Incredible Queenside Castling Win by "Not an Expert".
I don't normally castle queenside in the Sicilian, but this opponent liked to push pawns so...why not?
GG.
Ive been running into a lot of f4 lines and Alapins in tournament formats lately, may be I’ll borrow some ideas.
Nice one.
I'll admit, the 2.f4 move was a little surprising from an opponent of that rating. There has been a lot of discussion lately from top players about the Alapin so maybe that is why it is gaining in popularity? Thanks for the GG.
I'll admit, the 2.f4 move was a little surprising from an opponent of that rating. There has been a lot of discussion lately from top players about the Alapin so maybe that is why it is gaining in popularity? Thanks for the GG.
I rarely see the mainline in the 1500-1800 bracket for some reason.
Word is the anti-Sicilian players feel they have the upper hand? I don’t buy into it.
This was a Mengarini not too long ago.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/71208321251
Anybody who says no is wrong. The Sicilian is very unforgiving and unless you study the lines, you'll end up lost in nomansland. And you will be beaten in 15 moves.
So yes, everybody who plays it needs to study theory. You don't have to achieve expert-level to start playing it, but to understand the opening system yes, you need to acquire a certain level of mental mastery of its configurational complexity, so you can prevent obvious holes.
Anyway, it strikes me as strange that people would aim to play chess without aiming for some level of expertise. So yeah, do your studies, and become an expert in the Sicilian. Don't just 'play' it because you won't have a clue. And once you play Judit Polgar in the Magnus app, you'll know that the Sicilian is something totally different from what you thought it was.
I don't recall ever facing that! If I ever did, I suppose I would've just gone 2.Nc6 because I don't know what else to do.
And once you play Judit Polgar in the Magnus app, you'll know that the Sicilian is something totally different from what you thought it was.
Dude, you do know that you are playing a computer, right? that is not really her on the other end.
Sicilian ( it's not for faint hearted guys!)...
A Heroic Defense in the Sicilian Najdorf - Kids, don't try this at home! - Chess Forums - Chess.com
Anybody who says no is wrong. The Sicilian is very unforgiving and unless you study the lines, you'll end up lost in nomansland. And you will be beaten in 15 moves.
So yes, everybody who plays it needs to study theory. You don't have to achieve expert-level to start playing it, but to understand the opening system yes, you need to acquire a certain level of mental mastery of its configurational complexity, so you can prevent obvious holes.
Anyway, it strikes me as strange that people would aim to play chess without aiming for some level of expertise. So yeah, do your studies, and become an expert in the Sicilian. Don't just 'play' it because you won't have a clue. And once you play Judit Polgar in the Magnus app, you'll know that the Sicilian is something totally different from what you thought it was.
This is entirely dependent on your opponent. The relevance of opening theory is dependent upon your opponent's knowledge of theory.
If you are playing at an amateur level against another amateur then it's unlikely that they will beat you in 15 moves because you didn't revise enough theory. This is something I like to call "Sicilian Paranoia". This is a fear instilled into people by others that the Sicilian is so highly theoretical and difficult that there is no way they will ever be able to defeat their opponent. This is total hysteria because they do not consider that the opponent is just a human and carries the same burden. If Sicilian is unforgiving then that applies the same to the opponent.
You should just start playing it. That way you will gain experience and learn from mistakes. You will go much further by making an effort rather than being paralysed by the irrational fear that you can never know enough to play or that every opponent is a GM booked up 40 moves deep.
This is entirely dependent on your opponent. The relevance of opening theory is dependent upon your opponent's knowledge of theory.
If you are playing at an amateur level against another amateur then it's unlikely that they will beat you in 15 moves because you didn't revise enough theory. This is something I like to call "Sicilian Paranoia". This is a fear instilled into people by others that the Sicilian is so highly theoretical and difficult that there is no way they will ever be able to defeat their opponent. This is total hysteria because they do not consider that the opponent is just a human and carries the same burden. If Sicilian is unforgiving then that applies the same to the opponent.
You should just start playing it. That way you will gain experience and learn from mistakes. You will go much further by making an effort rather than being paralysed by the irrational fear that you can never know enough to play or that every opponent is a GM booked up 40 moves deep.
Good point. Here is a completely crazy double knight checkmate I was able to deliver because I think my opponent got flustered from the get go (hence the blunder). This should prove once and for all that anyone can have success with the Sicilian if they just try a little.
Good point. Here is a completely crazy double knight checkmate I was able to deliver because I think my opponent got flustered from the get go (hence the blunder). This should prove once and for all that anyone can have success with the Sicilian if they just try a little.
That's a really beautiful mate. It was funny and a bit sad to see the opponent try to play the Fried Liver Attack against the Sicilian. You did well to punish them though.
However on move 13, I believe f5 was a blunder because of takes en passant. I would conaider Nd4 or Nb4 instead. I think if opponent plays Nd6+, it isn't too bad after Kf8.
Here's another nice win by "Not an Expert". Once again proving that No, you don't have to be an expert to learn and play the Sicilian. Guaranteed to flummox lower rated players.
I get heated when my opponents play the sicilian. "You're 700 rated. How about you play chess for once instead of playing pretend you gm wannabe?"
You should learn the basics first...agreed.
Hi!
I wouldn't recommed to play the Sicilian to beginners, but I find it suitable for intermediates and beyond. Any Sicilian variation requires a minium of chess skills and some theoretical background to play it and enjoy it.
Good luck!
Playing black can be somewhat easier than playing white. Choose one opening to play against e4 and one to play against d4 you will learn faster those two openings than most openings as white. That said the Sicilian has a wider variety to it than other e4 options. For me I play the Sicilian as black, that is my opening against e4 and I do well enough in ir against my oponents, the games are challenging but fun. I prefer it to playing the other openings. But I should probably play more openings as black to broaden my chess knowledge and thinking.
Back in 1988, when I was able to get a seat in a Mikhail Tal simul, I played the Sicilian Najdorf against him. Was I supposed to play something else?
Blueemu, did the game reach the Tal variation? 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.f4
I typed all that then noticed Najdorf. Nevermind.
Here's another nice win by "Not an Expert" against a much higher rated but somewhat unprepared opponent. A lot of people make strange moves against c5.
Incredible Queenside Castling Win by "Not an Expert".
I don't normally castle queenside in the Sicilian, but this opponent liked to push pawns so...why not?