It's popular rather at beginner's level but, nonetheless, 2. Bc4 is a relatively good move, impossible to refute. 
Bowdler Attack
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Mar 20, 2019
0
#2
GiantPanda77 έγραψε:
Why does everybody play the Bowdler Attack against the Sicilian Defense? It's not hard to refute...
Care to show us the refutation?
pfren wrote:
GiantPanda77 έγραψε:
Why does everybody play the Bowdler Attack against the Sicilian Defense? It's not hard to refute...
Care to show us the refutation?
What counts as a refutation? Chess.com's master database and another site's big database say black wins over 60% of the games where he plays 2...e6 or 2...Nc6. Although if you only look at the master games on the other site, white has a plus score against 2...Nc6 (based on six games), and against 2...e6 (12 games), well, white has one win and six losses.
stats mean nothing. The thing about 2.Bc4 is that u have big chances to find games where black is better rated than white, so the result is not surprising...
2.Bc4 is not optimal, but telling is bad is nonsense.
Once again, if u see it on the board, it is mainly because white doesn't have a clue about sicilian, trying to play like italian : u will win, and the reuslt would be the same if he/she would have played major lines.
Mar 22, 2019
0
#8
There was a strong player who advocated it in another forum. White has a really poor score in the db. It‘s not my mug of beer, against weaker (internet) players I have to face Bc4 against Sicilian, Pirc/Modern, Caro-Kann. It is some sort of a noob‘s auto-pilot.
scarcerer έγραψε:
pfren wrote:
GiantPanda77 έγραψε:
Why does everybody play the Bowdler Attack against the Sicilian Defense? It's not hard to refute...
Care to show us the refutation?
What counts as a refutation? Chess.com's master database and another site's big database say black wins over 60% of the games where he plays 2...e6 or 2...Nc6. Although if you only look at the master games on the other site, white has a plus score against 2...Nc6 (based on six games), and against 2...e6 (12 games), well, white has one win and six losses.
Stats is not proof of anything. I'd rather go for some SERIOUS analysis showing Black emerging with a slight advantage (or more).
Why does everybody play the Bowdler Attack against the Sicilian Defense? It's not hard to refute...