What are all of the mainline Sicilians?

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Avatar of Marcus-101

Due to my d4 and french defense repertoire, I have almost no knowledge on any variations of any of the Sicilians (the only Sicilians I know the opening moves to is the Dragon and the Najdorf), but I know there is a lot more than that. Can anyone please post the opening moves, and move orders, to some of the mainline Sicilian positions, as I am thinking of starting a new black defence to e4.

Also I am more of an attacking player, and am fairly good at tactics, however I don't want to learn too much theory.. so if there are any lines like that, they would be perfect :)

Thanks in advance :)

Avatar of iamdeafzed

There are far too many to easily name going by variations, so I'm just going to throw out a few mainline variation names and anyone who's willing to add to my list can do so:

Old Sicilian mainline with 2...Nc6 and 6.Bg5
Sveshnikov/Kalashnikov
Scheveningen
Najdorf (which itself has tons of variations)
Dragon
Accelerated Dragon
Hyper-Accelerated Dragon
Sicilian Four Knights
Kan
Taimanov/Paulsen

There's plenty more, but I think those are most of the major branches

 

Oh, and then there's everything that doesn't fall under the 'Open' variation category:
Rossolimo variation
Whatever the name for the 2.Nf3,d6 3.Bb5+ variation is
Closed Sicilian
Grand Prix Attack
Alapin (which itself has at least two main variations, 2...d5 and 2...Nf6)
Delayed Alapin (2.Nf3 and 3.c3)
Chameleon variations (2.Ne2...often transposes to other systems)
King's Indian Attack
Smith-Morra Gambit
Wing Gambit
Some more oddball tries that aren't seen very often (such as 2.b3)

Again, hardly exhaustive, but gives you an idea of all the kinds of lines you have to be prepared to meet playing the Sicilian as black

Avatar of Marcus-101

Thanks and wow...there are more 'closed' variations than I thought. Which of the main variations would you recommend to a player who likes attacking, dynamic and tactical positions without having to learn ridiculous amounts of theory?

Avatar of ItsEoin

Attacking, dynamic, tactical: the Dragon! The Najdorf!

Ridiculous amounts of theory? You bet. 

 

Be ready for theory with any Sicilian line. The Dragon is the sharpest, but it is a monster. Those two spring out to me as the most tactical, though. 

 

EDIT: @ #2, I think the Bb5+ line is called the Moscow.

Avatar of WanderingPuppet

for less theory:

White

2.c3 alapin sicilian -- evgeny sveshnikov recently wrote a book on this.  there are a few dull lines but also exciting lines too.

3.bb5 rossolimo/pomtow sicilian --- featured in a few high level games recently including the past WC

3.qxd4 [zaitsev - i thinnk] sicilian sometimes followed by bb5 -- carlsen plays this occasionally, i recall he obtained a great position against nakamura somewhat recently in this

grand prix attack [2. nc3 followed by f4 --- nc3 cuts out d5 and the attack idea is to play f5-qe1-qh4-bh6-ng5] ---- played by karpov long ago

or: just learn how to play the english attack structure in open sicilians and find a solid way against the kan (5 bd3 is simplest, idea of 0-0, qe2, c4, f4) and sveshnikov (main to 7 or 9 nd5) and your repertoire is set

black:

learn how to play the hedgehog [you get this in kan and scheveningen sicilians] --- i just got the shipov book part 1 via kindle and it's fantastic, humorous, long, funny, inspiring and memorable stem games in the history of the line.  still reading it.

you can also play various flavors of najdorf without a great deal of memorization required [lines with ...e5 and nbd7 early or especially lines with an early ...h5 soon following ...e5].  you have to understand a lot of principles in any opening you play to truly play it well.

Avatar of Doggy_Style
Marcus-101 wrote:

Which of the main variations would you recommend to a player who likes attacking, dynamic and tactical positions without having to learn ridiculous amounts of theory?

Allow me to translate:

 

"I want it all, I just don't want to pay" Laughing

Avatar of ItsEoin

I think OP is looking for Sicilians with a view to playing them as Black.

Avatar of Marcus-101
Doggy_Style wrote:
Marcus-101 wrote:

Which of the main variations would you recommend to a player who likes attacking, dynamic and tactical positions without having to learn ridiculous amounts of theory?

Allow me to translate:

 

"I want it all, I just don't want to pay"

Hehe ;) What I meant was, I don't mind learning a few of the really sharp variations to, say, 20 moves in, but I hope that for most of the variations I can get away with just learning typical ideas/plans/manouvres.

 

@Petrosianic, I like both of you ideas for playing the hedgehog and that line of the Najdorf. I will definately look into that Shipov book because I think the hedgehog is a fundamental chess opening as it can arise from so many different different move orders, as white or black.

 

@Korukhan and ItsEoin, I thought many lines of the Dragon are not very sharp when white does not go for the Yugoslav attack, and castles kingside? However tell me if I'm wrong ;)

 

@Ultralaser and Korukhan, I have no idea what the Sveshnikov is!! Can you post the move order to get to the Sveshnikov plz?

Avatar of ItsEoin

To my knowledge, the Dragon is almost always sharp. Black just launches a strong attack on the Q-side, where White's King does not happen to be. Yugoslav is his best shot though, although the Levenfish (6. f4) is interesting and old enough to be left out lately.

Avatar of iamdeafzed
Marcus-101 wrote:

Hehe ;) What I meant was, I don't mind learning a few of the really sharp variations to, say, 20 moves in, but I hope that for most of the variations I can get away with just learning typical ideas/plans/manouvres.

 

@Petrosianic, I like both of you ideas for playing the hedgehog and that line of the Najdorf. I will definately look into that Shipov book because I think the hedgehog is a fundamental chess opening as it can arise from so many different different move orders, as white or black.

 

@Korukhan and ItsEoin, I thought many lines of the Dragon are not very sharp when white does not go for the Yugoslav attack, and castles kingside? However tell me if I'm wrong ;)

 

@Ultralaser and Korukhan, I have no idea what the Sveshnikov is!! Can you post the move order to get to the Sveshnikov plz?

The Sveshnikov is typified by black playing both the moves ...d6 and ...e5 early on (as opposed to the having pawns on d6 and e6, as in the Scheveningen). The main drawback of the Sveshnikov/Kalashnikov lines is that they weaken the d5 square, so if white has time to get a positional strangehold on that square, black is usually in big trouble. However, the lines tend to be very dynamic and (in theory) give black good chances for playing for the advantage.

I'm not an expert on opening lines (i.e. I no longer do the kinds of extensive opening study that I used to), but a typical Sveshnikov Sicilian line is:
1.e4,c5 2.Nf3,Nc6 3.d4,cxd4 4.Nxd4,e5 5.Nb5,d6 (stops Nd6+, getting one of black's two bishops) 6.N1c3 (c4 is also possible),a6 7.Na3,b5 (threatening the fork b4) 8.Nd5,Nf6 9.Bg5,Be7 10.Bxf6 (white takes away one of black's critical defenders of the d5 square),Bxf6 11.c3 (preparing Nb2-e3, reinforcing the knight on d5)...etc. Pretty theory intensive overall and there are many move order subtleties to be wary of.

Note also that there are some lines in the Najdorf Sicilian (which I don't know very well at all) where black plays an early ...e5: 1.e4,c5 2.Nf3,d6 3.d4,cxd4 4.Nxd4,Nf6 5.Nc3,a6 6.Be3,e5 is one.

As for the Dragon: the mainline Dragon invites the Yugoslav Attack by white, which is extremely sharp, extremely theory intensive, and where white is (frankly-speaking) thought to have the better attacking chances overall. But at club level, it's perfectly playable for black.
White has some other tries against the mainline Dragon that tend to be far less sharp, but black can't force white into playing any of them.

The Accelerated and Hyper-Accelerated lines are more likely to be positional struggles since the typical Yugoslav Attack ideas don't work for white in them. In particular, black has the option of playing ...d5 in one move (as opposed to ...d6 and then ...d5, losing a tempo, in normal Dragon lines).
However, white has things like the Maroczy Bind available to him against Accelerated/Hyper-Accelerated lines...thought to be white's best try for a theoretical opening advantage against these lines.

Avatar of iamdeafzed
Petrosianic wrote:

for less theory:

3.qxd4 [zaitsev - i thinnk] sicilian sometimes followed by bb5 -- carlsen plays this occasionally, i recall he obtained a great position against nakamura somewhat recently in this

No, 1.e4,c5 2.Nf3,d6 3.d4,cxd4 4.Qxd4 is the Chekhover variation.

@ItsEoin

Yes, Moscow variation I think is the correct name. Thank you.

Avatar of Marcus-101

Thanks for the help! I am almost decided that (for now) I'm probably going to try out he dragon, and I will get the Shipov book on the hedghog and try the schevenigen sicilian, and see how they both go :) I might then turn to the Sveschnikov if they don't go well.

Avatar of shepi13
iamdeafzed wrote:
Petrosianic wrote:

for less theory:

3.qxd4 [zaitsev - i thinnk] sicilian sometimes followed by bb5 -- carlsen plays this occasionally, i recall he obtained a great position against nakamura somewhat recently in this

No, 1.e4,c5 2.Nf3,d6 3.d4,cxd4 4.Qxd4 is the Chekhover variation.

@ItsEoin

Yes, Moscow variation I think is the correct name. Thank you.

I think the zaitsev is 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Bb5.

Avatar of iamdeafzed
shepi13 wrote:
iamdeafzed wrote:
Petrosianic wrote:

for less theory:

3.qxd4 [zaitsev - i thinnk] sicilian sometimes followed by bb5 -- carlsen plays this occasionally, i recall he obtained a great position against nakamura somewhat recently in this

No, 1.e4,c5 2.Nf3,d6 3.d4,cxd4 4.Qxd4 is the Chekhover variation.

@ItsEoin

Yes, Moscow variation I think is the correct name. Thank you.

I think the zaitsev is 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Bb5.

Nope.

http://www.chess.com/opening/eco/B53_Sicilian_Defense_Chekhover_Variation

Avatar of shepi13

Mh bad, off by a half move:

http://www.chess.com/opening/eco/B53_Sicilian_Defense_Chekhover_Variation_Zaitsev_Defense

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Bb5 Qd7.

Avatar of shepi13

Chesspublishing.com and grandmasters there call 4. Qxd4 the zaitsev though, I know that for sure.

Avatar of shepi13

Chess.com's opening names aren't always right.

Avatar of iamdeafzed
shepi13 wrote:

Mh bad, off by a half move:

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Bb5 Qd7.

Some openings (and in some cases, variations) have more than one acceptable name for them: 1.b4 = Sokolsky Opening = Orangutan Opening = Polish Opening, for example. The chess.com Opening Explorer will typically use only one name for any given opening line, but I know of no instance where it flat out mis-identifies something.

In any case, 5...Bd7 is the more common continuation in the Chekhover Sicilian and is the mainline as far as I'm aware (I might be wrong). Even if it isn't, there's a substantial difference between the position after 4.Qxd4 and 5...Qd7. So it's unlikely that both positions are referred to with the same name, contrary to your implication.

Of course, you're welcome to prove me wrong. Like I said, I no longer do the amount of opening theory study that I once did.

Avatar of Abhishek2
Marcus-101 wrote:

Thanks and wow...there are more 'closed' variations than I thought. Which of the main variations would you recommend to a player who likes attacking, dynamic and tactical positions without having to learn ridiculous amounts of theory?

Wing Gambit 1. e4 c5 2. b4 cxb4 3. a3 or 3. d4 (I prefer 3. d4)

Avatar of shepi13

I am not sure if the variation: 1 e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cd 4.Qxd4 has a name, although I see that Gary Lane liked to call it the Zaitsev, so I'll stick with that. In any case, this month we focus on one particular aspect of this variation, a line that can also arise from a variation we have been considering in the two previous updates: 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 Bb5+ Nc6 4 d4 cd 5 Qxd4.

From chesspublishing.com. Maybe it's not the zaitsev, but it sure sounds fun to say.