) than they are against the Sicilian. They often resort to a wide variety of dubious gambits against 1...e5, and very often Black can emerge from the opening with an advantage. Larry Kaufman, The Chess Advantage In Black And White

377

In opposite-coloured bishop-endings, the defender should generally put his pawns on the same colour complex as that of his bishop. John Emms, Starting Out: Minor Piece Endings