Sicilian Defense

As black, my default response to e4 has always been e5, and I've decided to learn some others way to respond to e4. I have a pretty aggressive playstyle so I picked the Sicilian Defense.

I'm pretty sure that this is the main line in the opening. If there's any other ways to play it then please point them out. Anyways, the three moves that look appealing are 5...a6, 5...Nc6, and 5...g6. Right now a6 looks best to me, but I still don't know much about the opening and it'd be cool if someone informed me.

Sorry to be blunt, but that little move ...a6 leads to a lot more than what one can explain on a messageboard.  If you are learning Sicilian defense I would probably advise the 2...e6 sicilians, they are more sturdy than the ...d6/...Nc6 Sicilians.  Do some reading on the Kan or Taimanov, see if they fit what you'd be looking for.  

Just a small taste of one of the main lines after a6:

And we're just scratching the surface of all the theory that you have to learn.  And... that is why I don't play the Najdorf.

5...a6 is a waiting move, based on what white play black can go for dragon (...g6,...Bg7) or scheveningen or Najdorf

Indeed. 6. ... e5 is the "true" idea of the Najdorf. Exceptions would would be 6. Bc4 (Fischer/Sozin Attack) or 6. Bg5, in which case 6. ... e6 is necessary. But for an beginner, yeah~you should try the Sicilian Taimanov for practical results, namely the 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 w/ the follow up 6. ... a6.

And for the record, i believe the Sicilian isn't an "aggressive" defense per se. It's an 'fighting' defense...an counter-punching reply to e4. An aggressive defense would be the Grob, Latvian Counter-gambit, Petroff...

I don't believe beginners should play ANY sicilian.

I wouldn't advise anyone to play the Sicilian until they are at least 1500-1600 (over-the-board).

Many would disagree with me, but I would not advise someone to play an e6-Sicilian until they are at least a Master...too intricate, and too many accidents can occur.

What would I recommend? Three choices:

The Dragon [NOT Accelerated]: The most thematic of the Sicilians and sound up to AT LEAST 2500 level. Also, Black only really needs to learn a system against the Yugoslav Attack, as other stuff doesn't impress.

The Najdorf: Positionally well-motivated and not nearly as intimidating to learn as many people would have you believe. Also, White can be abused positionally if they don't have a clue.

The Sveshnikov: Positionally sound, active pieces, and not a lot of room for White to deviate.

The Najdorf and Sveshnikov are practically bulletproof, while the Dragon-player is knowingly taking on some risk, but with the potential of much higher rewards than in the other two.

I agree that most variations of the Sicilian are not aggressive, as you say. The only real exception is probably the Dragon.

The Grob and Latvian are a bit trashy. The Petroff can be played in an aggressive manner, but there are better choices if this is the kind of game Black wants.

If you won't recommend I use the Sicilian, what's another opening you'd recommend? Right now the French and the Caro-Kann look interesting.

Agreed. 2. ... d6 systems aren't as complicated to learn, strategy-wise....but most lines are tricky, move orders are hard to differentiate in the heat of battle & time pressure. For instance, one misstep~using the wrong piece to defend, launching an piece in the face of an incoming wave of pawns in the Yugoslav vs the Dragon, without purpose, leads to disaster. In other words, you have to memorize a lot of critical lines by heart and apply them by rote...and that takes time, experience even with guidance.

Go for an opening like petroff or scandinavian. Stay away from french.

Why stay away from french? :(

+1 to Lou!

(Heh. I was just going to recommend the same thing-avoid the French, for now...if your primary defense is an Open game, which is essentially solid & passive too, learning the French seems redundant).

You could try something like the Open Variation of the Ruy Lopez or the Marshall Attack if you want to stay in 1...e5 waters (which I would recommend).

If you insist on changing to another defense to 1.e4, you could play the French (Winawer Variation 3...Bb4 against 3.Nc3, and there are a number of good choices against the Tarrasch 3.Nd2; there are also a number of ways to deal with the Advance Variation and the Exchange Variation need not be as boring as is commonly believed...). One good thing about the French is that there are SO MANY different ways to play it, you're sure to find a family of variations that suit you.

If you're feeling adventurous, you could try the 2...Nf6 lines of the Scandinavian.

The Pirc is slithery and White has many good options against it (Austrian Attack, Classical, 150 Attack, Byrne Variation, f3-systems, etc.), so I would avoid this.

The Caro-Kann is not really to the taste of an "aggressive" player, and is quite sophisticated. Also, it is hard to play it for a win against lower-rateds (though it is one of the very best openings against similarly-rated or higher-rated players).

The Alekhine is playable but I would never recommend it!

In summary, if you want to change from 1...e5, look at dynamic lines of the French. It will actually prepare you well for taking up the Sicilian later. I know this better than most...

The Modern & Pirc are pretty good (and interchangable w/each other) alternatives as well.

okay then guys, since the sicilian is a pretty complicated opening for beginners, how should i counter it as white? should i assume my opponemt knows as much about the opening as me or do i go with something like 2. c3 ?

2.Nf3 3.d4.  Yes it is the mainlines, but as you said, your opponents won't know any more than you theory-wise.  So play the most active way to go for advantage and start learning the ideas in the positions.  I'm not a fan of any of the so-called "anti-sicilians."  2.Nf3 3.d4 IS the anti-sicilian. 

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