Why Play the Sicilian?

I decided to look through the clubs on chess.com and see if there were any dedicated to one of the most treasured defenses, the Sicilian.  I found two - and both were dedicated to the Dragon.

So I typed in the word "Najdorf" - and found nothing!  That shocked me.  I was for sure that someone had begun a group dedicated to 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd 4. Nxd Nf6 5. Nc3 a6.

As a matter of fact, there is hardly anything for 1. e4 c5 at all, according to the groups listing. 

So I ask a question...is anyone interested in any groups (other than the Sicilian Dragon - there are two already devoted to that) that I can begin to promote team and vote chess, and possibly tournaments?  And would anyone be willing to help me in this project? 

If even a few people take an interest in this idea, I will glady create groups around either the whole Sicilain complex, or go deeper into certain styles, such as Najdorf, Sveshnikov, Kan, etc. 

Your move! :-)

What are the idea behind the move 5...a6, besides denying White's minor pieces use of b5 and a possible queenside expansion? Also, in other ...d6 Sicilians what insurmountable problems do Bb5/Nb5 create that Black feels justified in expending a tempo to avoid them? I don't play so the Sicilian, so just curious. Since it's one of BirdBrain's pet openings, maybe he knows, and a good description might entice members to join.

I would join the Najdorf group, i too was surprised there wasnt a group already.

I would love to see a Najdorf group, it is one of my favourite openings as black.

Note this - this is NOT one of my pet openings.  I'm sorry if the title inferred that, but it is an open question - Why play the Sicilian?

I recently have been using the Pirc/Philidor for my 1. e4 defense and I really like it at the moment.  It goes as follows...

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nbd7 (or ...e5 if I am in the mood to allow a queen trade) 4. Nf3 e5.  Black plays to hold the e-pawn which grips the center, and prepares play on either wing, depending on White's reactions.

But let's look here at the Najdorf...the little that I do know about it.

1. e4 c5 - Black gives White the chance to have a lead in development AND attacking chances at the cost of a central pawn.  Black has faith in his ability to either checkmate White, or as I have read many times before, grind down to an endgame.

2. Nf3 - White is in the mood to bust the center open and prove that Black has a lot of work to do.

...d6 - Now we get into theoretical debates...what is more appropriate for move 2?  What benefit does ...d6 do for Black's position?  For one, it stifles White's e-pawn, which allows Black to bring his knight safely to f6 in a couple of moves, if need be.  Also, he has opened the diagonal for his queen bishop to travel from c8, if need be.  Now, I can't name a game I have seen with the Sicilian with an early Bg4 or Bf5, but the option is there if White played something different than the mainline.

3. d4 - White is busting open the center and wants to get to Black's king quickly.

...cxd - Black trades off a flank pawn for a central pawn - Phase one of his strategy is complete.

4. Nxd - White has a nicely placed knight that Black can boot ONLY at the cost of creating a hole at d5 - a hot debatable subject in Sicilian theory.

...Nf6 - Black attacks White's pawn on e4, while at the same time developing a piece.

5. Nc3 - White in turn develops a piece while also protecting e4.

...a6 - The signature of the Najdorf.  When Black plays ...a6, he not only strengthens control of the b5 square in case of a knight or bishop invasion, he prepares a queenside pawn advance, which goes along with his original train of thought beginning at move 1 - queenside initiative.  But controlling b5 also gives him the ability to push ...e5 more effectively.  If I remember, this was Najdorf's original idea.  More recently, it has been used to enter into Scheveningen territory with a ...d6/...e6 pawn structure.

Of course, there are various options White can enter into, and Black has reliable options at his disposal as well.

The reason I DON'T personally play the Sicilian often is I don't like to play against a bookworm - I want a real game of chess.  My best results with the Sicilain probably came from experimenting with the Kalashnikov (1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd 4. Nxd e5).  The only downside is that playing 2...Nc6 in the Sicilian allows the annoying 3. Bb5, and I have seen in games of Shabalov (and believe it is probably best) to play ...e6 allowing BxN dxB (or bxB if you want something even more offbeat).  However, that position annoys me, so I don't like to venture it often.  It is a preference.

I hope my explanation helped you understand a bit behind the opening developments.  Now, White has many options, and I don't want to go too deep into them all, as it is not fair to you for me to talk about an opening I don't know deeply.  I know it as far as I have explained it, but I have never played it intimately. 

But the point of this forum is to see if there are people who are interested in either a Sicilian group, or a group based on one facet of the Sicilian. 

I actually hate the Sicilian as Black.  Against top players, it always goes down to a draw because there is SO much theory.  Just think about the logic of 1. c5.  I am going to play something that is considered unbalanced, because if I play something similar to the White setup, he might get an edge.  So I would like to play a move that does nothing for my development.  This may have been a little over the top, but I am Sicilianed-out right now.  French all the way!

I can't play it as black or white.

but I'm hating the spanish game even more right now, so I've been playing ...c5.

Time to look at the french.

Hmm...maybe I ought to start a forum on my choice at the moment, the Pirc/Philidor. Both choices offer Black decent winning chances.  I don't play the ...g6 Pirc lines, but there are players who like that and they can turn into aggressive games for sure.  I just like the pawn play of what I play...although who knows, I may venture the ...g6 lines sometime!

French Defense is a terrible alternative to Sicilian, and it has a heap of theory as well so keep playing the Dragon folks.

the main thing in the najdorf is a6 stops  Bb5+

 I disagree. I play both the sicilian and the french . I win more with sicilians but lose more too. With the french I win and lose less but have a higher % of draws.

If you know the themes in the French, you will do actually fine in the opening.  That can't be said about the Sicilian

I love the Sicilian, both playing it as Black (I use Four Knights... not very common, but definitely fun), and playing the main lines as White.  I would gladly join a Najdorf group, or even a more general Sicilian group! 

As White, I live to play against Najdorf.  While Dragon is sharp, I feel like Najdorf is much sharper and is therefore more fun to play.  Furthermore, I really enjoy the Bg5 lines in the Najdorf, where it seems like both players get to develop all of their pieces before trying to launch their attacks at each other.  Yes, it's a ton of theory, but by learning the theory and the ideas behind it, you are more prepared for the early deviations that you'll often see at club-level play, while knowing the subtleties of the position and understanding when and why spectacular piece sacrifices work when your opponent fails to maintain the balance of the position! 

I would love to see a group on the Sicilian - it definitely deserves one, for all the people who put in the hard work to learn how to play their Sicilian very well!

i love playing the shev.. so if u wanna start up groups like these.. i'll definitely join!

Well, we can arrange groups for both the Caro Kann and the Sicilian.  There is already a great group for the French (French Defense Fanatics, 50-60 strong at the moment I believe). 

I see potential in both of these groups.  I will create groups for both and send links to both groups here.

As far as French and Sicilian go, my friend used to play the French often, but drew a lot.  He switched to the 2...e6 Sicilian and began to win more games, but it depends on what you know also!  I haven't done so well with the Sicilian in my chess travels, but it boils down to understanding the opening themes.

http://www.chess.com/groups/home/the-sicilian-superstars

Okay, I have officially set up a new group for the Sicilian Defense.  At the moment, it is for 1. e4 c5.  I am not getting into any branches, as time will show what people want the group to be about.  If you want to join, just click in and I will let you into the group.  As it grows, we will set up team and vote chess, and eventually a tourney based on 1. e4 c5. 

 http://www.chess.com/groups/home/caro-kann-cutthroats

Okay, here is a link to the Caro-Kann group that I have just created.  Tomorrow I will try to put a bit of work into both groups to get them "fixed up". I will also create a forum around the Caro-Kann, "Why play the Caro-Kann?", so if anyone has a legitimate desire to join this group, by all means come on in! 

Good explanations, BirdBrain. Good luck with your groups. :)

As strange as it may sound, 5...a6 is an agressive move, preparing b5 and in some cases b4, part of the fight for the square e4, which is the main target of the Najdorf if white does nothing (Nbd7-c5 attacks e4 too)

Why play the Sicilian? Because if White wants to play it sharp, he'll have to play d4 soon, and then cxd4 gives you a pawn advantage in the center and a nice half open c file.

Of course, White has an advantage in development and space, but if Black survives the initial attack, he has great chances.