{"id":26585,"date":"2025-08-25T19:34:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T19:34:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.365chess.com\/view\/?post_type=product&#038;p=26585"},"modified":"2026-05-26T12:33:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T12:33:18","slug":"anti-sicilian-manual-for-white-with-fm-milan-popovic","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.365chess.com\/view\/shop\/anti-sicilian-manual-for-white-with-fm-milan-popovic\/","title":{"rendered":"Anti-Sicilian Manual for White with FM Milan Popovic"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding: 56.25% 0 0 0; position: relative;\"><iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" title=\"Anti-Sicilian Manual for White with FM Milan Popovic\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1110024492?h=9d2ed54a76&amp;badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Master the Anti-Sicilian with the Chekhover Variation \u2013 A Complete White Repertoire by FM Milan Popovic<\/h2>\n<p>This opening was not a common guest at the Grandmaster\u2019s tournaments.<\/p>\n<p>But after Anand crushed Kasparov in 1995, and Carlsen scored a few spectacular wins in the 2010s\u2026 Things changed.<\/p>\n<p>Chekover Variation is one of those under-the-radar lines of the Sicilian that can up your game with White pieces without learning all the theory. It is closely connected to Maroczy Bind structures and leads to very promising positions for White.<\/p>\n<p>FM Milan Popovic played it for over 10 years with great success. It allowed him to score 2 IM norms and win numerous tournaments placing in front of many IMs and GMs.<\/p>\n<p>FM Popovic took 6 months off his busy schedule and developed an entire repertoire for White built around the Checkover Variation. It is super practical, easy to learn and\u00a0tested against all ranges of players from 1600 to 2550.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-26596\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365chess.com\/view\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Chapter-6-2.Nc6-3.Bc4-Mainline-3.e6-low.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"489\" height=\"268\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Here is what you\u2019ll learn:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Against 3\u2026cxe4:\u00a0<\/strong>FM Milan Popovic\u2019s top pick is 4. Qxd4! The Chekhover Variation provides clear attacking possibilities, straightforward tactics, and a serious edge (if you know what you\u2019re doing)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Against 2\u2026Nc6:<\/strong>\u00a0FM Popovic recommends 3. Bc4. It\u2019s not a well-explored variation but very popular at the top level<\/li>\n<li><strong>Against 3\u2026e6:\u00a0<\/strong>FM Popovic suggests the modified \u201cChekhover.\u201d It has a lot of potential and can catch Black off guard<\/li>\n<li><strong>Against 2\u2026g6:\u00a0<\/strong>We play 3.c3. Then, we take the center with d4 and get our attack rolling<\/li>\n<li><strong>Against 2\u2026a6:<\/strong>\u00a0We exchange in the center and transpose to our core Chekhover. Even many IMs and GMs aren\u2019t well-prepared against Qd4 systems. For club players, it\u2019s even tougher for Black<\/li>\n<li><strong>Against 2\u2026Nf6:<\/strong>\u00a0FM Popovic recommends the straightforward approach with 3. e5. Milan keeps the theory to a minimum and suggests a novel move order that gives up a pawn but generates tons of activity on the kingside and center<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To make it a truly \u201c<em>Complete Repertoire<\/em>\u201d FM Popovic even covers the off-beat lines like 2\u2026b6 and 2\u2026h6 among other variations.<\/p>\n<p>FM Popovic played most of these lines for over 10-15 years and you get all the wisdom passed to you after watching this course.<\/p>\n<p><strong>365Chess&#8217;s Coach will guide you through the course, one step at a time! Learn this opening faster thanks to our exclusive tool and put your knowledge into practice.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-26598\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365chess.com\/view\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Chapter-16-2.g6-3.c3-Mainline-3.d5-low.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"481\" height=\"262\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Outline:<\/h3>\n<p>Introduction<br \/>\nChapter 1. 2.d6 \u2013 Chekhover \u2013 Mainline<br \/>\nChapter 2. 2.d6 \u2013 Chekhover \u2013 4.a6<br \/>\nChapter 3. 2.d6 \u2013 Chekhover \u2013 4.Nf6<br \/>\nChapter 4. 2.d6 \u2013 Chekhover \u2013 5th Move Sidelines<br \/>\nChapter 5. 2.d6 \u2013 Chekhover \u2013 4th Sidelines<br \/>\nChapter 6. 2.Nc6 \u2013 3.Bc4 \u2013 Mainline 3.e6<br \/>\nChapter 7. 2.Nc6 \u2013 3.Bc4 \u2013 Mainline 3.d6<br \/>\nChapter 8. 2.Nc6 &#8211; 3.Bc4 \u2013 Mainline 3.g6<br \/>\nChapter 9. 2.Nc6 &#8211; 3.Bc4 \u2013 Mainline 3.Nf6<br \/>\nChapter 10. 2.Nc6 \u2013 3.Bc4 \u2013 3rd Move Sidelines<br \/>\nChapter 11. 2.e6 \u2013 Qxd4 Plan \u2013 Mainline 6.d5, 6.Bb4<br \/>\nChapter 12. 2.e6 \u2013 Qxd4 Plan \u2013 Mainline 6.d6<br \/>\nChapter 13. 2.e6 \u2013 Qxd4 Plan \u2013 3rd, 4th and 5th Move Sidelines<br \/>\nChapter 14. 2.e6 \u2013 Qxd4 Plan \u2013 6th Move Sidelines<br \/>\nChapter 15. 2.g6 \u2013 3.c3 \u2013 Mainline \u2013 3.Bg7<br \/>\nChapter 16. 2.g6 \u2013 3.c3 \u2013 Mainline 3.d5<br \/>\nChapter 17. 2.g6 \u2013 3.c3 \u2013 3rd Move Sidelines<br \/>\nChapter 18. Okelly \u2013 4.Qxd4 Plan \u2013 Mainline<br \/>\nChapter 19. Okelly \u2013 4.Qxd4 Plan \u2013 Sidelines<br \/>\nChapter 20. Nimzowitsch Variation \u2013 2.Nf6\u20264.Nc3-e4 5.Ne4<br \/>\nChapter 21. Nimzowitsch Variation \u2013 2.Nf6\u20264.Nc3-Nxc3 5.dxc3<br \/>\nChapter 22. Nimzowitsch Variation \u2013 Sidelines<br \/>\nChapter 23. Sicilian 2nd Move Sidelines \u2013 2.B6 Qa5 h6 d5 Qc7<br \/>\nChapter 24. Model Games<br \/>\nOverview of the Repertoire<\/p>\n<h3>About the Author:<\/h3>\n<p><strong>FM Milan Popovic [2393 FIDE]\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>is a FIDE Master from Serbia, boasting two IM norms. Not only is he an active competitor on the tournament scene, but he also coaches chess, helping players enhance their skills. Milan is passionate about blitz and bullet chess, with an online rating exceeding 3100. In online play, he\u2019s faced off against numerous top 10 players and has notched some notable wins, including several against Magnus Carlsen. Beyond the chessboard, Milan holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in gastronomy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FM Milan Popovic took 6 months off his busy schedule and developed an entire repertoire for White built around the Checkover Variation. It is super practical, easy to learn and\u00a0tested against all ranges of players from 1600 to 2550.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":31703,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v16.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Anti-Sicilian Manual for White with FM Milan Popovic - 365Chess<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"FM Milan Popovic took 6 months off his busy schedule and developed an entire repertoire for White built around the Checkover Variation. 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