After 1. e4 c5, 2. c3
I usually play 2... d6 but of course the reason for 2. c3 is to prepare for 3 d4 - and after the exchange of pawns white has two central pawns defeating one of the strengths of the Sicilian.
What is the best reply to 2. d6, and can someone annotate possible varations from this position?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Originally posted by USArmyParatrooperI normally don't like moving my Queen out early, so I prefer 2 ...... Nf6. Knowing this line is also useful if you want to decline the Smith-Morra.
After 1. e4 c5, 2. c3
I usually play 2... d6 but of course the reason for 2. c3 is to prepare for 3 d4 - and after the exchange of pawns white has two central pawns defeating one of the strengths of the Sicilian.
What is the best reply to 2. d6, and can someone annotate possible varations from this position?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Originally posted by no1marauderin blitz with SM I take the pawn and do a quick e6 followed by Ne7-Ng6. it's rock solid, and throws the SM afficianados completely off their attacking schemes. it's supposed to be drawish, but it leaves black pawn up and safe, so I kinda like those odds.
I normally don't like moving my Queen out early, so I prefer 2 ...... Nf6. Knowing this line is also useful if you want to decline the Smith-Morra.
with alapin I play Nf6, but I'm still very much learning it... with d5 my positions mostly just died into a draw, so I didn't really like it that much.
Originally posted by USArmyParatrooperHey Paratrooper,
After 1. e4 c5, 2. c3
I usually play 2... d6 but of course the reason for 2. c3 is to prepare for 3 d4 - and after the exchange of pawns white has two central pawns defeating one of the strengths of the Sicilian.
What is the best reply to 2. d6, and can someone annotate possible varations from this position?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
With 2.c3 the White aims for a strong pawn centre, and on the other hand he can avoid some well trodden Sicilians.
Now, with 3. ...Nf6 the Black allows e5, whilst the once upon a time Adorjan's popular 2. ...d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 is refuted by 4. ...e5 5.dxe5 Qxe5+ 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nf3 Qc7 8.Na3 a6 9.g3! (however Marovic offers 5.dxe5 Qxd1+ 6.Kxd1 Nc6). And of course there is also the famous 2. ...d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.Be2 e6 7.h3 Bh5! 8.0-0 Nc6 9.Be3 cxd4 10.cxd4 Bb4 11.a3 Ba5 12.Nc3 Qd6 13.Nb5, as shown at Deep Blue - Kasparov 1-0 Game 1 Philadelphia 1996. There, Kasparov went stranded with 13. ...Qe7?! instead of playing ...Qb8 or ...Qd5, and it 's really a fine idea to study that game annotated by Graham Burgess (The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games, published by Constable & Robinson 2004/ ISBN 1-84119-905-2, copyright by Burgess, Nunn and Emms).
Therefore I follow Marovic's doctrine and anytime I face 2.c3 I go Scheveningen with 3. ...d6 thwarting e5 and enabling ...Nf6, and indeed after 4.d4 I develop my Horsie on f6. Then the White continues usually with 4.dxc5 or 4.f3 because with 4.Bd3 or 4.Be3 the Black equalizes easily. As you see, the main strategy of the Scheveningen Black is to cede not spatial advantage to the White at the centre and get the initiative by means of causing tense and counterplay at will at this area.
Very instructive are amongst else Valkesalmi-Dorfman 1986, Blatny-Orso Hungary 1987, Smagin-Arnason Sochi 1988, Sveshnikov-Ermenkov Varna 1987, Zuravlev-Ermolinsky USSR 1981, Bjelajac-Cebalo 1984 and Sariego-Andres 1987.
Have a good time with the Black and take care😵
stats from chessbase.com:
after
1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 (2595 games):
white wins 29.5%; draw 36%; black wins 34.6%
after
1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 (2210 games):
white wins 31.4%; draw 36.4% ; black wins 32.2%
after
1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.d4 exd5 4.Qxd5 d4 Nf6 (1041 games):
white wins 30.1%; draw 39.4%; black wins 30.5%
after
1.e4 c5 2.c3 d6 (505 games):
white wins 40.2%; draw 28.9%; black wins 30.9%
In general, if your opponent plays a pawn to QB3 (i.e. Black plays c6 or White plays c3) in the opening then you may well be able to play your pawn to Q4 since if your opponent takes it you will be able to recapture with your queen and he will not be able to play knight to QB3, hitting the queen.
Originally posted by wormwoodI'd rather toss them out of the SM completely which does give White annoying pressure.
in blitz with SM I take the pawn and do a quick e6 followed by Ne7-Ng6. it's rock solid, and throws the SM afficianados completely off their attacking schemes. it's supposed to be drawish, but it leaves black pawn up and safe, so I kinda like those odds.
with alapin I play Nf6, but I'm still very much learning it... with d5 my positions mostly just died into a draw, so I didn't really like it that much.