Baron Kolisch ... concurs in these views. The old main line 7.Nb3 is now less popular than the modern 7.Nf3, after which the game usually continues 7...h6 8.0-0 Be7 9.Re1 0-0 10.h3. [47] A less common option is 2...e6, as La Bourdonnais played against McDonnell. The point of this move order is to avoid lines such as the Rossolimo Variation (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5), or 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Nd5, which are possible in the standard Sveshnikov move order. Pros: Unbalances the game Gives Black good chances of attack Great opening when you need to play for a win Cons: White sometimes plays 3.Nc3 as a waiting move, though it has little independent significance. 3.c3 will transpose to lines of the Alapin Variation after 3...Nf6, or the French Defence after 3...d5 4.e5 Nc6 5.d4, though 4...d4 is stronger, as after 5.cxd4 cxd4 6.Qa4+ Nc6 7.Bb5 Bd7 8.Bxc6 Bxc6 9.Qxd4 Bxf3 is a strong pawn sacrifice, giving Black excellent compensation. The critical test of Black's move order is 5.c4, the Maróczy Bind. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. 2...Nc6 is the most common choice, but 2...e6 and 2...d6 are often played. This line is known as "The Kopec System [fr]."[40]. Codes B90 through B99 cover the Najdorf Variation. Thus, by playing 5...a6, Black deprives White of the check on b5, so that ...e5 might be possible next move. In the Dragon Variation, Black fianchettoes a bishop on the h8–a1 diagonal. This is the 3rd variation according to our post on the Sicilian Kan. Nf3 g6). "[11], In 1813, the English master Jacob Henry Sarratt effectively standardised his English translation of the name of this opening as 'the Sicilian Defence', referring to an old Italian manuscript that used the phrase il gioco siciliano ('the Sicilian game'). Black's most common move after 2.Nf3 is 2...d6. Today we’re taking a look at how to play the Sicilian Dragon and its variations, the accelerated dragon and hyper accelerated dragon. ", List of chess openings named after places, "Chess and Chess Players of the Renaissance", "Kasparov vs. rest of world: Barnet Chess Club perspective", "FOXY OPENINGS - VOLUME 30 - Kopec Anti-Sicilian System", "Lubomir Kavalek - CHESS Lubomir Kavalek", "Williams, Simon K - Radovanovic, Jovica 2014 , 2nd Kings Place Open 2014 , London ENG", Understanding The Sicilian Defense B21-B99, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sicilian_Defence&oldid=998931064, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Italian-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 6...Ne4?! [B][16] The death of the opening's two greatest proponents, Staunton and Anderssen, in 1874 and 1879 respectively, also contributed to its decline. Thus 9...gxf6 is forced, and White continues 10.Nd5. The modern main line runs 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7. 2.Nf3 e6. White's usual intention is to play Bxc6, giving Black doubled pawns. An alternative idea is the immediate 5...b5 to create pressure from the queenside with the idea of playing ...b4 attacking the c3-knight, or ...Bb7 to build pressure along the long white-squared diagonal. ... a6) is today the most popular line in the Sicilian. Often, play will eventually transpose to the Scheveningen Variation. [1] New In Chess stated in its 2000 Yearbook that of the games in its database, White scored 56.1% in 296,200 games beginning 1.d4, but 54.1% in 349,855 games beginning 1.e4, mainly because the Sicilian held White to a 52.3% score in 145,996 games. The other main line is 2...d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3, when Black's main options are 5...e6 and 5...Bg4. The Sveshnikov Variation was pioneered by Evgeny Sveshnikov and Gennadi Timoshchenko [ru] in the 1970s. Black can respond with 6...e6, 6...e5 or 6...Ng4. Emanuel Lasker played it once in his world championship match against Carl Schlechter, and Jorge Pelikan played it a few times in the 1950s, but Sveshnikov's treatment of the variation was the key to its revitalization. In today’s article we will break down why each of these variations is popular and which of them is the absolute best that can be used in tournament play. Help. This system, popular at all levels, allows White to keep the center closed. Ask a Question. The Accelerated Dragon allows Black to adopt a Dragon setup without having to fear the Yugoslav Attack. Nxc3 8.Qxg7 Rf8 9.a3 Nb5+ 10.axb4 Nxd4 11.Bg5 Qb6 12.Bh6 Qxb4+ 13.c3 Nf5 14.cxb4 Nxg7 15.Bxg7 with a clear advantage to White, Szabo-Mikenas, Kemeri 1939. Nxc3, gaining an early initiative and a dangerous attack. In the Scheveningen Variation, Black is content to place the e-pawn on e6, where it guards the d5-square, rather than play the space-gaining ...e5. White decides not to double Black's f-pawns and the game often continues 9...Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.c3. Kasparov's point is that the immediate 5...e6 (the Scheveningen Variation, discussed below) allows 6.g4, which is White's most dangerous line against the Scheveningen. White's idea is to play f3, Qd2, g4 and 0-0-0 in some order. Often, Black's c5-pawn is traded for White's d4-pawn in the early stages of the game, granting Black a central pawn majority. Then 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3 d5 9.exd5 exd5 leads to a position where Black has given up the two bishops but has active pieces and the possibility of playing ...d5–d4. Also, Black has the plan of playing 10...f5, followed by ...fxe4 and ...f5 with the second f-pawn, which would give them good control of the centre. The Kalashnikov Variation (ECO code B32)[38] is a close relative of the Sveshnikov Variation, and is sometimes known as the Neo-Sveshnikov. 2...e5 transposes into a variant of the Vienna Game. White has a lead in development and extra kingside space, which White can use to begin a kingside attack. Codes B80 through B89 cover the Scheveningen Variation. White's third most common move is 6.Be2, (ECO codes B58–B59), after which Black can remain in independent variations with the Boleslavsky Variation 6...e5, named after Isaac Boleslavsky. Experts in this line include GMs Sergei Rublevsky and Tomáš Oral. The Scheveningen variation is popular at the highest levels of chess, due to its complex and creative nature. "[18] Freeborough and Ranken, in their treatise Chess Openings: Ancient and Modern (1889, 1896), wrote that the Sicilian "had at one time the reputation of being the best reply to 1.P-K4, but this has not been confirmed by popular practice. Other responses by White to the Classical include 6.Be3, 6.f3, and 6.g3. The move resembles 1…e5, the next most common response to 1.e4, in that respect. This leads to completely different kinds of positions, and is known as the Alapin. A related attacking idea for White is 6.Be3 e6 7.g4, known as the Hungarian Attack or Perenyi Attack. The great French player and theoretician André Danican Philidor opined of the Sicilian in 1777, "This way of opening the game ... is absolutely defensive, and very far from being the best ... but it is a very good one to try the strength of an adversary with whose skill you are unacquainted. Codes B60 through B69 cover the Richter–Rauzer Attack of the Classical Variation. ... [T]he Sicilian Defence is excellent for a strong player who is prepared to take risks to force a win against an inferior opponent. Black can simply break the pin with 7...Be7, when White usually plays 8.Qf3 and 9.0-0-0. [2], 17% of all games between grandmasters, and 25% of the games in the Chess Informant database, begin with the Sicilian. Rowson writes: .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, To my mind there is quite a straightforward explanation. Nb5!, with 6...Nxe4?! Black's ...e5 push seems anti-positional: it has made the d6-pawn backward and the d5-square weak. 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 is the Smith–Morra Gambit. Be3 Bg7 7. f3. The Italian American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana is perhaps the biggest proponent of this line at the top level, and has played this variation in Games 1,3 and 5 of his World Championship Match against Magnus Carlsen. It was named by Fyodor Dus-Chotimirsky in 1901, who noticed a resemblance between Black's kingside pawn structure (pawns on d6, e7, f7, g6 and h7) and the stars of the Draco constellation. Players usually enter the Grand Prix Attack nowadays by playing 2.Nc3 first before continuing 3.f4. Originally championed by Semyon Alapin at the end of the 19th century, it was revived in the late 1960s by Evgeny Sveshnikov and Evgeny Vasiukov. In the early days of the Najdorf 7.Qf3 was popular, but the reply 7...h6 did not allow White to obtain any advantage. There are countless lines that can arise from the starting moves of 1. e4 c5. However, if determined to play the g4 thrust, White can prepare it by responding to 5...a6 with 6.h3 or 6.Rg1. Black sometimes plays 3...e5 to avoid both moves; then 4.Bc4 is considered White's best move. In chess, the Dragon Variation is one of the main lines of the Sicilian Defence and begins with the moves: . It was played six times (out of 110 games) at New York 1924. … ?, when Black can play either 4...Nxe4 or 4...Qa5+. After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3, Black has some less commonly played options apart from 2...d6, 2...Nc6 and 2...e6. These earlier games focused on the Löwenthal Variation (similar to the Kalashnikov but the reply to 5.Nb5 is 5...a6) with 4...e5 5.Nb5 a6 6.Nd6+ Bxd6 7.Qxd6 Qf6, where Black gives up the two bishops to achieve a lead in development. Nxd4 Nf6 5. "[13] Staunton wrote of the Sicilian, "In the opinion of Jaenisch and the German Handbuch, with which I coincide, this is the best possible reply to 1.P-K4, [1.e4 in algebraic notation] 'as it renders the formation of a centre impracticable for White and prevents every attack.' Nf3 - Chess Opening explorer. Yet, the brilliant wins by White are matched by equally brilliant wins by Black; time and again the Black structure has been able to take everything and come back for more. Named after Mark Taimanov, the Taimanov Variation can be reached through 2...e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 or 2...Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6. However, in return, Black gets a foothold in the centre and gains time on White's knight, which has been driven to the edge of the board on a3. Black takes control of the d4 square with a pawn from the side - thus he imbalances the position and avoids giving White a central target. It bears some similarity to Alekhine's Defence. For the most part, other moves are the Closed Sicilian. The whole Sicilian Defence creates something of a ‘win-win’ situation, in the sense that the unbalanced positions often result in bloodshed for one side or the other. Command of the field, especially in the centre, is too readily given over to the invading force. Puzzles. The main idea here is that moving the g-pawn to g6 allows black to fianchetto her bishop on g7. The difference between the two variations is that Black has not developed the knight to f6 and White has not brought the knight to c3, so both players have extra options. loses to 5.Qa4+. "[D] Sergei Rublevsky and Tomáš Oral both play this line as well as the Moscow Variation. What variation of the Sicilian Defense should I play as Black? After 5.c4, the main line runs 5...Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nc3 and now 7...0-0 or 7...Ng4 is most frequently played. White can play 2.Nf3 without intending to follow up with 3.d4. Against best play, however, it is bound to fail. Show All. In all cases, White can then play 3.Nf3, as if White had played 2.Nf3 then 3.Nc3 (e.g. 2.d3 signals White's intention to develop along. Connect. Instead of 9.Bxf6, White can also play 9.Nd5, which usually leads to quieter play. This move was suggested by Irina Krush, and played in the Kasparov–The World, 1999 online game. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Codes B40 through B49 cover the lines beginning 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6, most importantly the Taimanov and Kan variations. The Sicilian Defense is widely considered the best defense against white's e4 opening move. Several eminent players have, however, held to the opinion that it is quite trustworthy. Nc3 e5). The Sicilian is one of the major answers to 1.e4. Sicilian Defense. Another unusual sideline is 3...cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.f3! Full Member Posts: 202. Create a game Arena tournaments Swiss tournaments Simultaneous exhibitions Mikhail Tal vs Robert Byrne [B53]Biel 1976[Mato]1.e4 c5 2. The ideas in this line are similar to those in the Sveshnikov – Black accepts a backward pawn on d6 and weakens the d5-square but gains time by chasing the knight. (Read 20391 times) thethuglife. In the diagrammed position after 8...b5, White usually parries the threat of ...b4 by playing 9.Bxf6 or 9.Nd5. The current World Champion Magnus Carlsen has also played this variation extensively. The move 4...e5 has had a long history; Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais used it in his matches against Alexander McDonnell in 1834, and it was also popular for a short time in the 1940s. 2.e5, which gains space and prevents Black playing ...Nf6. followed by Bg2, c3 and eventually d4. Another fifth move alternative for Black is 5...Nf6, which can transpose into the Sveshnikov Variation after 6.N1c3 or 6.Bg5 d6 7.N1c3. The main move. A typical line is 2...Nc6 3.g3 (ECO code B24). Learn the common lines that arise with this strategy. Nc3 g6. Its fortunes have ever since continued in an unsettled state. Then 4.d4 with 3.c4 transposes to the 3.d4 line. White can also keep options open with 3.Nge2. This typically leads into more positional lines than the razor-sharp, highly theoretical Sozin and Velimirović variations. Black may forego ...Nf6 in favour of ...Ne7, e.g. This is called the English Attack, because it was popularised by English grandmasters Murray Chandler, John Nunn and Nigel Short in the 1980s. White can either castle kingside with 7.Bb3 a6 8.0-0 (the Fischer–Sozin Attack, named after Bobby Fischer and Russian master Veniamin Sozin, who originated it in the 1930s), or queenside with 7.Be3 Be7 (or 7...a6) 8.Qe2 and 9.0-0-0 (the Velimirović Attack). Nxd4 Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7 6. Bxf2+ 10.Ke2 0-0 11.Rf1 Bc5 12.Ng5 Nd4+ 13.Kd1 with sharp play favouring White.[44]. Too Short - Extra Moves (.e.g 45...Nf3 46.Bxf3): Too Long - Finish Move (e.g. 4.Nxd4 a6. White generally answers with 6.Bd3, supporting the e4-pawn. However, a recent development in the Sveshnikov has been 11.c4 (instead of c3), which often leads to positions where White is pressing for the win at no risk. [15] Wilhelm Steinitz, the first World Champion, also disliked the Sicilian and rejected it in favour of 1...e5. The drawback is that White often obtains an early initiative, so Black has to take care not to fall victim to a quick attack. B27: Sicilian defence - 1. e4 c5 2. After 4...Nf6, White usually replies 5.Nc3. The immediate 5...e5?! Meanwhile, advancing a queenside pawn has given Black a spatial advantage there and provides a basis for future operations on that flank. Nowadays its strongest practitioners include grandmasters Sergei Tiviakov and Eduardas Rozentalis. Other important moves are 4...e6 (transposing to the Taimanov Variation), 4...g6 (the Accelerated Dragon) and 4...e5 (the Kalashnikov Variation). Some of Black's alternatives are 7...Qb6, the Poisoned Pawn Variation popularized by Fischer, Gelfand's 7...Nbd7, and 7...b5, the Polugaevsky Variation, which has the tactical point 8.e5 dxe5 9.fxe5 Qc7! Codes B70 through B79 cover the normal (unaccelerated) Dragon Variation. 3.c4 transposes into the Symmetrical English. Another variation is 6.Bc4, the Sozin Variation (ECO code B57). 2...a6 is the O'Kelly Variation. Qg4, with strong compensation for the pawn. Game . I’ll even throw in some games with some basic traps to watch out for. This is counterbalanced by Black's central pawn majority, created by the trade of White's d-pawn for Black's c-pawn, and the open c-file, which Black uses to generate queenside counterplay. This weakens Black's kingside pawn structure, but in return Black gains the two bishops and a central pawn majority. Most common here is 3...cxd4 but 3...Bg7 is also played. So, let’s take a look at each of them more closely. 10.exf6 Qe5+ winning the bishop in return for the knight. lichess.org Play lichess.org. pp. Another alternative for White is 3. f4, which is known as the Grand Prix attack. The former allows White to exchange off Black's light-squared bishop, after which the d5-square becomes very weak; but the latter allows 7.Nf5, when Black can only save the d-pawn by playing the awkward 7...a6 8.Bxd7+ Qxd7. The idea is that 3.d4 runs into 3...cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 when 6.Nb5 is prevented, and Black will equalize by playing 6...Bb4 and possibly ...d5. Also 2...Nc6 3.f4 is the Closed Sicilian, Grand Prix Attack (part of B23). Popularized by Evgeny Sveshnikov in the 1970s, the Sveshnikov is marked by an early e5 thrust by Black (for instance: 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6) is one of the soundest lines of the Sicilian for Black, if not always the most enterprising. After 6...e6, Vsevolod Rauzer introduced the modern plan of Qd2 and 0-0-0 in the 1930s. After 1.e4 c5, other moves besides 2.Nf3 and 2.Nc3 are popular. [33] White's most dangerous try against the Dragon is the Yugoslav Attack, characterised by 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6, when 9.0-0-0, 9.Bc4 and 9.g4 are White's most common moves. There are a few ways for either side to deviate from the sequence in the heading. White can prevent this by 5.Nb5 d6, when 6.c4 leads to a version of the Maróczy Bind favoured by Karpov. Ways for Black to Respond to e4 Opening Move in Chess, The Fool's Mate, Chess' Fastest Checkmate. The Sicilian Defense is the most popular defense against white’s opening 1.e4 and is used extensively at top level play. In 1851, when the Great Exhibition London Tournament was commenced, it was entirely out of favor, but its successful adoption on so many occasions by Anderssen, the first prize winner, entirely restored it to confidence. The Alapin Variation is reached if White plays 2. c3. Also, Black would have to accept the doubled f-pawns in the main line of the opening. Sign Up. In view of this, Paul Keres introduced 6.g4, the Keres Attack, in 1943. Efim Geller was an early proponent of this move, after which Black can stay in "pure" Najdorf territory with 6...e5 or transpose to the Scheveningen with 6...e6. A modern alternative to 6...e6 is 6...Nbd7. 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3, B30). Another alternate second move for White is 2. "[C] In this period Black's approach was usually slow and positional, and the all-out attacks by White that became common after World War II had not yet been developed.