Sicilian defense beginner variation info needed!

I'm just starting to play the Sicilian defense and would like to know the most common variations while playing the opening as I don't have the time to study all the different ones and traps that go along with the variations. If you could quickly review this page: rnbqkbnr/ppp2ppp/8/3pp3/8/4P3/PPPPNPPP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq and tell me which ones are most important that would save me lots of time! Thanks, -Kh

"Also, I've seen posts from players far better than me that the sicilian is difficult to play well and perhaps not the best choice for lower-rated players" If only higher rated players play it and very few low rated opponents play it or know anit-sicilians then I'll destroy them (with the right knowledge) 

Your logic is severely flawed.

If you are lower than 1800, you shouldn't be worrying about openings.  Learning 30 moves of Najdorf theory or Dragon theory won't do you a lick of good when your "low-rated" opponents know nothing about opening theory.  By move 5 or 6, you'll be out of book and on your own anyway.

At your level, it's all pot luck of who makes the 2nd to last blunder.  White could play 1.a4 and Black could play 1...h5, and the position is no better and no worse than 1.d4 d5 when you are talking two low-rated players.

You should be picking up and reading books on Endings, Middlegame, Tactics, etc.  Not opening theory.

Understood, but I also would like to learn so theory as well, I think as a beginner you should study all the basic stuff, (which I do) but I also would like to learn the opening theory, I'm sick and tired ot people saying you should'd do this or that. Please just answer my question, thank you. -KH

Agreed about opening theory being irrelevant for below 2000. 

One of the guys at our local club is 1800 or so and is booked up on every defense for 1. d4... he can get an even game until move 25 with masters, however as soon as that point hits, or whenever the master feels like taking him out of book, it is easily shown why he is only an 1800 despite his expert opening knowledge.

that being said, you should know general ideas behind the openings you like to play. 

Could you please answer my question rather then telling me no, I want to learn the common variations not get told that I don't need too. 

I'm afraid to tell you that I think that the Sicilian defence is an complicated advanced opening and there are no simple beginner's lines. I support your enterprise in working on understanding its complications. Good luck.

I'm asking what the most common variations of the Sicilian are not simple lines for beginners :P

I know I can do that, what I want is personal experience, I feel like I have to s p e l l everything out... What are the most popular lines played, either by yourself or by your opponent?

i dont understand why you dont look them up?

youve got platinum membership here? 

Have you decided what Sicilian variation you want to play? If you want to know the variations most commonly played by white in the entire Sicilian defense you're going to end up with a very long list.

Common anti-Sicilians are the Alapin, Grand-Prix Attack, closed Sicilian, and Smith-Morra Gambit. You might sometimes get a King's Indian Attack as well. In the open Sicilians you really need to choose a variation to play as black.

The reason strong players don't want to spend the time to explain is because as soon as most people that come to this site looking for help discover that it is alot of hours of hard work they just go away.

At beginner level you'll also face other moves like 2.Bc4 and 2.Qh5.

Its not even beginner level exclusive. The NM at our chess club will never let you play an open sicilian and will always opt for a grand prix attack as white, or a closed sicilian.

Exactly.  You have to know why a move is good and understand the context behind the theory, but before then you need an understanding of positional imbalances, endgames, tactics, etc.  Some seemingly unprincipled moves are theory but are principled in other ways.  Lipnitsky in Questions of Modern Chess Theory demonstrates certain exceptions. 

A great book to start with is Nunn's Understanding Chess Endgames, or Silman's Endgame Course.  Work with one book thoroughly then move onto the next.  Do 15 minutes of CT-ART Beginner (comes with CT-ART 5.0) as a warm up. 

I thought the OP wanted information on either the 1.e4,c5 2.Bc4 or 2.Qh5 variations because that's what the title sounded like. 

Against 2.Bc4 you want to highlight that the bishop is misplaced and prepare to grab tempo and the center with 2...e6!  Delay ...a6 for as long as you can (a bishop will most likely head to b5 after the ...d5 break and exchanges) since it hands white tempo again.  Develop, castle, improve your position, and don't advance the c5+d5 pawns unless you have a very good reason (forced, outpost for a knight, restrict opponent's activity, etc.) since pawns are quite strong when side by side. 

As for 2.Qh5 you have 2...Nf6! 3.Qxc5,Nxe4 4.Qe3,d5! or 4.Qh5,Nc6! (4...d5 5.Bb5+ is still better for black but allows white some complications, though I still like black's chances better after 5...Nc6! 6.Nc3,Nf6 7.Qe2)

Black equalizes usually immediately after winning white's e-pawn in an 1.e4 opening.  One would think the Petroff to be great as it does this early, and it is objectively, but it's primary drawback is being very drawish and you won't have the winning chances of the equally good yet more complex Ruy Lopezes (the Berlin Wall for example gets off the e-pawn early if white allows such as not playing d3 or Qe2, and I'm a Qe2 player against the Berlin myself even though I play the Berlin as black), other open games, and Sicilians. 

Thank you, that's exactly what I needed and what I was looking for! I don't ever seem to understand the why of chess moves so I was hoping some opening theory would help clear that up.

One can also google / Wikipedia / youtube for the most common opening variations - Sicilian or others. Actually the info in Wikipedia is really quite good and definitely helpful as a primer.

Now, the OP is also premium member here and should have full access to the opening database. Just click through the moves and see what moves are the most common on every juncture.

While it is certainly correct that knowing deep opening theory is not all too useful at lower levels of play, I think SOME opening theory is very helpful in the sense that you do not want to screw up your game on move 5 already. So I would definitely advocate a middle ground: do not learn deeply, but learn the first moves of many openings just to get a decent, playable position and not lose by force immediately.

So in this respect I would definitely support the OP in his thinking.

A book I own and regard very highly is "Fundamental Chess Openings" by Van der Sterren (Gambit books). It's one volume and covers pretty much all (sensible) openings and what you need to know in order not to get slaughtered in any. And is very instructive and entertaining to read because it explains a lot. Probably one of the best purchases I ever did, Chess or otherwise.

Linky:

http://www.amazon.com/FCO-Paul-Van-Der-Sterren/dp/1906454132

At the lower levels, people will generally play the anti-Sicilians e.g. c3, Morra-Smith gambit, and the Grand Prix attack in response to c5. I wouldnt spend too much time learning about open Sicilians, because on the rare occasionally that you get one then your opponent probably wont be able to stay in book for your particular variation for more than 5-6 moves anyway.

There are a bunch of us beginners (like myself at around 1200) who really like to play Sicilian and will not let it go no matter what the experts say.

@roughclown   Wow, this is an old thread to be responding to! And apparently my notifications were still on for it.

You can play the Sicilian as a 1200 or a beginner.  Just don't worry about memorizing all the theory. Learn the basic ideas and you're fine.