Exeter Chess Club
An introduction to
the Sicilian Defence
"Never go in against a Sicilian when *death*
is on the
line!"
-- from The Princess Bride (via
Christine Malcom)
This booklet emerged out of a couple of discussions with
our better
juniors, who were interested in knowing a bit more about
the Sicilian
Defence, and more particularly,
what to play against it at White.
I'll discuss some of the ideas behind the Open Sicilian.
I do like
the Sicilian Defence, for both sides, but got discouraged
by all the
theory. Chess magazines are full of quick White kills
against the
Sicilian. Why do players bother with it, then? Because
the longer
games where the attack founders and Black wins the endgame
are too
long for magazines. I'll describe some of the ideas
behind the Open
Sicilian, then show you some examples of how White can
play for a win
without having to read Nunn's "Beating the Sicilian
3" every
night for the next two years.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6
Black has alternatives on move 2, but will usually play
...Nf6 on move 4
to prompt:
5. Nc3
































































The point of Black forcing this move now is to avoid the
Maroczy Bind
- see below. The characteristics of most main line
Sicilian games can
already be seen.
- White has more space and better development (Black
has to move
the e- or g-pawn to get the Bf8 out, and may have to spend
another
move on ...a6)
- Black has an extra central Pawn; White has no
compensating
structural advantage like a Queen's-side majority - in
fact, the
c-Pawn is backward on an open file. Larsen has claimed
that this
means the Sicilian is strategically superior for Black,
and he may be
right.
- Therefore, the short-term chances favour White, but
as the game
goes on the ending may favour Black. Sicilian games are
usually a
race for White to make something out of the temporary
advantages in
space and mobility before Black completes development and
piles up on
the e-pawn or the c-file. There are some common tactical
themes based
around sacrifices at h7, d5 and b5; Stean talks about
White arranging
a "tactical accident" for Black, whereas Larsen refers to
White's
approach in the Open Sicilian as a "cheap trick" (!).
- The e-Pawn is a site of contention; Black may try to
attack it
with ...Bb7, ...Nb8-d7-c5; White may try to advance or
reinforce it.
The move ...b5 by Black may threaten to dislodge the
Knight defender
on c3, and expose the c-Pawn.
- The positions are very flexible and many plans and
sub-plans are
available for each side. The sharpest variations involve
hazardous
negotiations for each side, but slower positional
approaches are
adopted too.
After 5. Nc3 Black can play:
5...e6 the Scheveningen Variation,
5...g6, the Dragon Variation
5...a6, the Najdorf Variation
Another common move is 5...Nc6, which is usually named for
White's
reply:
6. Bg5, the Richter-Rauser attack
6. Bc4, the Fischer-Sozin attack
The Sicilian is a vast battleground where many areas have
been mapped in
detail and I cannot attempt any sort of summary of the
theory in these various
lines.
However, there are two general structural differences
which can be
used to unlock some of the ideas:
firstly, where is
Black going to put the Bf8? If Black plays ...e6, this is
solid,
whereas ...g6 and ...Bg7 is much more active, but more
risky. These
are the Paulsen/Scheveningen and Dragon structures,
respectively.
Secondly, if White can play c2-c4, this
denies Black
three of the key opportunities for active play: ...d6-d5,
...b7-b5,
and generally chances down the c-file with a minority
attack against
the pawn on c2. This is the Maroczy
Bind, which
while not a losing option for Black, is a lot less fun
than lines
without c2-c4.
There are other structures, like when Black plays
...e7-e5, but
that's too chewy for this booklet. There is a bit of
material in the
sections on Knights and Planning.
CONTENTS
The repertoires below offer you three ways of playing
against most of the
semi-open defences, and also tell you what to do against
some of the less
common lines after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3.
The three approaches are:
- Fast attacking game with pieces
- Slower attacking game with f4
- King's Indian Attack with g3
Which you choose will depend on what sort of player you
are. It may also
depend on what you hope to play after 1. e4 e5.
Fast attacking game with pieces
Slower attacking game with f4
King's Indian Attack with g3
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This document (sicilian_ToC.html) was last modified on
25 Jan 1996
by
Dr. Dave