Best Line of the Sicilian?
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I’m relatively inexperienced with the Sicilian, but I’ve started to play it as black, and it works pretty well most of the time. I like to play the hyper accelerated dragon because most of my opponents don’t know it. Can anyone give me insight on a “better” line? Just wondering. (Yes, I know that all openings recognized as “solid” are created equal, but I would just like to know the benefits of some other lines). Thanks! :)
It takes two to play an opening. Sicilian has so much variety in it. Can't play the same thing every time. Principles are to respond on the oposite side from your oponent. Often white is a king side attack and black on the queen side. But it depends on order of development and where the kings are. If you enjoy playing such an early fianchetto then white can attack the king side much earlier in the preliminaries then the prolonged discovery of which line you will play. There is no major redirection. Not saying it is bad. Just saying it is something to think on.
Thank you guys for your insight! I have looked into the Najdorf, and honestly, it’s kind of boring. It is classic, and the part that makes it boring is that it’s very safe and often leads to the same exact line over and over again. (I often go for the Scheveningen). I do have another question now, though. Once I get a handle on playing the Sicilian as black, how should I counter it as white? I’ve managed to get some success playing the Smith-Morra Gambit and closed Sicilian. Any thoughts on the Alapin or anything like that? I’m trying to be prepared for anything. Again, thanks! :)
Alapin is a good system. Sometimes you get positions in it that you would find in the advanced French and advanced Caro Kann. But it has it's own optimal lines. GM Ben Finegold has some nice lessons on it. If you like open Sicilian just play the normal one not Smith Mora, unless you love gambits, in which case do what you enjoy. If you like closed or semi closed positions then Alapin will be good fun, it can lead to isolated queens pawn positions. So at least you know what to do in the middle game.
1 day ago
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#5
Since this question gets asked often, in the interest of not repeating myself I wrote a blog post a while back detailing my opinion on the matter.
To summarize, avoid the Najdorf, it is honestly one of the worst sicilians you can play at below-masters status, and in an online setting... and the stats bear that out. Play a more fighting sicilian. I really like the Four Knights for people starting out the sicilian. It is very easy to fight for equality in the Four Knights. The Accelerated Dragon / Classical are also both quite good. Nimzowitsch sicilian is also extremely underrated if you're looking for something more unusual. And if you want something a bit more positional try the Taimanov.
A Tour of the Sicilian - Choosing a Variation as Black - Chess.com
1 day ago
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#6
Best? The Najdorf.
Easiest to play? Not sure. One of the ... e6 systems, maybe?
1 day ago
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#7
crazedrat1000 wrote:
To summarize, avoid the Najdorf, it is honestly one of the worst sicilians you can play at below-masters status...
My experience was exactly the opposite.
I started playing the Najdorf in over-the-board CFC-rated tournaments when I was about 1400 rated.
In my first two FIDE-rated tournaments (a national junior championship and a national swiss-system open tournament) played when I was around 1600 rating, the Sicilian Najdorf was played in half of the game where I won or drew in the first event, and in ALL of the games where I won or drew in the second event.
I was perfectly satisfied with my choice of opening, and was still playing it 45 years later.
Your mileage may vary, of course.
1 day ago
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#8
blueemu wrote:
crazedrat1000 wrote:
To summarize, avoid the Najdorf, it is honestly one of the worst sicilians you can play at below-masters status...
My experience was exactly the opposite.
I started playing the Najdorf in over-the-board CFC-rated tournaments when I was about 1400 rated.
In my first two FIDE-rated tournaments (a national junior championship and a national swiss-system open tournament) played when I was around 1600 rating, the Sicilian Najdorf was played in half of the game where I won or drew in the first event, and in ALL of the games where I won or drew in the second event.
I was perfectly satisfied with my choice of opening, and was still playing it 45 years later.
Your mileage may vary, of course.
When the stats tell a different story, and the rational explanation for why is straightforward and fourthcoming, I'm afraid I just have to ignore your anecdotal experience. Though I will also say that chess has changed alot since you were learning the game.
It's not that I think the Najdorf is absolutely bad, but when we talk about the best sicilian we're talking about relative ease or relative difficulty, within a certain context and given a set of priorities.
Did you play any other sicilian...? How are you even contextualizing your opinion?
1 day ago
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#9
crazedrat1000 wrote:
Did you play any other sicilian...?
The Dragon.
I gave it up because of the weakness of the d5 square, by which I mean that the fianchetto of the Bishop makes the move e7-e6 very dubious, which means that the d5 square is very hard to defend.
You should check out the Dragodorf variation - Simon Williams has a course on it on Chess.com that’s pretty solid. It’s not as mainstream as the Dragon or the Najdorf, but it’s actually a mix of both. It’s a very sharp and aggressive line, and I always play it whenever I get the chance. I’ve had insanely great results with it.
What makes it so fun is how unpredictable it is. Most opponents have no idea how to deal with the slow build up of pressure. And once White castles kingside, you can even go for a kingside pawn storm while keeping your own king safe in the center, since the center usually stays closed.
Definitely worth a look if you’re enjoying the Sicilian.
The_Aspiring_GM wrote:
I have looked into the Najdorf, and honestly, it’s kind of boring. It is classic, and the part that makes it boring is that it’s very safe and often leads to the same exact line over and over again.
Methinks that you either need eyeglasses, or just basic positional understanding.
The_Aspiring_GM wrote:
I do have another question now, though. Once I get a handle on playing the Sicilian as black, how should I counter it as white? I’ve managed to get some success playing the Smith-Morra Gambit and closed Sicilian. Any thoughts on the Alapin or anything like that? I’m trying to be prepared for anything. Again, thanks!
Honestly, instead of going for anti-Sicilian lines like the Alapin or Closed Sicilian, I’d recommend sticking with the main lines especially the Open Sicilian. You get way more dynamic play and long term chances. One of the best approaches is to castle queenside and launch a kingside attack. That kind of setup puts real pressure on Black and often throws them off if they’re not well prepared. It’s aggressive, flexible, and gives you a better feel for how to handle the Sicilian as a whole.
1 day ago
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#13
The_Aspiring_GM wrote:
I have looked into the Najdorf, and honestly, it’s kind of boring.
https://www.chess.com/daily/game/200865884
Ok. Take it back. Not so boring after all. You can make pretty much anything exciting when you annotate it with reference to James Bond. You have successfully swayed my opinion.