Sicilian Alapin versus Sicilian Delayed Alapin

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the regular Sicilian Alapin compared with the Delayed Alapin (i.e. playing 2.Nf3 first)?

There seems to be a lot of theory on the regular Sicilian Alapin but not so much on the Delayed Alapin.

whats the delayed alapin?

Delayed Alapin = 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 c3 Nf6 4 Be2.

One advantage is that it avoids 1 e4 c5 2 c3 d5 as black has already played 2...d6.
Another advantage is that pawn e4 is indirectly protected by Qa4+ because of 2...d6. In the Alapin white is forced to advance his pawn 1 e4 c5 2 c3 Nf6 3 e5 Nd5.

A disadvantage is, that white needs reponses against 2...Nc6, 2...e6, 2...g6, 2...Nf6, 2...a6, 2...b6. 1 e4 c5 2 c3 avoids all of that.

If Black plays 2...e6 instead of 2...d6 and white plays 3.c3 then technically it is https://www.chess.com/openings/Sicilian-Defense-Alapin-Variation-2...e6-3.Nf3 rather than the delayed Alapin.

At the club level, is it better or worse to play 3.c3 if Black plays the French variation? I know that objectively it is stronger to play 3.d4 or 3.Nc3 but practically speaking I have found Black is less familiar with 3.c3 because I have seen long pauses after playing it whereas they would play 3...cxd4 immediately after 3.d4

#4
Below grandmaster level the opening does not matter at all.
The game will be decided by middlegame tactics.

This was my first bullet game:

Most games are decided by middlegame tactics, but some games are decided by opening blunders. They are very satisfying for the winner and devastating for the loser.

Before I played regular then i switched to delayed, I havent noticed any difference myself.

Well, those are still tactical mistakes. 

Yes they are tactical mistakes and they are commonplace at the lower levels. 

Good moves are moves that aren't tactical mistakes and part of opening theory is choosing moves that are not tactical mistakes which give your opponent opportunities/risks of making tactical mistakes.

#9
Opening theory can only postpone the moment when you have to think of your own.
Opening theory is no substitute for thought. A player with zero opening theoretical knowledge, but who thinks about his moves will never lose like #6.

#11
To err is human. Even the best of the best sometimes err. The cure is not opening theory, it is thinking, concentration. If you must rely on opening theory to avoid blunders, then how will you avoid blunders after the opening?

This post was originally misposted into general chess discussion. Now moved into Chess Openings

the Delayed Alapin is a poor version of the Alapin because White can't really push d4 because Black can grab the pawn on e4 since A

*since Qa4+ is not a thing anymore

KevinOSh wrote: (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c3) "practically speaking I have found Black is less familiar with 3.c3 because I have seen long pauses after playing it"

That's probably because your opponents answer 2.c3 with a system that doesn't involve ...e7-e6, and by delaying the Alapin you have slightly move-ordered them. The same thing can happen to blacks who answer 2.c3 with a system that doesn't involve ...Nb8-c6, after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3!?. "Playing the man" like this can work both ways though: if black knows white doesn't play any Open Sicilians, then after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 they don't have to play their "usual" second move. But if white does know the Open Sicilian, watch out. I know one strong master who plays both the Alapin (2.c3) and sharp Opens (3.d4), and he often catches out unprepared blacks with a delayed Alapin move order (2.Nf3 and 3.c3).

If you like the Kopec positions after 1.e4 c5 2.Cf3 d6 3.c3 go for the delayed alapin, if not stick to the regular alapin. 

#14
No:
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 c3 Nf6 4 Be2 Nxe4? 5 Qa4+ and 6 Qxe4
Or
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 c3 Nf6 4 Be2 Nc6 5 d4 Nxe4? 6 d5, 7 Qa4+, 8 Qxe4

Wow I had never heard of the Basman-Palatnik double gambit before https://www.chess.com/openings/Sicilian-Defense-Delayed-Alapin-Basman-Palatnik-Double-Gambit

I would prefer to play that as White than as Black.

I am ~1400 uscf and play the delayed alapin as white: the reason being after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 then the ONLY move for black is 3...Nf6 and here I don't like 4. Be2 imo it's too passive I prefer 4. Bc4! and you might say I'm blundering my e-pawn to 4...Nxe4 but then 5. Qa4+ threatening a clearance tactic on f7 exposing the knight for example then Nc6 6. Bxf7+!! Kxf7 7. Qxe4 and it's dead equal. The most common continuation is 7...d5 8. Ng5+ Kg8 9. Qf3 threatening mate Ne5 only move 10. Qg3 Ng6 and it's dead equal. Or if 5...Nd7 then Bxf7+!! Kxf7 7. Qxe4 Nf6 8. Qc4+ e6 dead equal. If 4...Nc6 then 5. d3 and it's dead equal too. (5... Bd7? 6. Bxf7+!! Same thing but you're even better positionally +) (Also, 5...Qd7?? blunders a piece to 6. Bb5! discovering on the knight and attacking the queen, with Nc6 required to break the pin but hanging a piece.