
How to Maximize your Space with the Closed Sicilian
I was frustrated with the Sicilian and decided to revitalize one of my older weapons. One of the advantages of playing the closed Sicilian is its bad reputation... The Closed Sicilian may not be a tough defense to secure a fair game but it is tough to dedicate time to its study. I assume my opponent is confident enough with his Sicilian defense, that he or she should be capable of equalizing against the best setups. Therefore, I feel the most practical option is to play for a position that ensures complexity even if it is not as challenging.
If you control more space, you inherently limit the squares your opponent can safely occupy. This can put pressure on your opponent and force them to react to your moves rather than developing their own strategy.
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