Can you help? I'm trying to learn the basics of openings and am a bit stuck on the following:
Standard first move in Sicilian 1. e4 c5, why are there no openings that follow 2. Bc5? I typically reply with e6 to nullify any threat to the weak f7 square. But this rarely works out well.
I have to assume there is a good response to 2. Bc5 otherwise wouldn't there be many standard openings that start this way?
All help is appreciated. Cheers Dave
Originally posted by The Swine Down HopeDo you mean 2.Bc4? Because 2.Bc5 is not possible.
Can you help? I'm trying to learn the basics of openings and am a bit stuck on the following:
Standard first move in Sicilian 1. e4 c5, why are there no openings that follow 2. Bc5? I typically reply with e6 to nullify any threat to the weak f7 square. But this rarely works out well.
I have to assume there is a good response to 2. Bc5 othe ...[text shortened]... there be many standard openings that start this way?
All help is appreciated. Cheers Dave
If you mean 2.Bc4, then I would say there is nothing wrong with it, except for the fact that white usually prefers to delay the choice of where to put that bishop to a later stage (at least one more move), because it is not clear what the best square is. After 2.Bc4, black should not try any tricks, but make normal moves (e6, d6, Nc6, Nf6, a6, ...).
I guess Bc4 isn't as popular is because there's more places to put the bishop and the knight only really has one good square to go to. So, if you put the knight out to f3, then black has to "declare" what he's going to do, then you can adjust. Other than that, I don't see anything wrong with Bc4. Of course black is probably going to put a pawn on e6, so what? You've still got pressure. Just remember the bishop is hanging there without support. That's why white usually drops it back to b3. Hope this helps.