Yes. the Sicilian is a defence but sometimes if you play correctly and maybe your opponent does not--you can go on the offense!
Players who play the Sicilian usually play it to try and win.
Best defense against Sicilian
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I think I understand what he's asking. I think the Maroczy Bind works well against Siciian, but it's not a defense.
Mandy, if you are afraid of the Smith Morra then use one of the declined lines--such as 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 d5
It is very hard to play against the Smith Morra accepted especially if you do not have experience.
The Bb5 systems are easy to play,gives white a tiny edge,with little theroy. Against 2..e6 play the kings Indian attack which fisher played with success
@ponz111 Thanks! I never tried 3... d5. I'll study this line.
One thing nice about the Bb5 systems is that if you know them well you will be in positions you know how to play and less likely Black will know how to defend.
pfren, thanks for the tip re the Jones line from his book and the idea of
7. Rd1 g5!
I play sicilian. I like it. I would say that any white system is a good choice on the condition that you play it regularily, experiment, study and learn.
I know people that play Morra incredibly well. I got my ass kicked with Alapin. I have played against Rossolimo and the many lines that are possible after the classical open.
I like playing against closed sicilian etc...
There are no miracles in chess openings. Choose your system and work on it to play it better than your opponent.
you can play 2.Nc3 to a closed Sicilian.
Bronsteinitz, Your advice struck a particular chord with me, I like it. it is logical and will produce results that can be improved on in the future. As a beginner, I have been trying multiple openings and strategies, not always learning enough about any one of them. Hopefully now that will change, thank you.
Sicilian defense has very broad theory and must be known by heart, in order for you to be good at it, you must first learn what opening fit you.
You also must learn the ups and downs of the opening, i.e the Najdorf is a flexible theory but decline the principle of development on the opening and so on.
plutonia wrote:
Ahaha, now it's white that has to find a defence!
As a sicilian player, I really don't understand all these fears of the mainline open sicilians...probably the sicilian defence is just overrated.
The theory is much harder for black to study than it is for white to play. I feel white's moves are much more natural and even if you don't know any theory you can still challenge the open sicilians. After all white has space advantage and lead in development, things that are easy to play with even if you don't have anything memorized.
On the other hand, it's black's game that is often hanging by a thread...it's black that has the burden of studying a ton to justify his anti-positional play.
I play the sicilian simply because I like it. But I don't feel it gives me any more chances than a French, a Caro-Kann, or e5.
How is the Sicilian anti-positional? In the open Sicilian, it is White's play that is anti-positional. White gives Black a pawn majority in the center. White has to play very aggressively to justify his anti-positional play, and if White doesn't obtain anything concrete from his initial initiative, he is one that gets crushed positionally.
Dec 15, 2012
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#34
Good point, Blake. Many years ago, Bent Larsen, a grandmaster of near world champion caliber, playfully suggested that White's moves in the Open Sicilian are actually a sort of positional sacrifice. After all, with the early d4 White voluntarily gives up a center pawn, the d-pawn, in return for an off-center pawn, Black's c-pawn, and gives Black a 2-for-1 advantage in pawns in the two central files. His point is well taken, though it is undeniably true, as he of course well knew, that generations of experience have shown that White's "sacrifice" quite often meets with success. If I remember correctly, in the same passage Larsen also wrote that, in his opinion, the entire King's Indian Defense is likewise not quite sound for Black--though he had often enjoyed playing it!
As for the Sicilian Defense in general, many have said that unlike most other answers to 1 e4, 1...c5 is less a defense than a vigorous counterattack.
If The Godfather has taught me anything, it's that the best defense against a Sicilian is a Tommy Gun.
Dec 15, 2012
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#36
A hail of bullets...or a hail of legal writs and criminal indictments....
Dec 15, 2012
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#37
The Smith Morra and the Alapin are both trappy, Black needs only spend a few hours of work to come up with a defense against them that will last a life time.
Pfren has already mentioned Bb5 ideas, which are excellent, especially against 2...d6.
In the open Sicilians, it is very easy to learn the English Attack, which works well against almost every variation Black is likely to throw at you. The defining element of the English Attack is to play f3 and g4 with a ready-made pawn storm on the King side.
Here's one game that is illustrative of how easy it is to get a massive attack as white.
I still like the "Closed Sicilian" made popular by Spassky in the 60's.
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 (or d6) 3.g3
The basic idea is to establish an "immortal" outpost knight on d5.
How's the Alapin? What're your opinions on that?
I thought the Sicilian was a defence? You really stumped me with that one.