I've just achieved two draws in a row at live chess, each 65 moves in duration, one against a player rated 200 points higher, the other against one rated 300 points higher.  I'm sure I had the former beat, but if you are going to let a won game slip away, at least don't lose it ;)

They both feature 2. c3 vs. the Sicilian.  The first features 2...Nc6?! which I believe is only playable for Black if he follows up with a quick ...d5.  I face 2...Nc6 a lot though, presumably from players who play it against 2. Nf3.  Another reason to play the 2. c3 Sicilian: typical responses against 2. Nf3 just aren't the same against 2. c3.  In the latter game my opponent plays one of the "correct" moves against 2. c3 which however is not one of the "correct" moves against 2. Nf3: 2...d5

Both games are "fighting draws" they work their way all the way down to either insufficient material or stalemate.  The latter in particular features some pretty good endgame play considering the time limit.  It is so important to know how to play K+P endings, to preserve draws, when it is so easy to slip up and lose.

Try something else next time. You might win.

I win plenty with the 2. c3 Sicilian especially against 2...Nc6?!  and especially at longer time limits.

But thanks for your inane trolling.

So post one?! I thought the idea of playing chess was to check mate the opponent's King. If you are content with drawing against the sicilian, I have a bridge in Atlanta to sale you, Mr thin skin.

Regarding the second game:

Computer Analysis (~2500 strength)

Inaccuracies: 2 = 3.3% of moves
Mistakes: 0 = 0.0% of moves
Blunders: 0 = 0.0% of moves

From move 43 on it is evaluated as exactly even for the entire remainder of the game, but there were many ways for White to botch the K+P ending.  Makes me glad I studied this sort of thing as a schoolboy, 35 years ago or so

Against the c3 sicilian, I always play 2 ...e6 and transpose into a French Advance. No extra theory for me to learn, and we leave white's pet line.

Oh I'm thin-skinned for pointing out you are a troll, and your response is to continue trolling?  This is why chess.com needs a reputation system: I'd glad give up one point of my rep, to down-mod you and cost you two or five points.  Try commenting on positions that arose from the game.  

And yeah, I'm content drawing against the Sicilian against competition rated 200-300 points higher than me, especially at Blitz chess.  But below since you ask is one of my victories with against 2...Nc6?! vs. the 2. c3 Sicilian.  The plan with Qa4 was inspired by a trap from another variation of the (2. Nf3 Nc6) Sicilian: http://www.chess.com/games/results.html?f=14597422&t=1  Knowledge of this "pattern" has even led me to discover a TN on the fifth move against the Philidor: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Qxd4 a6 5.Qa4 

Anyway, that win against 2...Nc6?! vs. the 2. c3 Sicilian.  Hope I've provided enough actual chess content to satisfy those who are actually interested in such things.  And to the trolls: I will be contacting Erik (with whom I've exchanged numerous emails since I am a web developer) to the effect that you are the reason why I won't be renewing my premium membership, and will instead be returning to ICC, until such time as chess.com implements a reputation system.

Too bad it doesn't actually transpose into a French advance if White does not oblige with e5

It usually does. If not, it's still fine for black and doesn't require learning any new theory. 1 e4 c5 2 c3 e6 3 d4 d5 4 exd5 exd5 and it's an exchange French, also pleasant enough for black.

2...e6 is perfectly reasonable against the 2. c3 Sicilian.  But then you as Black are in the position of knowing both the French and the Sicilian.  Too much theory for my taste.  Anyway I do perfectly fine with 2. c3.  I'm not saying it refutes the Sicilian, but it's definitely a viable way to seek an advantage against Black, especially if they are unprepared.

Well, I already alternate between French and Sicilian, so it's not any extra theory. Mostly I just avoid learning another Sicilian sideline. Plus, you don't really need much theory to play the French. You just have to remember one thing- attack d4.

Everybody's entitled to their opinion.  But I don't find 2. c3 vs. the Sicilian overly drawish and certainly don't play it for that reason.  But I had a very wise chess teacher who told me that something I needed to do better in my games, was to avoid losing.  If that means a draw, particularly against opposition rated 200-300 points higher, so be it, and I don't think its dishonorable by any means.

I know I'm in good company as a 2. c3 player though, along with many world class grandmasters.  Thats good enough for me.  And as long as people play 2...Nc6?! in response, I'll score my share of quick and easy points.

I've been re-evaluating the 2. c3 Sicilian and particularly Black's response 2...e6 which is the only one of the main responses to 2. Nf3 that is particularly effective against 2. c3 as well.  

Or is it?  3. Nf3 rather than 3. d4 seems to be the way to go for White.  If then 3...d5 4. exd5 exd5 and White has a fine game, with a particularly effective plan being to defer d4 until Black has developed his KB, because then d4 "threatens" to cost Black a tempo by following up with dxc4.  Because of this, Black is almost advised to play 4...Qxd5 instead, tranposing into the 2...d5 lines which White will know quite well if  he plays 2. c3 with any regularlity.  In fact, I like the 2...d5 lines where Black follows on with ...e6?! before developing his QB, particularly the lines for White involving Na3 and chasing Black's mis-placed Queen.

I've been quite happy with 2. c3 since taking it up in earnest a couple of years ago.  In particular I score lots of quick points after 2...Nc6?!  I think the best lines for Black involve ...d5 and an early ...Bg4, or the 2...Nf6 line.  2...e6 certainly seems less than ideal, as long as you don't oblige with e5 in response to ...d5 unnecessarily closing the center.  Just develop with Nf3, Be2, 0-0 etcetera combined with capturing exd5 and as White you will remain ahead in development.

Whenever you do play d4 in that line (and it must come at some point) you have simply reached an exchange French, but with the unnecessarily passive white set-up with the pawn on c3, where it does not attack black's center and hinders development of your queenside knight. The loss of tempo for black's bishop isn't too serious, since it is offset by the destruction of white's center and the resulting awkward pawn structure (that c3 pawn really looks misplaced at that point). In an exchange French where my opponent has wasted a move on c3, I am more than happy to take advantage of the passivity with c5. Further, black doesn't even have to accept the loss of tempo. Whenever you play your delayed d4, black can do cxd4, resulting in a symmetrical pawn structure so that black has equalized. If black is more ambitious, he can play c4 to gain space on the queenside. Or he can just wait for white to cede the center with dxc5 and have the dynamic chances of an IQP.

Basically, unless Black does something foolish it looks like the best outcome for white is a transposition to the French advance, and that is fine for black. The exchange variation, whenever you transpose into it, is not a serious attempt at an advantage, except perhaps in the Monte Carlo variation which is already precluded by the pawn moving to c3.

I've increasingly moved away from the Sicilian because white gets such a strong attack in many of the main lines, and plenty of those lines can be played without memorizing that much theory. I'm quite content to face most of the anti-Sicilians as black.

Wrong again.  Just today I played d3 and then eventually c4, and ...d4 in response led to a reversed Benoni.  The problem with your pronouncements is that you put yourself in the position of looking foolish if you are wrong.  First you insisted that e5 is forced, and now d4, but you're wrong on both scores.  This calls into question all of your subsequent evaluations, and I posit you are also wrong about c3 being passive, useless, whatever you think of it.  Its actually very typical in both the Exchange CK (1. e4 c6  2. d4 d5  3. exd5 cxd5  4. Bd3 Nc6  5. c3 -- Bobby Fischer used to play this) and French (1. e4 e6  2. d4 d5  3. exd5 exd5  4. Bd3 Nc6  5. c3).  In the French in particular, when Black has also played ...c5, c3 has the benefit of over-protecting the d4 outpost, and a minor piece can head there to blockade Black's isolated d-pawn in lines involving dxc5, Nd2, Nb3, Nbd4.  I'm glad you think c3 is passive and that you'd want to react with the weakening ...c5, it gives me tactics involving Bb5+, 0-0 and the open e-file, especially if I correctly play 3. Nf3, and defer d4 until Black has developed his KB, so I can play dxc4 with tempo.

Thanks though, your incorrect positions have certainly helped me clarify all this for myself. 

d3 and a subsequent c4 is playable, but you're losing a tempo, which previously you seemed to think was a horrible thing. If you got into a reversed Benoni with loss of tempo, then you were basically playing black, thus giving up the advantage of the first move.

I said c3 was passive in regards to the French Exchange, and that is true. It's not necessarily passive in all openings.

As previously explained, you only get to play dxc5 with gain of tempo if black chooses to allow it (there are at least two perfectly viable alternatives, although I would be content to let you concede the center with dxc5). "Tactics" involving Bb5+ in the French will almost never work except against patzers. The open e file is just as much a benefit to black as to white, since black will have castled by then.

So... your options against 2 ... e6 in the Alapin are

1) transpose to a French Advance, which is still probably your best chance at an advantage

2) transpose to an unaggressive variation of the French Exchange, in which case black is equal

3) effectively switch to playing black and end up in a Benoni.

4) some other random variation that may well be playable, but isn't going to be better than the above choices.

The French Advance has chances for both sides. The Exchange is equal. I don't know enough Benoni to comment in detail, but I doubt black holds a theoretical advantage there. As a Sicilian player, the Alapin is the line I worried the least about. The open sicilians, the closed sicilian, the "clamp" variation, the grand prix attack, even the Morra and Wing gambits, pose black more problems.

Your "analysis" is rife with repetitious, subjective and dare I say incorrect evaluations (c3 is passive in the French exchange -- I think it actually exposes ...c5?! as an inaccuracy) as well as other contradictions.  You have to develop your KB in order to castle, but having played ...c5?! developing your KB loses a tempo to dxc5, which, as opposed to "giving up the center", isolates Black's d-pawn, and makes the d4 outpost in front of the same available to White's pieces.  And this loss of tempo, which was necessary for Black to develop his KB, and get castled, is what will allow White to play moves such as Bb5 and 0-0 and obtain control of the e-file before Black.

Psychology is a big part of the game.  You apparently feel comfortable on the end of this slightly inferior position for Black.  I'm sure that comfort level goes a long way, but it doesn't change the fact that White gets an edge in development, is first to the e-file, isolates Black's d-pawn, and gets the theoretically prescribed (i.e. Nimzovich) outpost on d4 for his pieces to blockade that pawn.

I've looked at the stats, White is winning over 30% and losing less than 20%.  Quite drawish sure, but levels lower than master anything goes, and there's no arguing (at least not reasonably) that it's definitely slightly inferior for Black.

I presume now we are speaking of 1. e4 c5  2. c3 e6  3. Nf3 Nf6, in which case e5 is in order, or a KIA with d3, Nbd2, g3, Bg2, 0-0, is quite playable and indeed was yet another choice of Fischer's on occasion.  Ironically, I prefer the "massive attack" as you describe it, but I don't want to have to learn umpteen variations of the open sicilian, when my opponent will almost certainly be better versed in the one he plays.  So I steer things into other waters right away with 2. c3 and Black now has to contend with the fact that I will almost certainly know these lines better.

If there is one thing I hope we can agree on, it's that 2...Nc6?! is dubious against 2. c3, especially if Black doesn't follow up with ...d5.  I'm sure there will be no shortage of players who will stumble into this, and therefore I won't be changing from the c3 Sicilian any time soon.  Its a reasonable way to play for a small edge, and probably the fact that so many are dismissive of it, is so much the better from a psychological point of view

2.c3 rocks my world, it's the only thing I play against the Sicilian these days. I've had a lot of success with it. I've tried Najdorfs and Dragons and frankly, my opponent tends to play these lines so often I end up losing by prep. I got so scared of it I stopped playing 1.e4 for a while - exclusively using Queen's Pawn, English, Reti and Benko. 2.c3 (Alapin's Variation) gives a fighting chance for control of the centre and takes me well away from the choppy waters of deep Sicilian theory. It's especially useful against a superior opponent. Chances are your opponent will have preped for it, but you haven't had to prep any other Sicilian lines at all. I give it the thumbs up!

@The_Hess But you do realize that even if you do play 2.c3 vs. the SIcilian you  still have to prepare lines?

Ftacnik's book recommends 2...d6 3.d4 Nf6 which is sharper than say 2...Nf6... OR a sharper 2...d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 g6!?, a risky but sharp line which he says is used by ppl who wanna go for a win (The fianchetto @ g7 is to anticipate an IQP @ d4 to pressure it). Im not saying this would take all c3 players out of their comfort zone , but it will definately take many out of their comfort zones, at least the ones hoping for a quick draw...

And then you have 2...Nf6, 2...e6, or even 2...g6 to deal with.

AND who knows maybe your Sicilian opponent has prepared a novelty or what not in the 2.c3 lines...