When 1.e4 players are faced with the Sicilian Defence, the usual advice — at all but the highest levels — is to steer clear of the main lines.

True, this approach saves an awful lot of study; but White’s alternatives to the heavily analysed open Sicilian can be insipid and prove unchallenging for the second player.

Seven Ways to Smash the Sicilian by Lapshun and Conticello is a new Everyman Chess publication that only deals with main line Sicilians and may tempt e4 players back to the true Sicilian testing ground.

Most chess players will be familiar with the six sacrificial ideas that form the subject of separate chapters. These include the standard Nd5 and Nf5 sacrifices and the various ways White can take on b5 and e6.

Nevertheless, with no less than 109 complete games and much analysis besides, club players — especially those whose repertoire includes the Sicilian — would benefit from a study of this material.

Some Oxford players, however, seem to have already mastered these ideas. In a recent Four Nations Chess League game, Oxford’s Dave Bruce gave a masterclass by including a sacrifice on f6 followed by one on d5 and showed that smashing the open Sicilian is not just for grandmasters. White: David Bruce (Oxford 2) Black: David Levens (Nottinghamshire) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.h3 Bg7 7.Bc4 0–0 8.Bb3 Nc6 9.Be3 Bd7 10.0–0 Rc8 11.f4 h5? This move is hard to understand at any level. True, it stops g4; but, more pertinently, it seriously weakens g5 and g6. Black should instead get his queenside counter-play rolling with 11...a6 and if 12.Qf3 then 12…b5.

12.f5 Ne5 13.fxg6 Nxg6 14.Rxf6! With this, White bags a pawn and develops his queen menacingly close to Black’s king — well worth an exchange.

Bxf6 15.Qxh5 e6?! Against 15...Ne5 White could continue the attack with 16.Nf5; but this would have been better for Black than the game continuation.

16.Rf1 Dave continues to build his attack in classical fashion; but here 16.Nxe6! was a stronger move. After 16…Bxe6 17.Bxe6 fxe6 18.Qxg6+ Kh8 White could continue 19.Qh5+ Kg8 20.Qg4+ and if 20…Kf7 to defend e6, then 21.Rf1 with a dangerous attack for no material investment.

16...Bg7?! Here 16...Rc5! was a better defence and this would have dared Dave to play the gung ho and totally unclear 17.Nf5!?

17.Nf3! Highlighting the downside of Black’s previous move. The threat is 18.Ng5 and Black has little choice but to return his bishop to f6.

17…Bf6 18.Ng5 Bxg5 19.Bxg5 Qb6+ 20.Kh1 Qd4 21.Bf6 Qe3 22.Nd5!! Black had constructed some sort of defence and might have thought he was escaping. If so, this terrible blow would have completely disillusioned him.

22…exd5 23.Bxd5 1–0 Black can’t defend both g6 and h6.