I would like to take a survey on the sicilian

[Joey Stewart]

It's a good move as long as you have nerves of steel and an ability to calculate extremely accurate defences - more often then not it's better to leave those sacrifices alone as you are only giving the white player a risk free shot at glory, safe in the knowledge his team mates will heartily commiserate a spirited attempt even if the game is lost.

[Joey Stewart]

*deleted by moderator*

[Duncan Grossett]

The line 1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 Bb5 features in one of the books by Motwani. I don't know its name, but have generally had decent games with it.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Of the "others", I have always found 2 b3 to be a bit intriguing.

[Joey Stewart]

I find b3, although officially classed as a Sicilian, has a tendency to veer towards English or d4 type middlegames so kind of makes you wonder why white even bothered opening with 1.e4 in the first place if he is just going to end up with a slightly inferior version of another white opening. Same goes for the g3 type games.

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Duncan,

3 Bb5.
I have a well thumbed book on this opening calling it ''The Anti-Sicilian' by Razuvayed and Matsukevitch. (pub 1984)
The ideas and plans they presented won me a few games. As well one as one opening trap they relegated to a side note.
I looked at it and the next day! a lad walked right into it in a league match. 1-0 and I went home early.
(which was great because after that match there was a huge rammy which I dodged.)

I liked Razuvayed and Matsukevitch's opening note to v 3...a6

r1bqkbnr/1p1ppppp/p1n5/1Bp5/4P3/5N2/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK2R w KQkq - 0 4

If this move was any good then 3.Bb5 would be classed as a bluff and there would be no point in writing a whole book about it.

Typically I lost one or two v 3...a6 but that was me, not the opening.
(and I never fell into Noah's Ark.. 4.Ba4 b5 etc, which is rather surprising.)

[AlanLlewellyn]

you dont mention the kasparov plan of Nf5 which is very dangerous

Presumably only when there is a reason why ...gxf5 isn't a good move.

the whole point is to try and force the opening of the g-file to the king and it usually ends with mate in about 8 more moves if black gets greedy with gxf5

[NickFaulks]

It's a good move as long as you have nerves of steel and an ability to calculate extremely accurate defences

Possibly I am confused here. What is exactly is Kasparov's Nf5 plan against the Dragon?

[AlanLlewellyn]

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "?"] [Black "?"] [Result "*"] [PlyCount "35"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Bc4 Nc6 9. Qd2 Bd7 10. O-O-O Rc8 11. Bb3 Ne5 12. Kb1 Re8 13. h4 h5 14. Bh6 Nc4 15. Bxc4 Rxc4 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Nd5 e5 18. Nf5+ * This isnt an exact game of Kasparovs but shows the principle behind the move, here gxf5 loses for black but Bxf5 is playable

[AlanLlewellyn]

Matt i think i showed you the game an opponent played 1 e4 d6 2 b3 against me in the pirc and i made another howler strategic mistake and quickly lost

[AlanLlewellyn]

[Event "Blackpool Intermediate(u1850)"] [Site "?"] [Date "2022.03.13"] [Round "4"] [White "Garrett, Peter"] [Black "Llewellyn, Alan Mansel"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B07"] [WhiteElo "1789"] [BlackElo "1625"] [Annotator "Llewellyn,Alan"] [PlyCount "29"] [EventDate "2022.03.13"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.03.13"] 1. e4 d6 2. b3 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Bb2 Bg7 5. d4 c5 6. e5 dxe5 7. dxe5 Qxd1+ $2 $16 8. Rxd1 Ng4 $4 $18 (8... Nfd7 9. Nd5 Kd8 10. f4 $16) 9. Nd5 O-O 10. Nc7 Nxe5 11. Nxa8 Bg4 12. f3 Bf5 13. Nc7 Bxc2 14. Rd2 Bf5 15. f4 1-0 this shows the power of b3 i actually find it difficult to play against even though this isnt a sicilian but a pirc

[Roger de Coverly]

This isnt an exact game of Kasparovs but shows the principle behind the move, here gxf5 loses for black but Bxf5 is playable

That's one of the many tactics Black needs to know in order to defend in the Dragon.

[Joey Stewart]

I find as a general rule, once white starts getting any sort of attack on the kingside it tends to be curtains for black - you need to be getting your exchange sacs in on the queenside long before that or white can singlemindedly commit to the destruction of your king and there isn't much you can do about it

[IM Jack Rudd]

I once played the delayed Wing Gambit in a game against Michael Franklin; the game started 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 3.b4.

[MJMcCready]

I play the GPA with light squared bishop on b5 and not c4.