Countering the Alapin Variation of the Sicilian

Did you learn the Sicilian to win games and get instantly crushed by the conniving Alapin? Well then, you've come to the right place. Today I'm going to teach you multiple variations that you can use to get pretty good positions against the Alapin that can lead to victory.

The classic Alapin position that is becoming so much more used these days. Lots of players fall to the threat of d4 and e5. You feel scared like your opponent is going to attack you, so you blunder and lose. But to counter this opening and get a good position you're going to have to play certain countering openings. One of my favorites is on the board down below.

But you should also know the other variations one of them is: 

This is only one of the main counters against the Alapin, but I use it in most of my games. One other way to counter the Alapin is down below.

This is also a sound line against the Alapin that can generally lead to equal games, if the opponent takes you into this sideline counter it by:

This can lead to more aggressive open gameplay so if you like blowing up the board this is your go to strategy. Now that I've talked about actual opening theory I want to talk about mentality.

1. Don't get scared just because they're playing the Alapin.

2. Don't get overwhelmed.

3. Make your face look cold don't show any signs of weakness (as in realizing your own blunder)

4. Finally, enjoy the match play strong and hopefully win.

See you on the chess board, zZMaskz