i would just start playing it to be honest. Theoretical openings don’t mean anything if your opponent doesn’t know theory to begin with. I know the first 16 moves of the Botvinnik Semi-Slav but that doesn’t help me when no one plays it and if no one plays the main lines.
Also, opening mistakes are easy to fix so don’t get so hung up about it. Learn the ideas, understand your moves, and create threats and there should be little to complain about
Levi G.Chess tells that unless you're above 1600-1800 and need a sicilian don't go in there
Levy has a particular opinion which is not agreed upon by other chess coaches.
It's best to play the opening you enjoy most so you stay motivated.
The discussion is asking for advice for someone who is already learning the Sicilian.
Lots of coaches exist, it is nonetheless a great explanation he gave of why it's more complicated than others. And it makes sense.
OG poster about your 2nd point: if they really like it, sure keep learning it, but have they tried others? Do they feel it's mandatory learn it now? There are many dangerous variants an experienced player will make you pay with if they detect you really don't know the sicillian and are just trying to be a flashy preppy 
It's a common reality to wanna be the cool kid
Advice about learning it : learn it later, is an advice as valid to consider as any other.
To the friends saying I'm not right putting into question the choice of the sicillian as a 3rd opening for blacks, this user was the 1st to reply and goes with my POV, and Levi Gotham chess really offers interesting options. I enjoy the Scandinavian a lot, but it's opening files which is always a risk
Noob POV here : The thing I keep in mind presentl -as Gotham Chess loves to tell students - keep it simple. Levi G.Chess tells that unless you're above 1600-1800 and need a sicilian don't go in there since there are so many dangerous or tedious variations to keep track of as a student of the sport. I'll trust Levi on that and wait a little personally, but you are getting closer to the reality he describes from what you say as rating.
Well, I played it when I climbed up to 1100 and 1200, and I also play it as a 1300. Whenever A player plays e4, I follow up c5 63 times (out of 63 + 35(e5) + 3(e6) + 1(c6)). 33% White wins and 63% Black (me) wins and 4% draw.
Lots of coaches exist, it is nonetheless a great explanation he gave of why it's more complicated than others. And it makes sense.
OG poster about your 2nd point: if they really like it, sure keep learning it, but have they tried others? Do they feel it's mandatory learn it now? There are many dangerous variants an experienced player will make you pay with if they detect you really don't know the sicillian and are just trying to be a flashy preppy It's a common reality to wanna be the cool kid
Advice about learning it : learn it later, is an advice as valid to consider as any other.
Levy just tries to convince people not to play the Sicilian and play the Caro-Kann instead because that's what he likes. It's not a professional opinion.
If someone said they want to learn the Sicilian then that's what they want. If you are playing a more experienced player they can do the same thing with any other opening because they are simply more experienced than you. That's got nothing to do with any particular opening. This is one of my OTB games I played against a Caro-Kann player:
"Just trying to be a flashy preppy" "wanna be the cool kid" Wow, really dude? Now you are just trying to mock people for their opening choices. So petty. We all just want to play good chess and play the openings we like most. We don't need the chess opening police coming around telling us what to play. Why don't you mind your own business and let people play the game how they want to play it?
My personal, unprofessional opinion would say that I dislike the dragon, since I tried it around 1300 and I kept getting "Levinfished" and dropped the sicilian entirely. My unprofessional opinion would also recommend the Kalashnikov, due to low theory and thematic ideas with potentially either slower or sharper play, whichever one you like.
There are many dangerous variants an experienced player will make you pay with if they detect you really don't know the sicillian and are just trying to be a flashy preppy It's a common reality to wanna be the cool kid
I am a 1.Nf3 player. I used to play e4, but I dropped it many years ago.
Now, see, I can say the same thing about caro kann players. Every once in a while I like to throw out 1.e4 just to see what will happen in online rapid. Recently I played two people where I threw out 1.e4 and they used the caro kann. I usually play the advance, but I don't really know the theory; I just know a few correct moves. Since Caro Kann players, it seems, have an easier time understanding their opening, it shouldn't be too big of a deal, right? Let's see this amazing understanding come into play.
And while it would be remiss of me to mention that these players certainly do not represent the general population of caro-kann players, it just goes to show that it may not be so easy to just "understand" the caro kann more than a sicilian. That's what learning is for, and there are no shortcuts for it.
I enjoy the Scandinavian a lot, but it's opening files which is always a risk
Good for you! Go tell the people in the Scandinavian thread.
So I came on chess.com all excited to play my new opening - fricking hardly a single person ever played anything like it, even where they did their knowledge would usually all just fall apart after a few moves, but mostly hardly a single person played it.
At least with the Meran it is more common and it was useful against FM Lefong Hua but I missed the key move that won by force. There is a line that the engine for some reason says is equal but once you play this sacrifice, it says Black is winning. Here is the master game
also 1100-1200 and this is one of my sicilian games
The best Do-It-Yourself way to learn to play the Sicilian is to retrace the history of famous players, starting with Morphy and Paulsen, later Lasker and Maroczy, then Botvinnik and Boleslavsky, Smyslov and Najdorf. Play through their games with annotations in books like Tartakower's 500 Master Games of Chess and Bronstein's Candidates Tournament Zurich 1953. After that, you will be ready for games of Fischer, Karpov, then Kasparov--you will be in the Chess Informant era. Modern sources like Chessbase will be helpful understanding the games of Anand, Kramnik, and Carlsen, by that step.
Noob POV here : The thing I keep in mind presentl -as Gotham Chess loves to tell students - keep it simple.
Well, I played it when I climbed up to 1100 and 1200, and I also play it as a 1300. Whenever A player plays e4, I follow up c5 63 times (out of 63 + 35(e5) + 3(e6) + 1(c6)). 33% White wins and 63% Black (me) wins and 4% draw.
Excellent ! I'm a noob at studying openings so that's why I put the mentions in my replies. But being a geek at "studying how to study" and learning/schematizing concepts, I really enjoy these kins of discussion and pass on quotes and examples. Here it was how I recently had info on that position. But your example is one I'll keep in my. Your line will be one I try, honestly. Thanks for conversing.
Noob POV here : The thing I keep in mind presentl -as Gotham Chess loves to tell students - keep it simple.
Well, I played it when I climbed up to 1100 and 1200, and I also play it as a 1300. Whenever A player plays e4, I follow up c5 63 times (out of 63 + 35(e5) + 3(e6) + 1(c6)). 33% White wins and 63% Black (me) wins and 4% draw.
Excellent ! I'm a noob at studying openings so that's why I put the mentions in my replies. But being a geek at "studying how to study" and learning/schematizing concepts, I really enjoy these kins of discussion and pass on quotes and examples. Here it was how I recently had info on that position. But your example is one I'll keep in my. Your line will be one I try, honestly. Thanks for conversing.
Well, I liked the french ( e4 c5 Nf3 (also 2. Nc6 works, because 2.... e6) e6. Threatens d5 and you can try your plan to launch d5.
My database
https://www.chess.com/explorer?moveList=e4+c5&ply=2&gameSource=other&gameType=all&color=black&username=tstutz21
Noob POV here : The thing I keep in mind presentl -as Gotham Chess loves to tell students - keep it simple.
Well, I played it when I climbed up to 1100 and 1200, and I also play it as a 1300. Whenever A player plays e4, I follow up c5 63 times (out of 63 + 35(e5) + 3(e6) + 1(c6)). 33% White wins and 63% Black (me) wins and 4% draw.
Excellent ! I'm a noob at studying openings so that's why I put the mentions in my replies. But being a geek at "studying how to study" and learning/schematizing concepts, I really enjoy these kins of discussion and pass on quotes and examples. Here it was how I recently had info on that position. But your example is one I'll keep in my. Your line will be one I try, honestly. Thanks for conversing.
Well, I liked the french ( e4 c5 Nf3 (also 2. Nc6 works, because 2.... e6) e6. Threatens d5 and you can try your plan to launch d5.
My database
https://www.chess.com/explorer?moveList=e4+c5&ply=2&gameSource=other&gameType=all&color=black&username=tstutz21
Interesting because I have never tried the french and I am not rly keen on it. I have been using sicilian a bit recently and have been fairing pretty well. When I saw the title had 1100-1200 it kinda hit me close, because the sicilian was never quite difficult to study. I had much more trouble trying to optimize the italian and english. Was defintely confusing when most replies said you dont want to play sicilian at 1100-1200 and many described it to be hard.
Heres some of my other games with sicilian:
Resigned after i was rook and some pawns up ^
He resigned before the mate but even if he saw the mate and stopped it, black (me) was still in a strong position. Most games went like this. Dont have much sicilian on this account but in general I play it often.
That's childish a way to consider things,
You know what's really childish? Trying to gatekeep the opening choices of people you don't know and discourage them. They obviously have the motivation to want to learn it so why don't you mind your own business?
The reasons don't matter because they were good enough reasons for them to have the desire to. Everyone has different reasons for doing something. It's personal.
Interesting because I have never tried the french and I am not rly keen on it. I have been using sicilian a bit recently and have been fairing pretty well. When I saw the title had 1100-1200 it kinda hit me close, because the sicilian was never quite difficult to study. I had much more trouble trying to optimize the italian and english. Was defintely confusing when most replies said you dont want to play sicilian at 1100-1200 and many described it to be hard.
I think it was not most replies. It was a few individuals that were being gatekeepers about it.
This is mostly a view promoted by Levy Rozaman (GothamChess) where he tells everyone not to play the Sicilian because it's too complicated and theoretical (apparently). A lot of his viewers copy this view because they don't know any better.
Also there are some people who struggle against the Sicilian so they get salty about it and tell people not to play it. It's pretty funny.
adding this update to be clear, im asking if its a good idea to play the silician, ive considered it and thought before posting the original thread and decided it would be a good idea because my opponents wouldnt have any better theoretical knowledge than me which they would need to beat me, im just asking for suggestions of how to start with it.
simply don't. play the caro man
The best way to get into the Sicilian is by looking for a book that explains ideas and plans in various lines of the Sicilian, so you get the basic understanding of where the pieces should go. Annotated model games are also interesting.
Don't study long lines at your rating. The chances of getting a 20 move line on the board at this level is close to non existing. Remember that all time you spend on remembering ultra long lines without getting them on the board is considered wasted time.
Levi G.Chess tells that unless you're above 1600-1800 and need a sicilian don't go in there
Levy has a particular opinion which is not agreed upon by other chess coaches. There are a lot of variations and dangerous lines in any opening you play like the Caro-Kann, French, Pirc, etc.
It's best to play the opening you enjoy most so you stay motivated.
Also the discussion of this thread is not about whether or not someone should play the Sicilian. The discussion is asking for advice for someone who is already learning the Sicilian.