The Razor-sharp Rauzer Attack
Opening for White According to Anand 12 is devoted to one of the main lines of the Sicilian Defence, beginning with the moves 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6.
Strangely enough, this system has not acquired yet a universally acknowledged name.
After the move – 6.Bg5, quite irrevocably accepted by contemporary theory as the most dangerous for Black, – the Rauzer Attack is on the board.
The author A. Khalifman, former FIDE World Champion writes in the foreword:
“In the first part of this book, we deal with numerous sidelines, beginning with Black’s attempts to avoid the main lines as early as move three. (..) I believe the most interesting variation among them is 6.Bg5 g6. In the second part of the book we deal with variations arising in cases when after 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2, Black refrains from the almost obligatory move a7-a6 in most of the systems of the Sicilian Defence. (..) The third part of the book is devoted to the variations beginning with 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6. They were considered for a long time to be the most reliable for Black and in particular the system with 8.0-0-0 h6. Presently, Black’s main lines are considered to be 8…Be7 and 8…Bd7, but his opponent is better in both cases. This would be particularly true if the White players have read this book..”