1. Which variation of the Open Sicilian do you prefer and why?
- I like the Kan variation because I believe it is the simplest open Sicilian to play from the black side;
- I like the Kalashnikov, because is less known and it is more positional;
2. In the closed Sicilian and Grand Prix, do you prefer the lines with e6 or g6?
- I play both, but I think playing with e6 and later d5 is more solid and simpler.
I pretty much quit playing the Sicilian, but when I did, I played both the Najdorf and the Taimanov.
Your comment on the Kalashnikov is wrong. The Kalashnikov is not positional. One line of the Kalashnikov is positional, the other is extremely tactical, and to Black's dismay, that choice belongs to White!
After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6, White has two major options:
A) 6.c4, which leads to more of a bind and questioning Black's d-pawn. This line is very positional in nature.
B) 6.N1c3. This line leads to a lot of wild tactics and Black must be able to calculate really well or he'll get blown off the board!
Saying "less known" and "positional" as a basis for an opening is hogwash, and will lead to total failure. No opening leads to positional or tactical games. I've had positional Najdorfs, tactical Colle's, positional Benonis, and tactical Petroffs. There is no hard and fast rule about any opening being positional or tactical. And to say you are a "positional player" or "tactical player" is the equivalent to saying "I'm a bad chess player" (bad literally, not bad as in slang for awesome). You have to be able to handle both aspects of the game. Tactics and positional understanding.
And against the closed, NEITHER! When I did play the Sicilian, I played 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 a6. A move that can be played by Kan and, more likely, Najdorf players. The reason Nadjorf players don't play 2...Nc6 is 3.Nf3 with the threat to transpose to the Open Sicilian and now the Knight is misplaced for a Najdorf setup. The problem with 2...d6 is now the Grand Prix Attack can actually be legitimate and White can get an advantage after 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6?! 3.f4, whereas after 2...Nc6 or 2...a6, the Grand Prix is a joke and is why you don't see it at the GM level. GMs that play Anti-Sicilians will usually play the Rossolimo or Alapin (c3-Sicilian).
That said, I now pretty much only play the French, Caro-Kann, and Petroff as Black against e4, pretty much in that order based on most frequent to least frequent. I mostly use the Caro-Kann as a change of pace from playing exclusively French and the Petroff is mainly a weapon I use against a specific couple of locals where I know precisely what they play and they tend to resort to one specific style, which I already mentioned is a huge mistake, and they can't handle the lack of imbalance and symmetrical positions.
1. Which variation of the Open Sicilian do you prefer and why?
- I like the Kan variation because I believe it is the simplest open Sicilian to play from the black side;
- I like the Kalashnikov, because is less known and it is more positional;
2. In the closed Sicilian and Grand Prix, do you prefer the lines with e6 or g6?
- I play both, but I think playing with e6 and later d5 is more solid and simpler.