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Help against the Sicilian

Help against the Sicilian

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Originally posted by cambridgeian
I never play 1.e4 🙂
The Sicilian is no reason to be scared to play 1. e4. It is generally much more dangerous for Black. In fact, in Mexico 2007 and other 2650+ tournaments it was rarely played and didn't do so well. Instead, they favor a quieter, less ambitious approach with e5.

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Originally posted by exigentsky
The Sicilian is no reason to be scared to play 1. e4. It is generally much more dangerous for Black. In fact, in Mexico 2007 an RHPd other 2650+ tournaments it was rarely played and didn't do so well. Instead, they favor a quieter, less ambitious approach with e5.
that's not the reason i don't play 1.e4, tho'. I'm quite comfortable playing the Sicilian as black. My post was tongue-in-cheek. I settled on c4, d4 and nf3 as opening moves long ago and they've been good servants .... too old to change now 🙂

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Originally posted by tomtom232
Is that a book move or a Ramned move?


5.c4 e5 6.Nb3 Nxe4 7.Bd3 Nf6 and black has a good share of the center, is not behind much in development and has an extra pawn.

5.c4 e5 6.Nb3 Nxe4 7.Bd3 Nc5 and again black has a good position plus an extra pawn.

there are more lines to analyze mainly Qf3 or Qc2 on move 7 in both lines plus 5...Nxe4 would also need to be looked at, but in general I don't think that 5.c4 is very good at all.
It's a Ramned move so far as I know, but you are not correct. Black has not played Nf6 & has no way of taking my e pawn. (Nxe4 - not possible.)

Additionally, rather than Nb3, Nc2 is better.

Then

b3 & f3 there's the maroczy bind; followed by a Bb2 fianchetto and white may have a good attack with h4-h5; f4-f5, g4 etc. Or b3 and f4.

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Originally posted by Ramned
Against the dragon (kingside fianchetto) this works best for me. I usually gain center control and stop counterattack.

1 e4 c5
2 Nf3 d6
3 d4 cd
4 Nxd4 Nc6
5 c4

Followed by possibly f3 (Maroczy Bind)
f4 - f5 kingside attack
The Maroczy bind is great against the accelerated dragon. However the normal dragon is played
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd 4. Nxd Nf6 which pretty much forces 5. Nc3 when c4 is out of the question.

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Originally posted by zebano
The Maroczy bind is great against the accelerated dragon. However the normal dragon is played
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd 4. Nxd [b]Nf6
which pretty much forces 5. Nc3 when c4 is out of the question.[/b]
Over c4 I would choose f4 to avoid that.

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Originally posted by Ramned
It's a Ramned move so far as I know, but you are not correct. Black has not played Nf6 & has no way of taking my e pawn. (Nxe4 - not possible.)

Additionally, rather than Nb3, Nc2 is better.

Then

b3 & f3 there's the maroczy bind; followed by a Bb2 fianchetto and white may have a good attack with h4-h5; f4-f5, g4 etc. Or b3 and f4.
Oops 😳 I accidentally misread Nc6 😞

If Nf6 had been played I looked at it pretty good and thought about Nc2 at first but came to like Nb3 better...I will go get my notes and post them later.

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Nc2 allows b3 / maroczy; also helps protect C file and D file attack

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Originally posted by Ramned
Nc2 allows b3 / maroczy; also helps protect C file and D file attack
Does the Maroczy set up include a pawn at c4? I don't know as I am not familiar with it.

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Yes.

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Originally posted by exigentsky
Yes.
I always thought that the Maroczy bind was bad for white. 😕

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Originally posted by cambridgeian
I never play 1.e4 🙂
Most people study this opening more than anything anyway. What better way to get them off theory than to avoid it! (depends on the opponent thought)

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Originally posted by zebano
The Maroczy bind is great against the accelerated dragon. However the normal dragon is played
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd 4. Nxd [b]Nf6
which pretty much forces 5. Nc3 when c4 is out of the question.[/b]
In the "normal" Dragon, Black plays 2 ...... d6. Nc6 isn't usually played until the 7th or 8th move.

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Originally posted by Ramned
It's a Ramned move so far as I know, but you are not correct. Black has not played Nf6 & has no way of taking my e pawn. (Nxe4 - not possible.)

Additionally, rather than Nb3, Nc2 is better.

Then

b3 & f3 there's the maroczy bind; followed by a Bb2 fianchetto and white may have a good attack with h4-h5; f4-f5, g4 etc. Or b3 and f4.
Who the heck plays 4 ..... Nc6? Nf6 is the book move. In the Chessgames database, it's played more than a 100 times more often than Nc6.

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Originally posted by Lord Of Pie
I don't play it as black, and dislike playing against it as white, because there is so much opening theory behind it. I've mostly studied the najdorf variation, as my chess coach uses it a lot, but most people who play it against me in tournaments use 2...N-c6 which throws me off. Is there a way for white to try to shift play to another defense? And, what lines do you use against 2...N-c6 and 3...e5?
If you want to keep it simple and avoid a lot of theory, play the KIA against 2 ...... Nc6. Emms has a good book on the KIA, which involves White castling and fianchettoing on the King side and hoping for an eventual King side attack. It's solid and should at least get you safely into the middle game.

3 Bb5 is another option that most Sicilian players find annoying.

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"3 Bb5 is another option that most Sicilian players find annoying."

I play 3.Bb5 and have been since the early 80's when it was rare.
Simply to to avoid all the pet Sicilians.

You play it like a 1.c4 e5 English a tempo up, and that was all the
theory I knew.

I cursed when Fischer played it against Spassky in match II.
It had been a nice side line till then - now Sicilians player know of it.

Tried the KIA and although I play the KID as Black I could never
get the same attacks going. Not that it's bad, it's just not me.
It's been about 15 years since I fianchettoed any White Bishop OTB.

If I face 2..e6 (the anti Bb5 line) I play b5 to pull away their c-pawn
then get an advanced French and they don't have c5.
It's a plan and I win more than I lose.

No1 is right. If you can upset or cross your opponent then you are
on the right path.

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