Question about the Sicilian Defense.

What level should I learn the Sicilian, and how much theory does it have?

a lot

2000+

you'll see sicilian a looot under 1800 and just play the Alapin against it (c3). in my opinion sicilian is horrible under 2000 and it is boring with tons of theory

Respectfully, I wish to disagree. I am only 1228, but the Sicilian is played a lot at all levels. GM Simon Williams has a great series of seven videos on what he considers the easiest way to play and defend against the Sicilian. It cuts through a lot of the theory to get to a playable core. His videos are on Chess.com at https://www.chess.com/lessons/why-simon-loves-the-sicilian.

i respect your opinion. some coaches really recommend the sicilian but some have the exact opposite point of view if you get what I mean. do you play the sicilian?

The whole point of chess is to play the Sicilian as Black and to play 1.e4 and try to beat it as White.

You can play the sicilian at any level. If you want the opening that you can get away with not knowing much that would probably be the scandinavian. You can try some oddball sicilian variations like the Basman-Sale variation or the Kveiny's variation.

At least 1700

I'm 1600 USCF -- this is OTB -- and I like the Sicilian. I tried the Najdorf and had a bad beating by higher-rated players; it was the same with the Dragon: a single slip in a variation, and that's it, toasted. There is too much theory/memorization, but I love that aggressive style and tactical positions. I was recommended to try the Kan, less theory, which I'm studying now. If I ever get to 1800+, I'll give it a try to the Najdorf and Dragon. For now, I'm getting good results against e4 with the Scandinavian.

I've studied the sicilian but I won't play it or teach it. As a study tool, the sicilian can teach you how to conduct many pawn lead attacks. My favorites are Sacrifices in the sicilian, an old descriptive notation book, and e6 and d6 systems by Kasparov and Nikitin. Even if you never play the system, you will emerge as a better player for having studied those 2 books!! If my students want to learn the QGD or Sicilian I charge extra because of the amount of theory! The branchpoints and side variations are analyzed 20+ moves deep. That is very difficult to navigate with out a serious commitment.

The good news is if you are prepared, just one non theoretical move is enough to make the house of cards fall.

People play the Sicilian at any rating level just like they play double King Pawn (Spanish and Italian). If you're 1400, then obviously you won't play the opening as well as a 2400. Neither will your opponents, unless you face a master in a simul or round 1 of a tournament.

As far as how much theory you must memorize - a lot! One talented junior complained that he knew 26 moves of book in the Poisoned Pawn Najdorf and lost on move 27. That said, it is not a coincidence that the most talented juniors (and adults) typically play the Sicilian.

The Morra wrecks the Sicilian (most of the time) and works at any level (with the exception of top-level chess although Esserman could hold his own against anybody in it.) I am 2100 rapid chess.com and have good results with it, and OTB as a 1800 I also do well. With advertising the smith morra out of the way, the answer to your question is that you never really have to learn the Sicilian, and it has a lot of theory. If you are going to learn the Sicilian you should probably start learning it around 2000, because you don't need to much theory before getting to 2000 (or for a while after 2000)

LOL thanks, I'm not even 500 USCF yet.

I'm a goober, so I went ahead and learned the Sicilian anyway, and I got a bunch of variations down in two hours... Now I play a cross between the dragon and Najdorf.

The theory is endless, really. It can be the most theory heavy opening in all of chess from both the black and white side. But it certainly has its upsides too.

First off, I find that very few people know how to respond to it. Some can get the Open Sicilian started, but only for about 4 moves. After that, you're just playing the game not the opening.

It also has a lot or variety. If you want to really learn the simplest Sicilian, try the Kan before you try anything else. It can play more like a system than an opening. And it's also what I play against the Anti-Sicilians and it works just fine.

But like any opening, you should find something that fits your style.

Oh, and if you ever play the English, you have a good chance that you're playing the Dragon with white. Learning the English gave me a big advantage in learning the Dragon.

What level? Any level. As long as you like the style of play, just dive in. (Having said that, I would NOT pick the Najdorf as my first attempt at the Sicilian.)

Thanks, I'll take a look at the Kan.