The English attack and the sozin are pretty good for black/ Plus alot of online players love the Dragon,if you know alot of theory its not that good for black/ but be prepared to put in alot or work though, We are after all talking about maybe the most theory heavy opening in history, except maybe the ruy lopez.
later dudes
goommba88
I you love theory you should go for the main variation (Nf3, d4, Nxd4, Nc3 etc.) and be prepared to meet the Najdorf first - but also the Dragon and a lot of other Black replies.
Open Sicilian
The most aggressive lines
I'm kind of a book nerd. I love perfecting my opening game, not as a means to better Elo (1600 Rapid), but just because it's interesting. I've always played the Alapin against the Sicilian. However as I understand it's less theory involved compared to other responses and is often considered a way to avoid theory. What are some responses to the Sicilian that gives white a large advantage if white knows the theory far better than black?
Basically the main line.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 (or 2...Nc6 or 2...e6) 3.d4
The only thing is if your opponent plays 1..c5 you can expect him to know quite a bit of theory in the open sicilian, so I'm not sure if it is reasonable to get a large advantage based on theoretical knowledge alone.
please dont sidetrack from the point here
many mainlines of the open sicilian lead to positions where the better booked player can easily win and one mistake by either side is death
thats what op wanted, so here it is
note: 6 f3 is a good move order for the english attack najdorf avoiding 6 Be3 Ng4 anti english
many mainlines of the open sicilian lead to positions where the better booked player can easily win and one mistake by either side is death
The problem is the better booked up player is more likely to be black than white if a main line is played. In most cases it is black who gets to decide which main line is played. White could get all booked up to play the dragon and then black decides to play the sveshnikov, for instance. I think if you go for the main lines with white, it makes a lot of sense to play them with black too. My advice would be just to go all in with the sicilian with both colors. Don't worry about the results so much......just focus on playing interesting chess. Also if your opponent happens to be more booked up its not as if the game is over. If you are strong enough in tactics, calculation and endgame it is possible just to figure everything out over the board or even come up with something new....setting your opponent some problem he hasn't seen in the books.
Nobody is going to convince the OP that the Alapin is a respectable reply on all levels?
Nobody is going to convince the OP that the Alapin is a respectable reply on all levels?
I have had great success with the Alapin. If I only cared about rating I'd stick with it and focus on puzzles. But I get a thrill from winning the opening, especially in big flashy ways. The Alapin never steers me wrong, but I rarely get a large advantage from it.
The main line seems interesting, I can definitely out book in the main line in general, but there's so minor side lines that are playable that I worry black will in the driver seat and I'll always be in their niche expertise instead of mine.
The Grand Prix seems very promising. That's my current experiment.
The Smith Morra Gambit hasn't been mentioned yet, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to yield a pawn as white against an opening I have so many other options to exploit. Seems like I HAVE to win material fast or the opening was wasted.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. If you know any specific trap lines, that might sway my attention.
I'm kind of a book nerd. I love perfecting my opening game, not as a means to better Elo (1600 Rapid), but just because it's interesting. I've always played the Alapin against the Sicilian. However as I understand it's less theory involved compared to other responses and is often considered a way to avoid theory. What are some responses to the Sicilian that gives white a large advantage if white knows the theory far better than black?
I wouldn't whip for playing the alapin, but i srsly suggest try the English Attack or the Classical Sicilian. (if ur a aggressive player play english attack of ur passive play classic sicilian)
Nobody is going to convince the OP that the Alapin is a respectable reply on all levels?
I have had great success with the Alapin. If I only cared about rating I'd stick with it and focus on puzzles. But I get a thrill from winning the opening, especially in big flashy ways. The Alapin never steers me wrong, but I rarely get a large advantage from it.
The main line seems interesting, I can definitely out book in the main line in general, but there's so minor side lines that are playable that I worry black will in the driver seat and I'll always be in their niche expertise instead of mine.
The Grand Prix seems very promising. That's my current experiment.
The Smith Morra Gambit hasn't been mentioned yet, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to yield a pawn as white against an opening I have so many other options to exploit. Seems like I HAVE to win material fast or the opening was wasted.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. If you know any specific trap lines, that might sway my attention.
The Smith Morra can transpose to the Alapin, and white gets a fun game in the SM.
Something that you might want to look into is 2. Nc3 with the intention of playing 3. d4 if black plays 2. d6 It is sort of a middle ground kind of opening in that it isn't as theory heavy as the main lines but is more ambitious than things like the alapin and the more traditional closed sicilian where white puts the bishop on g2. Here is a G30 OTB game I played in it the other day. I wouldn't say I played it perfectly but it can give you an idea of what could happen if black doesn't play carefully. GM Yermolinsky likes to call this thing the Fischer random sicilian.
The only thing is if black doesn't play 2...d6 then you either have to play one of the less ambitious anti sicilians or a main line sicilian. I've tried various things and I have pretty much concluded that I should either a main line sicilian or the normal closed sicilian. On the other hand I haven't tried the grand prix, so maybe I should consider that as well.
Anyways, I still think switching from the Alapin to the mainline is a waste of time.
The other thing that is over looked was you aren’t as strong in the Alapin as you think your are. Your opponents are not playing the mainline d5 or Nf6 but when they do, you are losing:
switch to the open sicilian. alapin sucks
My first proper game after learning some Grand Prix.
Obviously pretty happy with this. Black didn't make any obvious mistakes (0 blunders according to chess.com) but the weak squares, forks, pins, and a nearly trapped bishop all happening at once overwhelmed them and I got resignation in 21 moves. I'm sure I've yet to see the more challenging responses but so far so good. Still interested in experimenting with other attacks.
2. Qh5
Alapin is kinda scary to face not gonna lie. The iqp positions and the attacking potential of white is really scary.
I'm kind of a book nerd. I love perfecting my opening game, not as a means to better Elo (1600 Rapid), but just because it's interesting. I've always played the Alapin against the Sicilian. However as I understand it's less theory involved compared to other responses and is often considered a way to avoid theory. What are some responses to the Sicilian that gives white a large advantage if white knows the theory far better than black?