LOL I laughed so hard.
This is how Dr. Nick got his medical certification on the Simpsons!
Another suggestion on achieving successful chest openings is to read books on successful dating. May I suggest "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus".
... the review is greatly outdated, Sicilian has become a rarity in top level, 9 out of 10 top players play 1..e5 nowadays). ...
The August 2018 issue of Chess lists the top twenty openings compiled from a list of 2415 May games where both players were rated over 2400 Elo. One can not take position on this list too seriously because it is greatly influenced by how the openings are grouped. For example, all the Retis are grouped together, while English is separated into 1...c5, 1...e5, etc. Nevertheless, for what it is worth, some of the list entries are: 181 Retis, 104 declined Queen's Gambits, 97 King's Indians, 95 Caro-Kanns, 89 Berlin Lopezes, 79 Nimzo-Indians, 70 Najdorf Sicilians, 68 Slavs, 65 1...e5 Englishes, 55 Catalans, 53 Petroffes, 47 Sicilian 2 Nf3 sidelines, 47 Sicilian 2 Nf3 d6 sidelines, 43 1...c5 Englishes, 42 1...e6 Englishes, 42 1...Nf6 Englishes, 42 Giuoco Pianos, and 42 Classical Gruenfelds.
In any event, is it of much relevance to here consider what "9 out of 10 top players play"?
... The comment was about the nonsense said in the review you posted.
Does the Chess magazine data suggest top level Sicilian rarity? In any event, is there some place where Randy Bauer indicated that he was referring to the favorite in top level play? Is top level play relevant to likely readers of Chernev's book?
... As I said , openings are irrelevant for beginners. ...
"... The first chapter [of 'Journey to the Chess Kingdom'] introduces the reader to the rules of the royal game and teaches one how to use the chess notation. ... Chapter five deals with opening principles, while chapter six provides an overview of the most popular chess openings. Importantly, the emphasis is on giving insights and explaining ideas and principles as opposed to advocating mindless memorization of long lines. ..." - WGM Natalia Pogonina (2014)
https://www.chess.com/blog/Natalia_Pogonina/book-review-quotjourney-to-the-chess-kingdomquot
LOL I laughed so hard.