15 Dec 05
I've been trying out the Sicilian recently, but I'm at a loss of ideas sometimes, or rather, find difficulty in picking the right ideas to pursue. If you guys know of any good websites for the Sicilian Defense or other resources, please list them for me. Any feedback is appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
15 Dec 05
Originally posted by JusuhNah, crush the pirc with g4!
naah sicilian is good, but pirc is the best.
http://www.jeremysilman.com/chess_bits_pieces/040417_Martin_Something_Against_the_Pirc.html
Actually the problem with saying themes and ideas behind the sicillian is that there are so many variations and each have their own themes. In general, black gets active play on the queenside and must suffer a kingside attack; if black can play d5 he is fine... thats about it
Which sicillian
Dragon,
accellerated dragon
najdorf
schivisnekov (spelling?)
or do you want something against the closed sicillian or a gran prix attack?
Finally a reversed sicillian 1.c4 is an english opening (and black is under no obligation to ever play e5) and it's very sound. Almost every world champion has had it in their repetiore. If you don't find ways to avoid it, it can easily be transpositional hell. Some lines even lead into a reversed french!
15 Dec 05
Originally posted by Wulebgrif the counter attack in the Sicilian is "premature" then why is it used successfully by so many GMs? certainly not because in each case white played too aggressively...
When white plays 1.e4, there is no good defense. There is only the hope of survival.
The Sicilian is a premature counterattack that works because 1.e4 players are impatient.
15 Dec 05
Originally posted by exigentskyThe English is indeed a solid opening, but that kind of thinking is dangerous. Some things that work for black are worse, not better as white with the extra tempo. And I don't play either Sicilian as black or English as White, so correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it true that the main lines of the Sicilian coorespond to the useless side lines in the English and vice versa?
I also tried the Reversed Sicilian, A29, is this considred a good opening? If the Sicilian is good for black, I expect white to do even better with an extra tempo.
15 Dec 05
Originally posted by UmbrageOfSnowYes, I play a najdorf and ocasionally a dragon and an english as white. The lines I play are differnt for each side. That said, if black wants to push me into a hyper-accelrated dragon as white, I will glady accept. I have also never seen black try to play a Yugoslav attack which can be devastating when white plays it.
The English is indeed a solid opening, but that kind of thinking is dangerous. Some things that work for black are worse, not better as white with the extra tempo. And I don't play either Sicilian as black or English as White, so correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it true that the main lines of the Sicilian coorespond to the useless side lines in the English and vice versa?
17 Dec 05
I play the Dragon. The 'main ideas' of it are a counterattack down the c-file, the power of your dark-squared Bishop (easily worth a Rook in most cases), the Exchange sac on c3, and the long dark diagonal. Read Winning With the Dragon and Winning with the Sicilian Dragon 2 by Chris Ward.