The most popular opening

Let's choose the most popular move at each ply. It gives the following opening in B99 Sicilian: Open: Najdorf: Main Line

After that there are few hundred master games with 2 most popular moves 13...Bxg5+ and 13...Nc5.

Just about a month ago I began working seriously on 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 as White against the Najdorf  (along with 2.Nf3, I am also very fond of 2.b4!? against the Sicilian defense)

It's not quite clear - in what way to "choose the most popular move at each ply" - simply looking in the database and see how many times this or that move was played? Yes, the line from 1.e4 to 13.f5 has been by far more often played than any other line in chess. As for the interesting position after 13.f5, it does not look like 13. ... Bxg5+ (even with check) is better than 13. ... Nc5.

Oleg, thanks for your comment. Yeah, I used 2 databases (chess.com and chessok) checking how many times moves were played.

I checked: 1. e4 c5 2. b4!? is called Wing's Gambit. How about very rare 1. e4 c5 2. e5!? in Sicilian ? If U wanna try one of this openings please send me a challenge (Oleg, I've already sent U a challenge to play Moscow Variation).

Yes, I've just seen the challenge.

I know that 1.e4 c5 2.b4!? is called the Sicilian Wing Gambit, I've been working on it since about 2009, and after 2.b4 cb - I've been working on 3.Nf3.

Another variation which is of interest (I hope not only for me) is the Sveshnikov variation 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cd 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5. As White, upon 1.e4 c5 I more often play 2.b4 than 2.Nf3 (I agree that the most promising way for White against the Sicilian defense is probably the plan with 2.Nf3 and d2-d4, by the way, A. Khalifman in his series "The Opening in Anand's style. 1.e4", also considers it as the best), and therefore I play that position of the Sveshnikov variation more often as Black than as White. If you don't mind, we could also practice the Sveshnikov variation, you as White (in case it is interesting and actual for you).

Great, Oleg, I'm waiting your challenge to play Sveshnikov (or whatever U want)!

by the way, this is also very interesting to explore the chess openings

http://chesstempo.com/game-database.html

Sent you a challenge

In one of my current games, me playing as White, the Najdorf variation, too, - after I saw yesterday the move Qd8-c7 - this just was something a kind of amazing - the move Qd8-c7 made me recall at once this forum, but to a little disappointment, the move order in my game is slightly different, 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Nbd7 8.Qf3 Qc7, I played 9.0-0-0, and in case Black plays now 9. ... Be7 I will have the same position as the one under discussion in this topic ... )

IM pfren: Really? But chess.com explorer gives me this:

13...Bxg5+ | 242 | 46%| 28% | 26% |

13...Nc5    | 233 | 49% | 18% | 33% |

13...O-O    |  26  | 23% | 31% | 46% |

13...Ne5    |  24  | 67% | 20% | 13% |

So, not so many master games with 13...O-O but black made indeed an impressive win score!

ChessOK evaluations: 13...Nc5 (+0.15), 13...O-O (+0.26), 13...Ne5 (+0.26), 13...Bxg5+ (+0.33).

The local Explorer gives 500+ games with 13. f5. The first one Kunerth - Pope was played in 1938:

https://www.chess.com/games/view/30773

Nowadays,using computer is the best way to improve your opening skill..