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What's this against my Sicilian
Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 3:47 pm
by Simon Rogers
Hi all. Question and advice.
I was playing black in the Major at Scarborough Chess Congress in 2012 and I faced something that I've not seen before. Although I've heard that Magnus Carlsen played something similar at Biel 2018.
1.e4 c5
2.Na3 e6
3.f4. Nc6
4.c3
Just wandering what's white plan and what's best reply.
Re: What's this against my Sicilian
Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 4:03 pm
by Roger de Coverly
Simon Rogers wrote: ↑Tue Apr 28, 2020 3:47 pm
1.e4 c5
2.Na3 e6
3.f4. Nc6
4.c3
Just wandering what's white plan and what's best reply.
Being the Major, you presumably weren't playing Surtees.
In the Grand Prix Attack, there's a system where the pawns go to c3,d3,e4 and f4 and the pieces tuck in around them. That's possibly or probably White's intention. Any vaguely sensible defence against the Grand Prix should be OK and the game will be determined by who plays the middle game better or gets any later tactics more correct than the opponent.
(The Surtees idea in the Grand Prix Attack seems to be to combine it with Nh3)
1.e4 c5 2. Na3 was someone's novelty against the Sicilian a few years ago.
Re: What's this against my Sicilian
Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 4:23 pm
by Simon Rogers
Mercifully I wasn't playing Surtees. Although I have faced Brett Lund's 1.h4 a number of times. I remember Surtees trying to teach me the Revolutionary Opening Theory and talking to me about his website at Scarborough Chess Congress the previous year.
1.h4 and best replies could be my next topic on chess questions.
Re: What's this against my Sicilian
Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 4:43 pm
by Brendan O'Gorman
Didn't Chess Stars publish a book on this line some years back? I think the author was GM Vadim Zvjaginsev. Here he is using the line to claim an impressive scalp.
Re: What's this against my Sicilian
Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2020 12:29 am
by Simon Rogers
Thank you Brendan. Has anyone found the Carlsen game I was talking about from Biel 2018.
Re: What's this against my Sicilian
Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2020 9:00 am
by Kevin Thurlow
Carlsen - Georgiadis, Biel 2018 went 1.e4 c5, 2.Na3 g6, 3.Nf3 Bg7, 4.c3 d5,5.exd5 Qxd5 and white rapidly got an inferior position, but an extra 300 rating points told in the end!
Re: What's this against my Sicilian
Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2020 10:27 am
by NigelDonovan
Re: What's this against my Sicilian
Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2020 11:12 am
by Roger de Coverly
Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑Thu Apr 30, 2020 9:00 am
Carlsen - Georgiadis, Biel 2018 went 1.e4 c5, 2.Na3 g6, 3.Nf3 Bg7, 4.c3 d5,5.exd5 Qxd5 and white rapidly got an inferior position
That's more of a 2.c3 interpretation than a Grand Prix one.
Re: What's this against my Sicilian
Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2020 11:55 am
by Nick Burrows
I've played this twice before. It looks like a monkey move, but the knight is better placed on c2 as on c3 it gets hit quickly with blacks counterplay. Its just a bit slow spending a tempo to get it there.
There is a Nigel Davies dvd where he advocated it, showing a great game or two played by Zvjaginsev.
Re: What's this against my Sicilian
Posted: Mon May 11, 2020 8:16 pm
by Simon Rogers
Thanks. Someone at Scarborough Chess Congress a number of years ago recommended the DVD. It's called
E4 for the Creative Attacker by GM Nigel Davies
The DVD also mentions playing 2.f4 against the French Defence. Sounds an interesting DVD.
The same person also recommended another DVD by Nigel Davies called D6 Universal.