Best response to Sicilian Defense?

Hello,

I need a little advice. I have a local friend who I play chess with by text. We each have a board in front of us and we text each other the moves. He almost always plays the Sicilian Defense when he is black. I think it is the Dragon Variation, but I am not sure. Here is an example.

I have never beaten him when he plays the Sicilian Defense. Because of this, I am looking for advice. What is a good response to the Sicilian Defense?

Jared

There can be move order tricks sometimes.  I am not a Dragon expert by any means, but your best bet is to flick in c4 first against 2...a6 or 2...g6.

Therefore, you have the following in terms of move order tricks:

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 and now:

2...d6 3.d4

2...Nc6 3.d4

2...e6 3.d4

2...a6 3.c4 intending 4.d4

2...g6 3.c4 intending 4.d4

2...Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 and here White has options.  I have always preferred 4.Nc3 here, but research your options and decide for yourself which line you prefer.

Any other move us just stupid.  Play common sense chess and you should get an advantage. 

Hope this helps.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to start with Discovering Chess Openings, a book about opening principles.
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf

Here are some books that contain a chapter to help the reader to play against the Sicilian:

My First Chess Opening Repertoire for White
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9033.pdf
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/vincent-moret/
Opening Repertoire 1 e4
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7819.pdf

Be sure to try to use the suggestions in games in between sessions of learning. Most of the time, one faces a position with no knowledge of a specific move indicated in a book. One has to accept that as part of chess, and think of opening knowledge as a sometimes helpful aid. After a game, it makes sense to try to look up the moves in a book and see if it has some indication of how one might have played better in the opening. Many opening books are part explanation and part reference material. The reference material is included in the text with the idea that one mostly skips it on a first reading, and looks at an individual item when it applies to a game that one has just played. Resist the temptation to try to turn a book into a mass memorization project. There are many important subjects that one should not neglect because of too much time on opening study.
https://www.chess.com/article/view/learning-an-opening-to-memorize-or-understand
"... Overall, I would advise most players to stick to a fairly limited range of openings, and not to worry about learning too much by heart. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)
"... I feel that the main reasons to buy an opening book are to give a good overview of the opening, and to explain general plans and ideas. ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)
"... If the book contains illustrative games, it is worth playing these over first ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)
"... the average player only needs to know a limited amount about the openings he plays. Providing he understands the main aims of the opening, a few typical plans and a handful of basic variations, that is enough. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)
"... Everyman Chess has started a new series aimed at those who want to understand the basics of an opening, i.e., the not-yet-so-strong players. ... I imagine [there] will be a long series based on the premise of bringing the basic ideas of an opening to the reader through plenty of introductory text, game annotations, hints, plans and much more. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2002)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627055734/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen38.pdf
"The way I suggest you study this book is to play through the main games once, relatively quickly, and then start playing the variation in actual games. Playing an opening in real games is of vital importance - without this kind of live practice it is impossible to get a 'feel' for the kind of game it leads to. There is time enough later for involvement with the details, after playing your games it is good to look up the line." - GM Nigel Davies (2005)
"... Review each of your games, identifying opening (and other) mistakes with the goal of not repeatedly making the same mistake. ... It is especially critical not to continually fall into opening traps – or even lines that result in difficult positions ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627062646/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman81.pdf

f4

The countdown begins...

If your opponent really is playing g6 on move 2, which is earlier than in the standard Dragon or even the regular Accelerated Dragon, then you have an option unavailable in those openings, which is to play 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4.  Recapturing with the queen, instead of the knight, makes an immediate Bg7 impossible, so Black generally plays Nf6.  But then you've got e5, kicking the knight away.  I don't know what the current theoretical status of this line is, and it alone certainly isn't going to win you the game (study tactics and endgames!), but it generally gives White a decent playable position.  I believe the main line begins like so:

Try 2. e3

2 e3 would seem less than legal...

C3 my bad so sorry

Thanks Everyone. I appreciate it. I will let you know how the game goes when It happens.

Jared