The Sicilian is Black's most popular answer to 1.e4. Instead of symmetry, Black starts an asymmetrical fight with queenside counterplay from move one. Play through the Open Sicilian and on into the famous Najdorf Variation.
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The starting position. Choose your moves - at a branching point several continuations are available.
The Sicilian Defence (1.e4 c5) is the most popular and most critical answer to 1.e4 at every level. Instead of the symmetrical 1...e5, Black starts an asymmetrical fight at once: he concedes the centre but gains the half-open c-file and active queenside counterplay.
The main idea is not to equalise but to play for a win with Black. Asymmetry means the two sides have different plans and different assets, and dry drawish positions are rare. So the Sicilian is a weapon for those who enjoy complex, dynamic chess; Fischer and Kasparov both made it their principal defence.
The price of activity is conceding the centre and space: play passively and White can squeeze you. But with precise counterplay Black gets at least equal, and often better, chances.
White's main route is the Open Sicilian: 2.Nf3 and 3.d4, opening the centre. Out of it grow the famous systems - the Najdorf, Dragon, Scheveningen, Sveshnikov, Taimanov and Kan - each with its own character.
Anyone who does not want to learn mountains of theory chooses an Anti-Sicilian: the Closed System 2.Nc3, the Alapin 2.c3, or the Rossolimo and Moscow with an early Bb5. They are quieter, but White's ambitions are smaller too.
The Sicilian is the highest-scoring answer to 1.e4, and its logic is asymmetrical. Black does not copy White's moves but trades his flank c-pawn for a central d-pawn: after 2.Nf3 and 3.d4 cxd4 he has an extra central pawn and a half-open c-file - a ready-made route for counterplay.
Then comes the choice of set-up. The Najdorf (...a6) is the most flexible and the most heavily analysed. The Dragon (...g6, ...Bg7) is razor-sharp play with opposite-side castling. The Scheveningen (...e6, ...d6) is a compact little fortress. The Sveshnikov (...e5) is bold play that concedes the d5 square.
There is one general principle: Black plays on the queenside and in the centre while White attacks the king. Whoever is faster wins, so passivity here is more dangerous than a mistake.
The main route is the Open Sicilian: 2.Nf3 and 3.d4. White gets a lead in development and space, puts the bishop on e3 and the queen on d2, castles queenside and storms with g4-h4. The price is the sheer volume of theory: every black system has lines of its own.
The practical alternative is the closed and Anti-Sicilian schemes: 2.Nc3 with g3 and Bg2, the Grand Prix Attack (2.Nc3 and f4), 2.c3 with the plan of d4 and a classical centre, and the Rossolimo (2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5). Less theory, clearer ideas, and often better results in club games.
The choice is simple: if you are willing to learn lines, the Open Sicilian offers the most. If not, an Anti-Sicilian with a clear plan will save you dozens of hours of preparation.
The typical set-ups this opening leads to - learn them, and the plan follows by itself.
After 5...a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7. Black has taken the centre with the d6 and e5 pawns at the cost of the hole on d5; the plan is ...Be6, ...Nbd7 and the ...b5 break on the queenside.
After 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6. The g7 bishop rakes the long diagonal. White castles queenside and storms with h4-h5 while Black opens the c-file - a race of attacks on opposite wings.
After 5...e5 6.Ndb5 d6. Black has voluntarily weakened d5 and the d6 pawn, but in return has active piece play, the bishop pair and control of the centre.
These are the main named variations. Click any one of them and it loads straight onto the board above, where you can play it out move by move. The trainer itself holds more lines than this: it also covers main-line continuations and transpositions that have no name of their own.
What to avoid, and what catches an unprepared opponent.
The g7 bishop is the black king's chief defender in the Dragon. Let White trade it off (Bh6 and Bxg7) and the pawn storm h4-h5-h6 down the h-file often ends in mate. That bishop is guarded like the crown jewels.
In the Sveshnikov ...e5 is justified: Black already has a knight on c6 and active counterplay. But playing ...e5 for no reason is dangerous - White plants a piece firmly in the hole on d5 and Black has nothing to show for the weak square.
The temptation to bring the queen out early with an attack usually does not pay: White chases her with tempo (Nb3, Be3, and Nd5 when it comes) and gains a lead in development. Counterplay in the Sicilian comes from pawn breaks and the c-file, not from queen raids.
Traps in other openings - the 12 most common opening traps.
Because it is the best way for Black to play for a win against 1.e4. The asymmetrical structure gives each side different assets and a rich, dynamic game with few dry draws. Almost every world champion has chosen it.
Start with something whose plans are clear: the Najdorf or the Scheveningen give Black flexible set-ups, while the Sveshnikov gives clear piece play. If you do not want much theory as White, the Anti-Sicilians (the Alapin 2.c3 or the Rossolimo) are an excellent choice.
They are different set-ups for Black in the Open Sicilian. The Najdorf (5...a6) offers maximum flexibility and queenside play; the Dragon (5...g6) the g7 bishop and a razor-sharp battle on opposite wings; the Scheveningen (5...e6) a solid Hedgehog structure.
There really is a lot of theory in the Open Sicilian, and keeping up with it as Black is hard. But you can choose less theoretical systems (the Kan, the Taimanov) or meet the Anti-Sicilians, where understanding matters more than memorisation. The Sicilian always has clear plans.
Want the tactics that decide these positions? Start with the 12 most common opening traps and tactics for beginners. If you are just starting out, read the rules of chess and how to set up the board.
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