Is the Sicilian just NOT my style?

Hello. I quit chess for quite a while and then I started to get my interest back. I'm 1800 right now and I have a private chess coach. He has the same style as me, which is a safe passive but solid type, and so he tells me to play the same openings as him. I want to play the Sicilian Schevenigen but he tells me to just do the same openings as him. That's fine but I don't want to memorize all the openings that he plays only to hate it later on. Is there a reason he won't let me play the Sicilian? Is it because the Sicilian is only for attacking players? Or does he think I'm not ready for it yet and that my playing strength is way too low? What do you think I should do? Thanks.

It can't hurt to practice it on your own time and see if you like it more!  I say go for it, but still value the lessons he gives.  :)

I go on ICC and use that to practice games, but my coach knows my ICC account username and I'm not sure he would be too pleased to find me playing the Sicilian.

I HATE playing against it.. its just so ANNOYING, i alos HATE playing with it..

But i HATE playing d4.. so i gotta play e4.. Which always leads to SICILIAN.. ARG, so annoying,

this is my problem.. i'm gonna have to find a new playing style..

I hate sicilian because it somehow always manages to bring a tied game.. but i hate playing with it cause its just that type of game where i always screw up, i'd say its better to play with it then against it.. so start with an opening where you won;t have to face it.. but pratice using it.. where in cases if your opponent plays e4.. c5 would be best (e5 is what i use but stronger is c5)

Sorry im just venting.. hope this helped!

What openings does he have you playing?  Do sicilians fit in with your coaches style?  They're certainly going to come up at some point.

You must be joking.

I suspect that your coach would like you to play his choice because they are the openings he knows most about. It's easier to impart knowledge if you have a good handle on the subject matter yourself. I say go with the coach and see if your game improves, set a date for some sort of self assessment (results and rating specifically) and make a decision after collating the evidence.

I think a good coach wouldn't object his student to study what he likes by himself between lessons...

From what I understand 90% of coaches will tell you to play the openings they themselves play. I suggest you try out every opening until you find the ones you like best.

You can try the Sicilian, but u still might find ur coach is right about ur style of play not suited to it. Sicilian defence is not what i would call solid so much as dynamic, it tends to have powerful attacking chances for both sides and the one who gets in first usually wins. That's my opinion anyway.

 The sicilians are not very safe and are certainly not passive.  So, your coach is probably right.

Indeed, if you like safe positions then the sicilian is not for you. Try 1...e5 or the Caro.

I think you should try something else than sicilian, it was the same with me and I'm glad I tried different openings to see what feels best to me. But you shouldn't stop playing it completely if you have fun with it. I played sicilian a lot at first, and it was becoming just tiring. Then I started playing caro-kann, french, queen's opening... anything that is positional and more closed than open. But I still play e4, hoping for king's gambit - it's my break from positional play.

I am from the UK and I am curious to know if it is common practice in America for players to have a Chess Coach, how much does this cost you and how does it work online or how ??

Have you asked your coach why? A good coach should have a reason and be willing to teach you the reason for his decision.

I gave up on playing sicilian against white and have resorted to Caro Kann ... but now that I understand the sicilian a little more i might play it again someday?

I think he was trying to say that he dislikes plaing against the Sicilian because he feels it allows black to equalize more than ...e5 or other defenses, but dislikes playing with the Sicilian because he feels like he always makes mistakes that give his opponent a big advantage.  This doesn't seem too off to me.

Anyway, if your (OP's) desired style is 'safe, solid, and passive,' the Sicilian is probably not the best fit. But even if that is your current style, you might try the Sicilian and see if you like how it feels more. At the very least, you'll learn a thing or two, but you could end up deciding that a more passive style isn't really your thing after all.

I guess it also depends on your goals when playing chess. Taking up a 'riskier' opening like the Sicilian is much easier for someone who is playing just for fun than for someone who really wants to advance in rating points, etc.

The sicilian doesn't necessarily have to be sharp. The Kan variation of the sicilian that I play generally doesn't expose black to early attacks if he plays right despite him developing quite slowly. White can gain space with f4, but the attack will be a slow one, meanwhile black can build up pressure on the queenside and on e4. It's a pretty solid base but he still has chances for positional pressure.

shizang

The Sicilian Schevenigen setup can be easily played e4 with few risks. I admit to having never personally played it... but it doesn't exactly look daring to me. Especially if the C and D pawns are traded. It is certainly not as aggressive as most other variations of the Sicilian (correct me if I'm wrong).

Also, why would your coach not want you to play an opening? Other than the fact that he might not know it, I can see no reason. I would strongly encourage trying out new openings. Maybe you are not the "passive but solid type" that you think you are. In my opinion, you should find a coach who doesn't discourage broadening your opening knowledge. I know from my small opening experience that if you study many openings, you will begin to understand less common opening "rules". Something you learned from a game you played in the Italian may become useful in a game you play against the King's Indian Defense.