How to Play the Sicilian Defence Opening in Chess

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1-10-2016, 16:40

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The Sicilian Defence is considered as one of Black's best replies to 1.e4. This opening has one of the highest black win ratios, and is played from beginner level to the Grand Master level games. The Sicilian Defence also has several variations such as the Dragon/Accelerated Dragon, Classical, Katalimov, Najdorf, open and closed Sicilian. It is a very versatile opening, which can be both defensive, as well as highly aggressive. Chess algebraic notation is used to explain moves.

Steps

1.e4 c5
- e4 - Moving the King Pawn two spaces forward is the most common move played in professional and amateur chess.
- c5 - Moving the Queen Bishop pawn two spaces forward is the defining move of the Sicilian Defence. This aggressive first move is strong, because if an exchange occurs with White's queen pawn, then Black's center pawns outnumber White's center pawns, which will be an advantage later in the game. This move also avoids symmetry with White.
2.Nf3 d6
- Nf3 - Moving White's knight to f3 is an aggressive move for White. The main advantage of this move is it clears the king side pieces in order to castle kingside soon. It is also strong as it controls one of the centre squares and prepares to play 3.d4.
- d6 - This logical move prevents White from playing e5, gaining space and stopping Black's knight from coming to f6. However many players also play 2... Nc6, 2... g6 or 2...e6 for a different setup.
3.d3 g6
- d3 - A common move in this situation. White forms a pawn chain of their own. However, though this move is not bad it is very passive and does not try for an advantage, d4 is more aggressive and fights for the initiative and advantage.
- g6 - The final move of the pawn formation. This move sets Black up to complete a king side Fianchetto; finishing their defences and setting themselves up for a strong queen side attack. This is considered as the Dragon Variation. 5... a6, 5... e6, and 5... Nc6 are also playable

Tips

Do not experiment with complex lines such as the Hyper-accelerated Dragon or the Poison Pawn variation in the najdorf. Stick to the main line until you are more proficient with this opening.
Your opens may not play the open Sicilian (2. Nf3 3. d4) they might might play the Alapin (2. c3), Grand Prix (2. f4), closed Sicilian (2. Nc3), Kings Indian Attack (in any move order, e4, d3, Nbd2, Ngf3, g3, Bg2, castles) Rossolimo (2. Nf3 3.Bb5) or the Snyder variation (2. b3)

Warnings

Bowlder Attack against Sicilian defense if the player doesn't know about the attack he could play the wrong lines.
The Sicilian defense should not be used by player rated under Class A level (1850+) as it can lead to complications and sharp attacks. The variations in the play are to many and beginner are prone to mistakes, such as bobby fishers trap or even poor positional play.