Against the Sicilian

• At a glance

  Against the Sicilian

  231 games, 50%: against 1…c5, TheChessNerd opens the game with 3.d4 and plays the English Attack. One plan against both the Najdorf and the Dragon, and two lines that hold out after 2…Nc6.

  18 cards, one idea each. Swipe to move on.

• The big idea

  Your games: 275× · you score 49%

  Against 1…c5, TheChessNerd plays 2.Nf3 and 3.d4: the Open Sicilian. Against the Najdorf it is 6.f3 and the English Attack; against the Dragon, the Yugoslav Attack.

• The big idea

  The same scheme comes back every time: Be3, Qd2, long castling, then the kingside pawns go forward.

• The big idea

  231 games, 50%, level with TheChessNerd's score as White (50.4%). The dossier finds no recurring move that Stockfish disputes.

• The big idea

  Your games: 13× · you score 31%

  The hard positions come from 2…Nc6: 31% after 4…e5 in 13 games, 17% after 4…g6 in 12 games.

• The big idea

  The thread of the course: the d5 square. Against …e5, no pawn is left to guard it; against …g6 without …d6, the Maroczy locks it with c4 and e4.

• The big idea

  The five chapters follow the lines TheChessNerd meets most often.

• Principle

  The d5 square first

  Your games: 25× · you score 38%

  After …e5, no black pawn can ever chase a piece from d5. Black covers it with Be6 and Nf6, White aims at it with Nc3.

• Principle

  f3, Be3, Qd2, long castling

  Your games: 5× · you score 40%

  The same order against the Najdorf and the Dragon: f3 holds e4, Be3 and Qd2 connect the pieces, and the king goes to the queenside.

• Principle

  g4-g5 chases the defender

  Your games: 5× · you score 40%

  The f6 knight guards d5 and h7. The g4-g5 push dislodges it, and the d5 square falls to White.

• Principle

  Against the Dragon, the h-file

  The black king hides behind g6. h4-h5 attacks that pawn and opens the h-file for the h1 rook.

• Principle

  Against the Accelerated, the Maroczy bind

  Your games: 4× · you score 25%

  With c4 and e4, White rules out …d5. Black has no freeing push left and must play on the queenside.

• Imbalance

  Kings on opposite wings

  White castles long, Black castles short. Each side pushes pawns at the enemy king: whoever opens a file first takes the initiative.

• Imbalance

  The d5 pawn against the d6 pawn

  After Nd5 Bxd5 exd5, the d5 pawn fixes d6 and takes c6 and e6 away from the black pieces. White keeps the bishop pair.

• Imbalance

  The Dragon bishop

  Your games: 6× · you score 33%

  In the Dragon, the g7 bishop is Black's best piece. Bd4 offers to trade it, and the black king loses its dark-square defender.

• The trade-off

  What you gain

  • One scheme against both the Najdorf and the Dragon: f3, Be3, Qd2, long castling.
  • Against the Najdorf, 6.f3 is also Stockfish's first choice.
  • No recurring move that Stockfish disputes.
• The trade-off

  What you give up

  • After 2…Nc6 and 4…e5, 31% in 13 games.
  • After 2…Nc6 and 4…g6, 17% in 12 games.
  • In the Najdorf, after 8…Be7, 38% in 16 games.
  • Opposite-side castling does not forgive a lost tempo.
• That's all

  Your turn

  These ideas only stick once you play the moves. The chapters make you find the right ones.

  Start chapter 1

Card 1 of 18: Against the Sicilian

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