I like to play the classical Sicilian OTB and am playing it more and more on this site.
I enjoy playing against nearly all White's major tries
6.Bc4 Qb6!? (Benko's move) I like this for Black and by all acoounts is theoreticaly in good shape.
6.Be2 g6 (I like to transpose into a Classical Dragon here)
6.Be3 Ng4
6.f4 g6 (Levenfish Dragon)
6.f3 e5
6.g3 g6 (Dragon again)
N.B. Why so many people play 6.Bb5 is beyond me, on this site is by far the most common move I have had to face!!
However I am concerned with the problems Black seems to be facing in the Richter-Rauzer variation.
Recent theoretical works seem quite pessamistic about this for Black.
The main variations
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2
This gives the main starting point
Black's main tries here are
7...Be7
7...a6 8.0-0-0 h6
7...a6 8.0-0-0 Bd7
7...a6 8.0-0-0 Be7 (with a later ...Nxd4)
Anyone else play the Classical and what are your thoughts on this?
Maybe I will try the following
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3 d6
Any views on this?
I know its very heavy going but some resposes would be welcome 😉
a6 is quite a flexible move - allowing black a little more time to check out where white is going to develop before comitting himself.
It also allows the queenside expanding move b5 and, therefore, gives the bishop the b7 square to develop on.
Also, trying to force the bishop exchange for the knight on f6 can be beneficial if you recapture with the g7 pawn - this gives you an open g file for the rook and also a rock solid pawn fortress in which your king can happily sit for a long time without molestation.
Originally posted by !~TONY~!Yeah ths is Dreev's favourite too
You forgot my favorite move - 6...Bd7!?
I know you follow it with Rc8 an an exchange on of knights on d4.
Regarding T-chex comment
The 8...Bd7 variation can indeed involve Black taking on f6 and Black taking back with the g-pawn then Black playing ...b5 (usually White plays Nxc6 when Black plays Bxc6).
This only realy occurs if White plays 9.f4 (Kozul suicide varaition!) leading to the following position
I think that after 9.f3 Black is finding it more difficult.
Originally posted by najdorfslayer7...Be7,8.0-0-0 and now 8...0-0,9.f4 Nxd4,10.Qxd4 or 9.f4 h6
I like to play the classical Sicilian OTB and am playing it more and more on this site.
I enjoy playing against nearly all White's major tries
6.Bc4 Qb6!? (Benko's move) I like this for Black and by all acoounts is theoreticaly in good shape.
6.Be2 g6 (I like to transpose into a Classical Dragon here)
6.Be3 Ng4
6.f4 g6 (Levenfish Dragon)
6.f d6
Any views on this?
I know its very heavy going but some resposes would be welcome 😉
7...Be7,8.0-0-0 0-0,9.Nb3 Qb6
Which I've played O.T.B..with mixed results,both position can lead to black offering white the d pawn.
Originally posted by greenpawn34"Bb5 is the best move"
quote:
N.B. Why so many people play 6.Bb5 is beyond me, on this site is by far the most common move I have had to face!!
Bb5 is the best move - Also we know it annoys Sicilian players.
We side-step all you theory and we do not give up our d-pawn
for your c-pawn.
What a load of rubbish
I suspect if it was so good it may be played by more top players.
P.S. It doesn't annoy me and if White played it all the time I suspect every top player would play he Classical Sicilian.
Note I said 6.Bb5 NOT 3.Bb5!
Neil Macdonald, the Sicilian Bb5 revealed, best chess book i ever read, if its good enough for Ivanchuck, Adams, Fischer (peace be upon him), Gallagher, Kasimdzhanof, Svidler, Shirov, Grischuk then its good enough for the rest of us. like green pawn states, and as Larsen stated way back, it does not make positional sense to exchange a central pawn for a wing pawn, does it? and we avoid all them sharp openings like the Najdorf and the Dragon while playing a solid if game. Bb5 Sicilian is awesome.
Originally posted by najdorfslayer3Bb5 is being played by the top players - everywhere.
P.S. It doesn't annoy me and if White played it all the time I suspect every top player would play he Classical Sicilian.
Top players use it as a rabbit crushing opening in simuls
and 1st rounds of tournaments.
Just face it - the Sicilian is an English a tempo down.
You will never see OTB any of the variations you are memorising.
It's just a sad waste of time.
(3.Bb5 does annoy Sicilian players - I've heard then complain...).
Originally posted by greenpawn34(3.Bb5 does annoy Sicilian players - I've heard then complain...)
3Bb5 is being played by the top players - everywhere.
Top players use it as a rabbit crushing opening in simuls
and 1st rounds of tournaments.
Just face it - the Sicilian is an English a tempo down.
You will never see OTB any of the variations you are memorising.
It's just a sad waste of time.
(3.Bb5 does annoy Sicilian players - I've heard then complain...).
At least some Sicilian players seems to be easily annoyable - 2.c3 does annoy them too 😀
Originally posted by KorchMost Sicilian players want to play a certain variation. (e.g. the Dragon or the Najdorf)
[b](3.Bb5 does annoy Sicilian players - I've heard then complain...)
At least some Sicilian players seems to be easily annoyable - 2.c3 does annoy them too 😀[/b]
When white plays 2. c3 or Bb5 at some point or simply plays a closed variation it annoys the Sicilian player.
Black no longer gets to dictate the variation and the positions that arise from those three are wildly different than what black was aiming for.
Originally posted by Red NightI never get annoyed if my opponent chooses clever strategy. So probably I will never understand players who gets annoyed when opponent does not play what they want. It seems to me quite childish attitude.
Most Sicilian players want to play a certain variation. (e.g. the Dragon or the Najdorf)
When white plays 2. c3 or Bb5 at some point or simply plays a closed variation it annoys the Sicilian player.
Black no longer gets to dictate the variation and the positions that arise from those three are wildly different than what black was aiming for.
Originally posted by greenpawn34Greenpawn
3Bb5 is being played by the top players - everywhere.
Top players use it as a rabbit crushing opening in simuls
and 1st rounds of tournaments.
Just face it - the Sicilian is an English a tempo down.
You will never see OTB any of the variations you are memorising.
It's just a sad waste of time.
(3.Bb5 does annoy Sicilian players - I've heard then complain...).
You are getting confused
I completely agree 3.Bb5 is a very good respectable Anti-Sicilian, and yes I agree it is one of the more annoying Anti-Sicilians I have to face. (Although I have had it very rarely on this site).
However I was talking about 6.Bb5
By the way if Anti-Sicilians are so good why in the recent British Championship did White get an absolute pounding in Anti-sicilian games
http://www.chesspublishing.com/content/5/index.htm
I have to diagree with you Greenpawn.........How can you (a pirc player
😵) say the Sicilian is a poor opening (which is what you insinuating).
Originally posted by KorchSpeaking personally I breathe a sigh of relief when players don't play an Open Sicilian.
[b](3.Bb5 does annoy Sicilian players - I've heard then complain...)
At least some Sicilian players seems to be easily annoyable - 2.c3 does annoy them too 😀[/b]
I believe that the Open is by far ther most challenging option for White.
that is not to say that OTB in certain situatins other moves are better.
I cetainly have a healthy respect for all Anti-Sicilians such as
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 (Rossilimo/Moscow)
1.e4 c5 2.c3
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 (Grand Prix & Closed)
However the danger Black has in low level (Certianly not GM level) is Black is simply not prepared to meet these lines as well as he is in his chosen Open Variation.
I have recently spent more time studying Anti-Sicilian lines than I have Open lines (as my OTB league are full of Anti-Sicilian wimps) and have stated to really enjoy the positions that arise after 2.c3 and 3.Bb5 or 2.Nc3.
So I say come on you wimps bring on your Anti-Sicilians!!!
Looks like us anti-Sicilianites have hi-jacked this thread.
Which is a bit of a shame but we were invitied to make a comment.
As for chess players being childish - I think all chess players have a
sleeping childish streak running though them.
(me included - two streaks!).
Look at the tantums we throw when we lose sometimes.
And you just have to read back on few other threads to see
'toys getting thrown out of the pram',
And when you think about it, It's a GAME and we are ADULTS.
(It's a brilliant game though - the beautiful game).
Right where was I....Oh Yeah.
The Sicilian sucks. nah nah nah nah nah nah.
PS 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 (damn! now I'm annoyed - no 3.Bb5).