I myself plays the Grivas Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qb6) and like that.
But I have read a book called "Challenging the Sicilian with 2.a3!?" and I can´t find anything wrong with it.
Might look weord but it leads to highly unusal and aggresive positions, if noone here at RHP can improve blacks play I think I´m gonna get it inte my reportiare.
So I now challange all Sicilian players here at RHP.
We will play 5 games in the variation and we will see who wins the most.
I will put the games here and the results, you may talk about the games here as well.
I´m gonna use the book and you may use what ever you want.
(But I don´t think you will find anything)
I´m soory but right now I have 6 games and i´m not a subscriper yet so the first one to take my challenge at "Open Invites" gets the only game thats playable. (Right now)
Originally posted by Shadows I, Shadows, now challange the Sicilian.
I myself plays the Grivas Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qb6) and like that.
But I have read a book called "Challenging the Sicilian with 2.a3!?" and I can´t find anything wrong with it.
Might look weord but it leads to highly unusal and aggresive positions, if noone here at RHP can improve bl ...[text shortened]... " gets the only game thats playable. (Right now)
Any one up for the Challenge?
Shadows
After 1. e4 c5 2. a3 I have 62 games at GM level in the last 5 years. 2. ... g6 was played 23 times with black scoring 78%.
The obvious way of annoying white is 2. ... a5, since white's dropped a tempo with 2. a3 it's playable, 2. ... Qc7 with the idea of c5 - c4 after white's b2 - b4 also looks possible (at least after 30s Crafty hadn't refuted it). 2. ... e5 looks ugly, but increases black's grip on d4. I'm not saying that these are better than 2. ... g6 or any of the other moves that are possible, but black seems to get a lot of freedom from a very early 2. a3. The lines involving c2 - c3 on the third or fourth move are probably a more promising way of getting a big centre against a Sicilian.
2...a5 NO Its not even mentioned in the book and what about the big hole och b5? I might play Ncr and the Bc4 to use b5 with my knight and then i can drop back to a2 with my bishop. I can´t see why a5 is better than a3?
2...e5 on the other hand is playable. White should play Nc3 and get some kind of Weinna Game (1. e4 e5 2.Nc3) when black has played c5. (What about d5?) and whites bishop can drop back to a2.
Another option is to play a improved kings gambit with 3. f4!? wich is very interesting even thought I would not trust it in a real game...
2...g6 is one of the main lines yes and I can´t say that white can get a advantege in all the lines even thought if you are so secure about yourself then challenge me and we will see what my book sais.
I don´t like early d5s, black can play d5 and retake with the queen.
After a3 white can still play Nc3 without any troubles.
a3 is a really good move wich I believe in. If you don´t then challenge me.
Originally posted by Shadows I´m sorry but I do not agree.
2...a5 NO Its not even mentioned in the book and what about the big hole och b5? I might play Ncr and the Bc4 to use b5 with my knight and then i can drop back to a2 with my bishop. I can´t see why a5 is better than a3?
2...e5 on the other hand is playable. White should play Nc3 and get some kind of Weinna Game (1. e4 e5 2 ...[text shortened]... ubles.
a3 is a really good move wich I believe in. If you don´t then challenge me.
Shadows
Books smucks, if 2...a5 isnt mentioned in the book then maybe its incomplete. Fankly id just play 2...d5 and a3 looks silly. Move in the center not the on the flanks.
By the way my database had the postion after 2...d5 only 12 times however black wins 75% of those games.
I´m sorry a5 was mentioned under "Other" and is givne "?!" and d5 is one of the main lines.
You then take the pawn and the book mentions both Qxd5 and Nf6
White getting good attacking chances after both.
Qx meets Nc3 and Nf6 meets Bb5+! and black faces problems with his king.
Originally posted by Shadows I´m sorry a5 was mentioned under "Other" and is givne "?!" and d5 is one of the main lines.
You then take the pawn and the book mentions both Qxd5 and Nf6
White getting good attacking chances after both.
Qx meets Nc3 and Nf6 meets Bb5+! and black faces problems with his king.
Shadows
White gets good attacking chances in all siclians. The point is in 2.a3?! the chances are reduced. I already knew what whites natural responces were to Qxd5.....if you had to look those up in a book then you should have saved your money and just got out the chess board. Now, without your book take a good look at 2.a3?! and you might see that its a bit pants.
Originally posted by Shadows I´m sorry but I do not agree.
2...a5 NO Its not even mentioned in the book and what about the big hole och b5? I might play Ncr and the Bc4 to use b5 with my knight and then i can drop back to a2 with my bishop. I can´t see why a5 is better than a3?
2...e5 on the other hand is playable. White should play Nc3 and get some kind of Weinna Game (1. e4 e5 2 ...[text shortened]... ubles.
a3 is a really good move wich I believe in. If you don´t then challenge me.
Shadows
You can learn to play Chess in a book?
I thought that was only for simple things like Professional Baseball?
If you realized the thing about the move you would not say that white won´t have attacking chances.
White is gonna uindermine blacks pawn in the centre with b4 and then play d4.
He will then have the whole center and easy development.
Often its happends that black for examlpe plays 2...Nc6 or 2...e6 wich seems to stop b4 but then you just play b4 anyway and if he takes it I promise you that white gets at least as much attacking chances as in the main lines when he got:
-The Centre
-A great attacking rook an a1 that might even go to a4 or to a3 and then g3
-An amazing bishop an c1 that can go to both b2 and a3
-easy kingside development
-etc
in the e6 (not direct, he must sac the pawn etc) line whites most promising move is Ra3 (giving up an exchange).
If black takes it he is basicly lost.
If he don´t and white gets to play Rg3 (often followed by Qg4/h5)
and he has before this also played Bb2 then black will get some trouble with the g7 pawn etc.
a3!? is an amazing line wich gives white extremly many chances to sac the b and a pawns wich gives great attacking options.
Originally posted by Shadows I really think you underrestimate a3.
If you realized the thing about the move you would not say that white won´t have attacking chances.
White is gonna uindermine blacks pawn in the centre with b4 and then play d4.
He will then have the whole center and easy development.
Often its happends that black for examlpe plays 2...Nc6 or 2...e6 wich seems to s ...[text shortened]... the b and a pawns wich gives great attacking options.
And no, d5 is not critical.
Shadows
I think you are overestimating a move that doesn't do much to advance white's standard plans in the Sicilian and instead attempts to start a slow and blatent plan that even if successful will give black enough time to develop excellent counterplay.
Originally posted by Shadows I really think you underrestimate a3.
If you realized the thing about the move you would not say that white won´t have attacking chances.
White is gonna uindermine blacks pawn in the centre with b4 and then play d4.
He will then have the whole center and easy development.
Often its happends that black for examlpe plays 2...Nc6 or 2...e6 wich seems to s ...[text shortened]... the b and a pawns wich gives great attacking options.
Challenging the Sicilian
18 May '06 12:531 edit
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