Master the Sicilian Kalashnikov

By Fabien Libiszewski

Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of the Sicilian Kalashnikov! We will unravel the secrets of the explosive opening arising from 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5.

Black willingly makes long-term strategic concessions, but in return forces White to lose valuable development time. This versatile opening will appeal to lovers of dynamic play while providing a solid strategic foundation. You will learn the key ideas and crucial strategic plans so that you feel more comfortable navigating the sharp variations.

 

Introduced in 1834 by one of the greatest players of his time, Charles de La Bourdonnais, this opening has stood the test of time and continues to be used by top players at the highest level. Modern heroes of this opening include Teimour Radjabov, Alexei Shirov and, more recently, Parham Maghsoodloo and Hikaru Nakamura, who used the Kalasnikov in the decisive last round of the Grand Swiss 2023, qualifying for the Candidates Tournament in the process!

 

Expand your repertoire with innovative variations to surprise your opponents. Explore the modern perspective of this opening with French GM Fabien Libiszewski, an expert on the Kalashnikov for almost two decades.

• Video running time: 5 hours 7 minutes

• Interactive video training with feedback

• Extra: Training with ChessBase apps – Practise the opening repertoire

System requirements

Minimum:

Dual Core, 2 GB RAM, DirectX11, graphics card with 256 MB RAM, Windows Media Player 9, ChessBase 14/Fritz 16 or included Reader and internet access for program activation.

 

Recommended:

PC Intel i5 (Quadcore), 4 GB RAM, Windows 10, DirectX11, graphics card with 512 MB RAM or more, 100% DirectX 10-compatible sound card, Windows Media Player 11 and internet access for program activation.

 

MacOSX

Minimum: MacOS "Yosemite" 10.10

 

Streaming

iPad, Tablet, Desktop, Laptop etc.

About the Author

Fabien Libiszewski was born on 5 January 1984 in St Etienne, France. He is a GM since 2009. His peak Elo rating was 2547. While Fabien continues to play actively, he now also has a solid experience as a coach, notably as the captain of the French mixed team. By producing Fritztrainer, he adds a new dimension