Countering sicilian defense?

Hello,

I've been working on my e5 openings, and have considerable difficulty
in mid-game with people who play the sicilian defense, particularly the
dragon variation. Can anyone suggest a good strategy for dealing
with this defense?

Thanks,

-legionnaire

Typo above - I meant to say e4 openings...

-legionnaire

Hi! That was clear. A good method to avoid most of the Sicilian theory
is 2.c3. The Dragon won't eat you anymore. Cheerio! Jan

The Alapin is one of my favorites, Jan. Thise Dragoneers will need to
go back to their caves to lick their wounds! ;-)

Rein

Hi! that's why I, at my age, never play 1.e4. No Sicilians vs me. No
way! 1.d4 is already difficult enough and I sort of seem to feel 'at
home' in closed positions. Cheerio! Jan

I usually try to avoid everyone's primary openings and go with the
Reti, but that's just me... lol. I don't have the spare time to devote to
all 30 main variations of the Sicilian, let alone the Caro-Kann.
--Rein

I play the Reti and other similar Hypermodern openings. The only
downside is one mistake early and you could get
squashed........hehehehe.........

Well, the good thing about the Reti is that if things get confusing,
pushing d4 usually gets you back to more conservative lines.

Squashed? Like you're squashing me? We'll see. By the way, you just
lost another pawn... ;-)

--Rein

No crap!

As white, if Black plays 1...c5, then you're stuck with the Sicilian, but
you can choose a variation that is more to your liking. Most Black
Sicilian players prefer open games, so the Closed Sicilian with 1.e4 c5
2. Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 may keep Black from entering into the type of middle
game he'd like. White typically attacks on the Kingside, but Black will
generally advance on the queenside.

Another option, one I like to play, is the Alapin Sicilian with 1.e4 c5,
2.c3. Once again, you avoid all the annoying main lines and have a
very playable game.

Or the Rossolimo Attack (aka the Anti-Sicilian): 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6
3.Bb5...

The general idea here is to figure out what you have the most trouble
with in the opening or the middle game and find a way to avoid those
positions. Study the openings that *you* want to use, not the
openings that your opponent wants to use. Find ways to throw him off
his game.

Hope this helps! What do you think, Dave? I'm sure I'll hear from you
soon...
--Rein

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll give them a try.

-legionnaire

Hi Rein! Here's what Nick de Firmian says in MCO 14th Edition (page
336)... 2.c3 has seen a surge of interest in recent years. This is a safe
continuation that avoids ALL (my capitalisation, jp) the theory of the
open lines, yet still allows White to play an active game. The reader
will notice the dense material (...), reflecting the many new plans that
have been discovered. 2.-/Nf6 (...) has been scoring well for Black. 2.-
/d5 (...). 3.e6 is also reasonable. Cheerio! Jan.

I imagine the only reason it's not seen more often in GM level play is
that these GMs LOVE the Sicilian, and are usually looking to delve
headlong into theory they know (i.e. Kasparov, etc.) very, very well.
So, for those of us who don't know the theory, the Alapin is a great
choice.
I love my MCO! ;-)
--Rein

This is a little tongue and cheek but to avoid the Sicilian,don't play e4 🙂

I stopped playing e4 to avoid the French but I know players that never play e4
just because of the the threat of an opponent playing 1..c5