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Avatar of johndjwalker

What  do you think is the best continuation for black when facing this counter to the sicilian?

Avatar of erik42085

The best reply to 2.f4 is 2.d5 the tal gambit. If white accepts with 3.exd5 3.Nf6 is the follow up and if white tries to hold the d pawn with Nc3 or c4 black can play e6 and this is considered good for black. White can decline with 3.e5 and then black can play e6 and possibly transpose to a French line (I forget the name) that also favors black. For these reasons, grand prix attack players often and should play 2.Nc3 before playing f4. Look up the tal gambit and familiarise yourself with it and you should have no problems getting a good position against 2.f4

Avatar of johndjwalker

Thank you, erik42085, this is really helpful!

Avatar of erik42085

Your welcome. I play on lichess and for whatever reason, a lot of people like to play 2.f4 over there so I did some research a while back. I've been crushing 2.f4 ever since, only lost one game that I recall and that was due to a mid game blunder.

Avatar of thefastestmilkcart

I play the Tal gambit.

Avatar of ThrillerFan

The Tal Gambit is best, but in addition to 3.e5, which is NOT the most common way to decline it (though is a line you also must consider), the most common is known as the Toilet Variation, and that is 3.Nc3.

It got it's name from where the inventor of the opening was sitting when he thought up the idea, supposedly (1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5 3.Nc3).

 

The Tal Gambit is the main reason why the vast majority of Grand Prix Attack players reach the Grand Prix via 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 followed by 3.f4.

For example, if Black plays the most common response to 2.Nc3, namely 2...Nc6, then after 3.f4, 3...d5 ain't so hot because after 3.exd5, Black doesn't have time for 3...Nf6 as his other Knight is attacked!

Against other possible responses to 2.Nc3, most of them make trying to steer it back to a Tal Gambit a mistake.  For example, 2...e6 3.f4 d5 is no longer a Gambit, and after say, 2...a6 (commonly played by Najdorf and Kan players) 3.f4 d5 merely drops a pawn and the ...a6 move isn't very useful when you are trying to make White pay the price for holding on to the pawn, weakening things like his back d-pawn after a c4 push in the normal Tal Gambit.  Here, with the Knight on c3 already protecting the pawn, White won't end up playing c4, won't weaken d3, and now your a6 move looks silly, so normally after 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 a6 3.f4, Black will play 3...e6 or 3...b5.

Avatar of SHWETA_BENIWAL

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Avatar of SHWETA_BENIWAL

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