Intense interest in sugar components of anthracycline antibiotics and antitumor drugs generated a need for stereoselective methods of synthesis of 2-deoxy sugar glycosides. Although several efficient procedures leading to 2-deoxy-α-glycosides were elaborated, there is no satisfactory general procedure leading to the β-anomers. The methods described are not stereoselective and involve separation of anomeric intermediates of glycosides.