Questions tagged [sicilian-defense]
The Sicilian Defense is the opening given by the moves 1. e4 c5, and it is one of the most popular replies to white's 1. e4.
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Why does black play ...e5 in this variant of sicillian defense?
[FEN ""]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 Nf6 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. h3 g6 6. O-O Bg7 7. Bc2 e5
In this position the move e5 blocks the diagonal for white's bishop on c2 but it seems that it also blocks our ...
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This variation in Open Sicilian: why give back the exchange?
This is my first foray into the Sicilian from the perspective of black.
So I'm messing around with the open Sicilian on my engine, in particular 4 ...Qb6 5 Be3 Qxb2.
In this variation, apparently even ...
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What are the 18 moves?
Last week New in Chess' book of the week was Zlotnik's Middlegame Manual by Boris Zlotnik. Zlotnik was Caruana's coach during his youth when he was living in Spain and Caruana wrote a foreword for the ...
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Is it a good idea for white to play the Botvinnik system in the Sicillian defense?
After 1. e4 c5, the following line is not popular:
[fen ""]
[startply "3"]
1. e4 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 g6 4. g3 Bg7 5. Bg2 d6 6. Nge2 e6
Is there any reason that this line is not ...
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How many unique checkmates are there from this starting position?
I can only see 5 lines on lichess from a game I've played and have tried several different moves. Mate in 4 is the fasted but I've seen up to 12. There must be at least 15 different mates, not all of ...
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Should I get into the Najdorf?
I'm a ~1500 rated player on Chess.com's scale (highest rating is 1420 or so, but rapidly growing so we'll say 1500). A few months ago I participated in an invitational tournament against another ...
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Resources to learn the Open Sicilian
As per the title, I'm looking for resources to learn the Open Sicilian. In particular, I would like to understand general themes and pawn structures instead of memorizing precise moves. For the record,...
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Hikaru on chess960: Have there been more Najdorf or Dragon games in the past decade?
From Wikipedia:
Hikaru in 2014 on chess960: (emphasis added)
I think chess960 is great as it is simply pure intuition and understanding without theory or computers. In my opinion, a lot depends on ...
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Why taking the knight on d5 in Alapin Sicilian is not so good for white
I'm going through some preparation of the Alapin Sicilian.
Studying the opening I reached this position:
rnbqk2r/pp2bppp/3pp3/3nP3/2BP4/5N2/PP3PPP/RNBQK2R w KQkq - 2 8
In which I wonder why it isn't ...
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How to avoid the Sicilian after 1.e4 d6 2.Nf3?
I am learning the Pirc Defense as black. I am a bit confused when after 1.e4 d6 white plays 2.Nf3. Are they forcing me to transpose into a Sicilian with 2... c5? I kind of like the Sicilian Dragon, so ...
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Why do all e4-c5 variations only have a single name (Sicilian Defence)?
I was wondering why e4-e5 openings have different names depending on the next move, but Sicilian Defence continuations are all just variations of the Sicilian Defence. Is that because they are ...
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What's a line for black in the Sicilian that has good piece activity?
I'm looking to learn the Sicilian for black. There seem to be a hundred different variations. It's easy enough to look them up, but it's hard to get a feel for what kind of games they lead to.
Can ...
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What is the point of a5 in Sveshnikov Nd5 variation?
I am currently learning Sicilian Svenshnikov. Today, I came across a new line with Nd5 variation. First, we move a4 to kick the white knight and then play a5. I couldn't quite understand the point of ...
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Why does Black get away with giving White so many free tempi in the Sicilian?
Every child learns that piece activity is the most important principle in chess, which is why we should develop quickly in the opening and avoid unnecessary pawn moves (and start with 1.e4 or 1.d4, ...
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Is The Four Knight Sicilian winning for White?
Consider this variation of the Four Knight Sicilian:
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 1 0"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. ...
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What are some good "club-player" Sicilians?
My criteria for good "club-player" openings are:
objectively good
as little memorization is needed as possible
forgetting theory / messing up move orders / playing mediocre moves won't kill ...
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Sicilian endgames - favourable for which side and why?
I often come across statements like this:
Generally speaking, Sicilian endgames tend to favour Black for
structural reasons. The extra center pawn and the half-open c-file are
both advantageous for ...
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What is the idea behind the Sicilian Flohr Variation?
[FEN ""]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qc7
Is this merely a transpositional device to avoid some lines of the Taimanov Sicilian, or does it have any independent ideas?
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How does the Najdorf variation of the Sicilian defense stop the Keres attack?
Recently I've been looking into the Scheveningen variation of the Sicilian and from what I have read it seems like the Keres attack is a big threat and you need great calculation ability to stop it as ...
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Play/learn Sveshnikov Sicilian as a beginner?
I've read countless times, that beginners should not play the Sicilian.
On the other hand, one often reads that the opening does not matter for beginners.
There are many courses claiming the included ...
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How to open a chess game [closed]
Any chess opening book or site for open a chess game for FIDE elo around 1800?Can any one help me to overcome opening difficulties? Specially as sicilian keres attack and english open as black. I ...
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How good is 1. e4 c5 move for black? Why does Stockfish play it?
I've been running some engine vs engine games out of boredom and noticed Stockfish, when playing as black, 90% of the time played c7-c5 on white's e4. I've never actually seen a human play this, in ...
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How does the Grand Prix Attack compare to the Rossolimo/Canal Attack?
How does the Grand Prix Attack compare to the Rossolimo/Canal Variations for someone who wants to develop an anti-Sicilian repertoire? What are the pros and cons of each opening? Thanks.
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As a Closed Sicilian player, is it impossible to avoid the Taimanov Variation without accepting an inferior position?
I'm a Closed Sicilian player and I like the setup with Nc3/g3/Bg2/d3 a lot for White, since it cuts out having to learn tons of theory I'd have to know otherwise against the Open Sicilian. However, I ...
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Why is Bc4 "bad" in a regular Sicilian, yet played almost exclusively in the Smith-Morra?
I know that Bc4 is supposed to be a "bad" move early in the Sicilian, because Black can nullify it by just playing e6:
[FEN ""]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 (2...Nc6 3.Bc4? e6) 3.Bc4? e6
Why ...
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Looking for tactical Sicilian lines besides the Dragon and Najdorf
I am looking for a tactical Sicilian. But I don't want a really popular line like the Najdorf or Dragon that has been analyzed to death.
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What is the point of c3 in the Sicilian Alapin?
In the Alapin variation of the Sicilian, the game goes 1. e4 c5 2. c3. However, this sequence just blocks the b1 knight from its best square, and it doesn't develop anything. Both squares attacked by ...
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What is the idea behind 2...e6 in some Sicilian lines?
I've learned a bit of the Taimanov and have been playing it with some decent results, although I have not gotten very deep at all into it. Still, it bothers me that even though I've looked at a couple ...
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Franco-Sicilian Defense Theory [duplicate]
I am wondering what the main lines and point of the Franco-Sicilian Defense are for Black. I could barely find any theory about it online, and it' is my favorite opening as Black. As such, I am ...
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What is White's main plan in Sicilian Keres variation?
I want to learn a new opening in the Sicilian defense called the Keres variation. What is White's main plan here?
[FEN ""]
1. e4 c5 2. Ne2
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Why is capturing the bishop in this position a blunder?
[FEN "r2n1rk1/pp1bppbp/1n4p1/q1N5/3P3N/PB2B2P/1P3PP1/R2Q1RK1 w - - 3 18"]
Why is Nxd7 a blunder in this position?
I think that once the light squared bishop comes to c6 it will become very ...
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A disagreement between me and my chess engines
In a recent blitz game, I was playing as White and faced the Lasker-Pelikan variation of the Sicilian.
Things were not really going according to plan, I was down a Knight and facing obliteration. In ...
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Why is an early e5 against a Yugoslav setup evaluated at +2.6 according to Stockfish?
I was looking at analysis on one of my games and found this variation against a Yugoslav attempt against the Sicilian Dragon which Stockfish 12 instantly says is +2.6 for white:
[FEN ""]
[...
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Classical Scheveningen: Why is ...Ne8 so rare in this position?
Black to move. This position from the classical variation of the Scheveningen occurs over 900 times in the Lichess database, yet ...Ne8 has been played only three times. The move seems strong: it ...
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What is the point of delaying the exchange in the Rossolimo?
[fen ""]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. O-O (4. Bxc6) Bg7 5. Re1
Is there any point in maintaining the tension? Does it force any adjustments from Black? Is the timing irrelevant or is ...
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Did the 2018 World Chess Championship feature any theoretical novelties in the Sveshnikov Sicilian?
I am interested in how the Sveshnikov theory developed in the last decade, and one of the biggest events heavily featuring it was the WCC match in 2018. Very few books on the opening were published ...
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Black answers to Grand Prix attack
I am reading about the Grand Prix Attack and the main lines of development for Black. One line considered is as follows.
[FEN ""]
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. f4 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bc4 Nc6 6. O-O
...
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4-2 vs 3-3 (only pawn) endgames arising from Sicilian/Anti Sicilian
I play Sicilian (mainly Najdorf) against e4. Sometimes (in anti-Sicilian or Sicilian openings) I end up with exchanging everything except 6 pawns.
So it becomes a 4-2 pawn (4 on the kingside) versus 3-...
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Canal Attack Stockfish Indication
Apparently, Stockfish on depth 22 states that the Canal Attack is the best opening after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6. Is something wrong with Stockfish?
user24344
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Queen placement in the Dragon
[FEN ""]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.f3 O-O 8.Bc4 e6 9.O-O a6
Here is a line from a game of mine. I made the movee 10. Qd3, but my computer program says Qd2 ...
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Knowing when to play Nc6 vs Nbd7 in the Najdorf Sicilian as black?
I've been studying the Najdorf Sicilian for some time, and I generally have a good idea of where to develop my pieces to. My light and dark square bishops typically end up on e6 and e7, respectively. ...
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Sicilian Defence or Caro-Kann also help with Queen's pawn opening [closed]
I know and play the Sicilian defense. Specifically, I mix it with the Hyper Accelerated Dragon with the kingside rook pawn movement akin to the Najdorf. I am also learning the Caro-Kann, in which most ...
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Rossolimo 3.Bb5 vs open Sicilian against c5-Nc6 sicilian
Many chess players nowadays recommend the Rossolimo against c5-Nc6 Sicilian:
[fen ""]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
However, I find the open sicilian to be easier to play:
[fen ""]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 ...
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Why is 5. Nc3 preferred over 5. f3 in the Open Sicilian?
The statistics at move 5 seem amazing for White, slightly better than Nc3. I was wondering how White can "get away" with the plan to play c4 before Nc3, achieving even more control of the center. So ...
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I like to play 1. e4 but I dislike 1. ... c5. Can I continue with 2. c4?
I read a related but closed question here and I share a very similar feeling. I would love to play 1. e4 but I only feel comfortable when my opponent replies with 1. ... e5, or French, or Caro-Kann. I ...
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Ideas in Sicilian Defense: Staunton-Cochrane Variation
I am a Scotch player and don't like playing against the Sicilian and have very bad record against it (5.5/24), my best only wins are when I played 2.b4 ( Wing Gambit) or 2.c4 (Staunton-Cochrane ...
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What is the Sicilian Cochrane Attack?
In my club and local tournaments, opponents playing White often do an early Bc4 when I start a Sicilian. Usually I begin an Old Sicilian, eg 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6. My opponents may play Bc4 on the 2nd, ...
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Idea behind e-pawn sacrifice in Open Sicilian: Najdorf, Freak Attack (6. Rg1)?
There are 10 games in my database with this variation played on a high level and the White score is +6-2=2, almost always White is the elo-wise weaker player. The highest rated White player to employ ...
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Help with the Sicilian Defence - I need to understand those early pawn moves
Why we often see many pawn moves in the Sicilian Defense? I would imagine that this harms the development of the black pieces. For instance, there is this line:
[FEN ""]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 a6 ...
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What is White's compensation in the Smith-Morra Gambit, Paulsen Formation (a6, e6, Nc6) after an early ...Na5?
The variation is almost forced if White aims for the standard Smith-Morra setup. At the end White is a pawn down and no longer has two bishops, but is well developed. However Black's setup does not ...
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