Moscow Variation & Sidelines
Black is forced to make an immediate decision on move 3 and wait for the right moment to open the position.
On top the author created practical difficulties for the Black. Naturally, it is not possible to find an advantage in every variation but Ravi added many detailed explanations to guide plans and aid understanding in the various positions White encounters. Ravi’s analysis makes Black’s path to equality extremely narrow.
Finally, it was important to also consider the less popular second moves (2…g6, 2…a6, and 2…Nf6). In particular, both 3.c3 and 3.c4 against 2…g6 were examined.
The latter transposes to an Accelerated Dragon, which the author can justify including in an Anti-Sicilian book as he believe it’s correct to enter an ‘Open-Sicilian’ type position if it benefits anyone. This approach has been emphasized across both volumes and it is made especially clear in the chapter against 2…g6.