3. ...d5 looks playable too, but why you'd play 2. ...Nf6 after your opponent gives you an easy game with 2. Bc4 is beyond me.
Sicilan, philidor var, question?
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Ng8 then is playable and could be written off as a diversion to draw the pawn forward and make it difficult for white to hold a center, but it loses ground and tempo. There are several master games in the database here where this opening is played but for some reason white never responds with 3.e5, leading me to think the move is in some way inferior... but it seems very sound to me.
Tenna wrote:
3. ...d5 looks playable too, but why you'd play 2. ...Nf6 after your opponent gives you an easy game with 2. Bc4 is beyond me.
I think 3... d5! is a must. This is very typical idea borrowed from symmetric king's pawn openings and actually wins a tempo for black. However, after 4. Bb5+ black could probably improve with 4... Bd7 (instead of Nfd7?).
I have this book of openings that suggests a line for the sicilian defence as follows: 1. e4 ... c5, 2.Bc6 ... Nf6. The only response to ...Nf6 that it describes for white is 3. Nc3, but I just don't understand how black would play this opening if white were to follow ...Nf6 with 3. e5. Either black loses a knight for a pawn or he double jumps the king's pawn to try for a bishop-knight trade that tears up his pawn structure and leaves white with a pawn in deep territory. Anybody know how to play this opening as black?
For you visual folks it looks something like this...