Cyrus Lakdawala Opening Repertoire The Sveshn... Now

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: It is designed for aggressive players who are confident in their tactical ability or, like Lakdawala, players who need an opening that "won't allow them to be overly cautious". Cyrus Lakdawala Opening Repertoire The Sveshn...

For decades, Lakdawala described himself as a "chicken" when it came to openings, preferring safe, quiet structures like the London System or the Caro-Kann. He had experimented with sharper Sicilians like the Dragon and the Najdorf in his youth, but after a string of humiliating losses, he abandoned them for a quarter-century. You can find more details on this book

: His friend, National Master David Hart, goaded him into meeting a Grandmaster's as a joke. He had experimented with sharper Sicilians like the

: David then pushed him to play the Sveshnikov—a position Lakdawala had never studied and that previously "only triggered fear".

Published by , this repertoire guide recommends the Sveshnikov Variation for Black. It focuses on the fundamental conflict of structure versus activity : Black accepts a weak pawn formation (a hole on d5) in exchange for easy development and dynamic piece play.

: To their shock, Lakdawala won easily against the GM. He realized that the Sveshnikov was a Sicilian that even an "initiative-challenged" player like himself could comprehend because it forced him into bold action. About the Book