Alapin is great to defeat players sub 1000 for me
A Bust to the Sicilian Defense
Sort:
Nov 4, 2018
0
#503
Here is a game from the Sicilian Alapin open. Round 1 is wrapping up and we'll be moving on to round 2 in the next few weeks I suspect.
"... d5 and nf6 do provide much stiffer resistance than any of black's other responses. I, however, believe black is still lost even after these moves. I will post an analysis shortly." - staples13 (August 27, 2018)
I hereby challenge staples13 to play Sicilian Alapin vs Stockfish. As staples13 had difficulty in running Stockfish, I will run Stockfish on my PC and respond to staples13's moves. @staples13, please let me know here if you accept this challenge!
staples13 wrote:
Here is a game from the Sicilian Alapin open. Round 1 is wrapping up and we'll be moving on to round 2 in the next few weeks I suspect.
Qd5 immediately wins a piece. You got a bit lucky with Bc4 since your opponent did h6?
Nov 4, 2018
0
#508
HolographWars wrote:
Qd5 immediately wins a piece. You got a bit lucky with Bc4 since your opponent did h6?
I didn’t even notice that. That’s a little embarrassing. Good catch
staples13 wrote:
All right I’ll play stockfish
OK, at depth 39, Stockfish picked 2... Nf6 (0.00) as its favorite, followed by 2... e6 (+0.12) and 2... d5 (+0.20). In fact, Stockfish believes 2... e6 and 2... d5 reaches the same position after 2... e6 3. d4 d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 and 2... d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 e6 respectively, although the lines somehow diverge after move 9.
The game is now as follows:
1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6
And it's now @staples13 's turn!
1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5
3... Nd5 is probably the only sensible move.
3... Ng8 is pointless; 3... Ne4 loses the knight after 4. d3 traps it.
By the way followers of this post may be interested in the following webpage which lists all of staples13's loss with Sicilian Alapin as white:
https://www.chess.com/games/archive?gameOwner=other_game&username=staples13&gameType=live&gameTypeslive%5B%5D=blitz&gameResult=lost&opponent=&opening=Sicilian+Alapin+Variation&color=white&gameTourTeam=&gameTitle=&timeSort=desc&rated=rated&startDate%5Bdate%5D=&endDate%5Bdate%5D=&fen=&ratingFrom=&ratingTo=&search=
Especially this game in which staples13 loses in merely 18 moves after the so-called "staples13 variation" of castling queen side.
https://www.chess.com/live/game/2985251287?username=staples13
Would there be any losses by someone who knew how to force a win?
1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. d4 cxd4
Evaluation 0.00 at depth 38...
Nov 5, 2018
0
#517
Fantastic find Rychessmaster.
3400 rated engines struggle just as much against the Alapin as humans do. What an instructive game.
Nov 5, 2018
0
#519
Also littlesoldier I was completely winning until I accidentally hung my queen that game.
The Staples13 variation may or may not be a forced win. Castling queenside gives black a lot of counterplat since there is an open c file stating right at white’s king and Qa5 is a very natural move for black
At the begining you tend to think the same, as the person who opened this discussion, that the sicilian defense is not a great defense, that allows white a big and comfortable development, that black lack of space and that the threats that black makes are not that much dangerous because is a minority attack and on the queen side; but as more as you master the game, and comprehend deep ideas, you notice that is not such as the case... remember that most of us are very lower rated player and dont know much how to really make and effective attack whitout blundering pieces, or getting into strategically lost positions. The sicilian defense is a complicated defense to hold and to prove advantage for lower rated people; It is an opening that for this reasons is not teach to begginners if you have those ideas maybe you need to improve in the understanding of this defense... Just my opinion
Great post. Beginners do struggle mightlily against the Alapin, since white's moves are much more natural and easy to find.