It depends. If you’re a bit calm do French. I’m a attavk8ng player so I enjoy Sicilian. Don’t play it in rapid, just blitz and bullet
Sicilian or French Defense?
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Jan 30, 2022
0
#3
ChesswithGautham wrote:
It depends. If you’re a bit calm do French. I’m a attavk8ng player so I enjoy Sicilian. Don’t play it in rapid, just blitz and bullet
That is about as inaccurate as you can possibly be. The Sicilian and French are the two most aggressive defenses to 1.e4. You want something more "calm", you gotta play 1...e5 or 1...c6.
As far as Sicilian or French, it depends on which you are more comfortable with. I am a French player, but if for some reason a complete refutation was found and the French suddenly was unplayabe, next opening I'd play is the Taimanov Sicilian. A French player looking for a change should play the Sicilian and vice versa. A 1...e5 player looking for a change should play the Caro-Kann and vice versa.
Other responses besides those 4 on move 1 are openings you will never hear me advocate. They are all weaker than 1...e5, 1...e6, 1...c5, or 1...c6.
Why not play it in rapid? how does that make sense?
Sicilian is "better" (slightly) but unless you're master strength the chances you'll actually be able to take advantage of the fact that it is somewhat a little better (gives you more of a fighting chance) are slim.... so if you're asking this because you want to learn one it won't matter... try both, pick one and have fun with it... or maybe try the french sicilian... and if you're going to learn an opening don't forget to study opening principles as welll
Jan 30, 2022
0
#5
Morfizera wrote:
Why not play it in rapid? how does that make sense?
Sicilian is "better" (slightly) but unless you're master strength the chances you'll actually be able to take advantage of the fact that it is somewhat a little better (gives you more of a fighting chance) are slim.... so if you're asking this because you want to learn one it won't matter... try both, pick one and have fun with it... or maybe try the french sicilian... and if you're going to learn an opening don't forget to study opening principles as welll
That is such a false statement. The Sicilian doesn't give you more of a fighting chance. The Sicilian, actually, is all about defending the King and avoiding all kinds of sacrificial attacks by White, and trying to win the better endgame.
The French is just as much, if not more, of a fighting opening. Case in point:
Morfizera wrote:
Why not play it in rapid? how does that make sense?
Sicilian is "better" (slightly) but unless you're master strength the chances you'll actually be able to take advantage of the fact that it is somewhat a little better (gives you more of a fighting chance) are slim.... so if you're asking this because you want to learn one it won't matter... try both, pick one and have fun with it... or maybe try the french sicilian... and if you're going to learn an opening don't forget to study opening principles as welll
Just don’t feel like it
ChesswithGautham wrote:
Morfizera wrote:
Why not play it in rapid? how does that make sense?
Sicilian is "better" (slightly) but unless you're master strength the chances you'll actually be able to take advantage of the fact that it is somewhat a little better (gives you more of a fighting chance) are slim.... so if you're asking this because you want to learn one it won't matter... try both, pick one and have fun with it... or maybe try the french sicilian... and if you're going to learn an opening don't forget to study opening principles as welll
Just don’t feel like it
So how does suggesting he doesn't play it in rapid, just blitz and bullet make any sense?
ThrillerFan wrote:
Morfizera wrote:
Why not play it in rapid? how does that make sense?
Sicilian is "better" (slightly) but unless you're master strength the chances you'll actually be able to take advantage of the fact that it is somewhat a little better (gives you more of a fighting chance) are slim.... so if you're asking this because you want to learn one it won't matter... try both, pick one and have fun with it... or maybe try the french sicilian... and if you're going to learn an opening don't forget to study opening principles as welll
That is such a false statement. The Sicilian doesn't give you more of a fighting chance. The Sicilian, actually, is all about defending the King and avoiding all kinds of sacrificial attacks by White, and trying to win the better endgame.
The French is just as much, if not more, of a fighting opening. Case in point:
Showing one game means nothing.... If white allows Winawer variation then the game is very unbalanced yes, but white has a few ways to avoid it if he doesn't want to go for it... it's a lot easier for white to steer the game into a drawish/balanced middle game against the french than against the sicilian
Jan 30, 2022
0
#9
Morfizera wrote:
ThrillerFan wrote:
Morfizera wrote:
Why not play it in rapid? how does that make sense?
Sicilian is "better" (slightly) but unless you're master strength the chances you'll actually be able to take advantage of the fact that it is somewhat a little better (gives you more of a fighting chance) are slim.... so if you're asking this because you want to learn one it won't matter... try both, pick one and have fun with it... or maybe try the french sicilian... and if you're going to learn an opening don't forget to study opening principles as welll
That is such a false statement. The Sicilian doesn't give you more of a fighting chance. The Sicilian, actually, is all about defending the King and avoiding all kinds of sacrificial attacks by White, and trying to win the better endgame.
The French is just as much, if not more, of a fighting opening. Case in point:
Showing one game means nothing.... If white allows Winawer variation then the game is very unbalanced yes, but white has a few ways to avoid it if he doesn't want to go for it... it's a lot easier for white to steer the game into a drawish/balanced middle game against the french than against the sicilian
White can do the same thing with the Alapin Sicilian!
If White wants to try for a draw, go right ahead. In roughly 40 or so games that I've played over the board as Black in the exchange French since the US Open in 2014, I have roughly the same number of wins as draws with literally ONE LOSS!
If you want to give me 20 wins and 20 draws for each loss I inherit, go right ahead and play the "drawish" Exchange French! DARE YA!
SMH!
Jan 30, 2022
0
#10
Sicilian is better than French I prefer you to go with Sicilian it's a good opening line to move 😀😀
Jan 30, 2022
0
#11
I'd say that the Sicilian is more of an investment as you can see most top players either chose 1.e4 e5 or the Sicilian as black, the French on the other hand is rarely seen because of probably how risky it is.
The French is definitely a good opening that you can use as your main weapon don't get me wrong, but I think that in terms of objectivity the Najdorf or Taimanov is probably better.
In all levels, anything is playable so just choose what you like personally 
I like to play the Classical Sicilian not because it's the "best" objectively, but because I've spent a lot of time on it & know it best.
ThrillerFan wrote:
Morfizera wrote:
ThrillerFan wrote:
Morfizera wrote:
Why not play it in rapid? how does that make sense?
Sicilian is "better" (slightly) but unless you're master strength the chances you'll actually be able to take advantage of the fact that it is somewhat a little better (gives you more of a fighting chance) are slim.... so if you're asking this because you want to learn one it won't matter... try both, pick one and have fun with it... or maybe try the french sicilian... and if you're going to learn an opening don't forget to study opening principles as welll
That is such a false statement. The Sicilian doesn't give you more of a fighting chance. The Sicilian, actually, is all about defending the King and avoiding all kinds of sacrificial attacks by White, and trying to win the better endgame.
The French is just as much, if not more, of a fighting opening. Case in point:
Showing one game means nothing.... If white allows Winawer variation then the game is very unbalanced yes, but white has a few ways to avoid it if he doesn't want to go for it... it's a lot easier for white to steer the game into a drawish/balanced middle game against the french than against the sicilian
White can do the same thing with the Alapin Sicilian!
If White wants to try for a draw, go right ahead. In roughly 40 or so games that I've played over the board as Black in the exchange French since the US Open in 2014, I have roughly the same number of wins as draws with literally ONE LOSS!
If you want to give me 20 wins and 20 draws for each loss I inherit, go right ahead and play the "drawish" Exchange French! DARE YA!
SMH!
I wasn't referring exclusively to the exchange french... nor did I say anything about trying to draw... I said go for drawish/balanced middle games, which means usually calmer, less risky, more controlled positions
Anyway nice statistics... sample size 1 player... However you personally perform in a specific opening has nothing to do with how drawish or balanced a position is... especially in masters games, which is what I was referring to if you had paid attention to what I wrote...
And to say that "The Sicilian, actually, is all about defending the King and avoiding all kinds of sacrificial attacks by White, and trying to win the better endgame." is just funny... That's why Kasparov played it, to defend and grind an endgame... except for when he unleashed his fearsome french and checkmated the opponent!! There is a reason why most top GMs play sicilian most of the times...
Also, you sound a little angry, are you okay?
Jan 30, 2022
0
#13
ThrillerFan wrote:
The Sicilian and French are the two most aggressive defenses to 1.e4.
I guess you mean most aggressive out of the big 4? Because 1...d5 repertoire aiming for Portugese or Icelandic gambit is far more agressive than anything which can come from French or Sicilian.
Jan 30, 2022
0
#14
Steven-ODonoghue wrote:
ThrillerFan wrote:
The Sicilian and French are the two most aggressive defenses to 1.e4.
I guess you mean most aggressive out of the big 4? Because 1...d5 repertoire aiming for Portugese or Icelandic gambit is far more agressive than anything which can come from French or Sicilian.
The Portuguese is not aggressive. It's simply losing! White should not be stupid enough to play 4.f3. Both 4.Nf3 and 4.Be2 complete defuse anything Black has and he is already worse!
All the Portuguese is is a hope and a prayer that White will be stupid enough to play 4.f3.
Jan 30, 2022
0
#15
Morfizera wrote:
ThrillerFan wrote:
Morfizera wrote:
ThrillerFan wrote:
Morfizera wrote:
Why not play it in rapid? how does that make sense?
Sicilian is "better" (slightly) but unless you're master strength the chances you'll actually be able to take advantage of the fact that it is somewhat a little better (gives you more of a fighting chance) are slim.... so if you're asking this because you want to learn one it won't matter... try both, pick one and have fun with it... or maybe try the french sicilian... and if you're going to learn an opening don't forget to study opening principles as welll
That is such a false statement. The Sicilian doesn't give you more of a fighting chance. The Sicilian, actually, is all about defending the King and avoiding all kinds of sacrificial attacks by White, and trying to win the better endgame.
The French is just as much, if not more, of a fighting opening. Case in point:
Showing one game means nothing.... If white allows Winawer variation then the game is very unbalanced yes, but white has a few ways to avoid it if he doesn't want to go for it... it's a lot easier for white to steer the game into a drawish/balanced middle game against the french than against the sicilian
White can do the same thing with the Alapin Sicilian!
If White wants to try for a draw, go right ahead. In roughly 40 or so games that I've played over the board as Black in the exchange French since the US Open in 2014, I have roughly the same number of wins as draws with literally ONE LOSS!
If you want to give me 20 wins and 20 draws for each loss I inherit, go right ahead and play the "drawish" Exchange French! DARE YA!
SMH!
I wasn't referring exclusively to the exchange french... nor did I say anything about trying to draw... I said go for drawish/balanced middle games, which means usually calmer, less risky, more controlled positions
Anyway nice statistics... sample size 1 player... However you personally perform in a specific opening has nothing to do with how drawish or balanced a position is... especially in masters games, which is what I was referring to if you had paid attention to what I wrote...
And to say that "The Sicilian, actually, is all about defending the King and avoiding all kinds of sacrificial attacks by White, and trying to win the better endgame." is just funny... That's why Kasparov played it, to defend and grind an endgame... except for when he unleashed his fearsome french and checkmated the opponent!! There is a reason why most top GMs play sicilian most of the times...
Also, you sound a little angry, are you okay?
You claiming that my statement about Black defending the whole game to reach a winning endgame is laughable just goes to show how uneducated you are with the Sicilian Defense.
The Najdorf is all about long term advantages, which typically are "endgame" advantages. For White, it's all about various sacrificial attacks. The most common is Nd5, sacrificing a piece to get an open e-file and an outpost on c6 (now that d5 has a White pawn).
Another is Nf5, often seen in the Perenyi Attack.
A third is Ne6 (or Nxe6).
Black? It's all about defending against these sacrificial attacks and other various attacks where White has gone all out with his attack that after a defused attack and tradedown, White's pawn structure is wrecked and in an endgame, he's likely lost!
And as far as the French, clearly you understand nothing about it. If you think that White has more opportunities to quiet down the position in the French than he does in the Sicilian, you are totally delusional. White can just as easily defuse the Sicilian. Alapin. Nd4-e2, g3, and Bg2 lines in the Open Sicilian. Moscow with 5.c4. Maroczy Bind positions, like against the Accelerated Dragon.
White wants to play the Tarrasch? 3...Be7 often leads to the Universal System, to which Black can play 8...g5, which is a wild, attacking line. The Winawer is a mess. The McCutchen is a mess. I have had many wild games in the Advance. The only line that can sometimes be "dull" is the Exchange Variation, but then it's about understanding position play. In no opening can Black force White into a wild tactical malee in all lines. Even the Benoni, there are Anti-Benoni lines and QP systems.
So yes, your claims are firvilous! That said, with best play, both openings are a draw, as is any other "sound" opening.
Jan 30, 2022
0
#16
ThrillerFan wrote:
The Portuguese is not aggressive. It's simply losing! White should not be stupid enough to play 4.f3. Both 4.Nf3 and 4.Be2 complete defuse anything Black has and he is already worse!
All the Portuguese is is a hope and a prayer that White will be stupid enough to play 4.f3.
Many of the most aggressive openings are worse (or losing) for the side playing them. Doesn't make them any less aggressive. Almost every line in the Portugese the plan is to attack the white king, while in the French and the Sicilian only a small % of the plans for black revolve around a mating attack. If you want to argue that the French and the Sicilian are the most fighting/aggressive options against 1.e4 that are objectively sound, then I'll agree. But no more than that. There are many more aggressive options from black if he is willing to play inferior moves.
4.f3 Bf5 5.g4 the only line that scares me objectively in the Portugese (it doesn't scare me at all in practice) which Smerdon dubbs the "correspondence refutation".
On your 4.Be2 Smerdon says that not only is black not losing, but "natural development and kingside castling is enough for equality". What is your plan after 5.Qxe2 Qxd5 6.Nf3 e6 7. c4 Qf5 ? I think black is fine here, certainly not losing
Jan 30, 2022
0
#17
Steven-ODonoghue wrote:
ThrillerFan wrote:
The Portuguese is not aggressive. It's simply losing! White should not be stupid enough to play 4.f3. Both 4.Nf3 and 4.Be2 complete defuse anything Black has and he is already worse!
All the Portuguese is is a hope and a prayer that White will be stupid enough to play 4.f3.
Many of the most aggressive openings are worse (or losing) for the side playing them. Doesn't make them any less aggressive. Almost every line in the Portugese the plan is to attack the white king, while in the French and the Sicilian only a small % of the plans for black revolve around a mating attack. If you want to argue that the French and the Sicilian are the most fighting/aggressive options against 1.e4 that are objectively sound, then I'll agree. But no more than that. There are many more aggressive options from black if he is willing to play inferior moves.
4.f3 Bf5 5.g4 the only line that scares me objectively in the Portugese (it doesn't scare me at all in practice) which Smerdon dubbs the "correspondence refutation".
On your 4.Be2 Smerdon says that not only is black not losing, but "natural development and kingside castling is enough for equality". What is your plan after 5.Qxe2 Qxd5 6.Nf3 e6 7. c4 Qf5 ? I think black is fine here, certainly not losing
I personally don't play 4.Be2 myself. I play 4.Nf3, which after 4...Qxd5, directly transposes to the 2...Qxd5 3.Nf3 line, which I also play as White.
And "Aggressive" and "Mating Attack" are not synonymous. There are other forms of aggression besides a direct attack on the King. A complete shattering of the Queenside, looking to promote a pawn, is just as aggressive. Black isn't sitting back and defending the King. In fact, he invites White to attack his King often.
For example: 1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.Ngf3 c5 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 Be7 7.O-O O-O 8.Re1 b5 9.e5 Nd7 10.Nf1 a5 11.h4 b4 12.N1h2 Ba6 and now:
A) 13.Ng5 Qe8!
B) 13.Ng4 Nd4!
C) 13.Bf4 a4 when 14.a3 is forced. Allowing ...a3 by Black is terrible for White.
Very aggressive stuff by Black, but not a direct attack on the King. The two are not synonymous!
THIS VIDEO SUMS UP EVERYTHING NOTHING CAN BE MORE BEUTIFUL THAN THIS GAME
ThrillerFan wrote;
All the Portuguese is is a hope and a prayer that White will be stupid enough to play 4.f3.
Lol. 4.f3 is the official refutation of the Portugese joke of an opening.
What is better in your opinion? What do you like more?