Sicilian Defense

A complete repertoire with Black against 1.e4 in 5 chapters: Najdorf, Dragon, Sveshnikov, Scheveningen/Taimanov/Kan and Anti-Sicilians.

The Sicilian is the most combative answer to 1.e4: Black trades the c-pawn for White's d-pawn, gets the half-open c-file and a central pawn majority. For every variation the course explains the structure, the middlegame plans and White's typical mistakes, with 40 lines and their tactical punishments.

Chapter 1: The Najdorf Variation

The Najdorf with 5...a6 against the English Attack 6.Be3, the Fischer-Sozin 6.Bc4, the classical attack 6.Bg5 with the Poisoned Pawn, and the 6.h3, 6.f4 and 6.g3 systems.

  1. 1. Najdorf: English Attack (6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6…
  2. 2. Najdorf: Fischer-Sozin Attack (6.Bc4 e6) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6…
  3. 3. Najdorf: Classical Attack 6.Bg5 (7.f4 Be7) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6…
  4. 4. Najdorf: Poisoned Pawn Variation (7...Qb6) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6…
  5. 5. Najdorf: Adams Attack (6.h3 e5 7.Nde2 h5) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6…
  6. 6. Najdorf: Amsterdam Attack (6.f4 e5 7.Nf3 Nbd7) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6…
  7. 7. Najdorf: Fianchetto System 6.g3 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6…
  8. 8. Najdorf: punishing 7.Nf5?! with 7...d5! 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6…

Chapter 2: Dragon and Accelerated Dragon

The Yugoslav Attack with opposite-side castling, the quiet 6.Be2 and 6.f4 systems, the Accelerated Dragon against the Maróczy and the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon.

  1. 9. Dragon: Yugoslav Attack with 9.Bc4 (Soltis Variation) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6…
  2. 10. Dragon: Yugoslav Attack 9.O-O-O d5 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6…
  3. 11. Dragon: Classical Variation (6.Be2) with 9.f4 Qb6 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6…
  4. 12. Dragon: Levenfish Attack (6.f4 Bg7 7.e5) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6…
  5. 13. Accelerated Dragon: system with 6.Be3 and 7.Bc4 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7…
  6. 14. Accelerated Dragon against the Maróczy Bind (5.c4) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Bg7…
  7. 15. Hyper-Accelerated Dragon (2...g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.e5 Nc6…
  8. 16. Dragon: punishing the premature 9.Bh6? 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6…

Chapter 3: Sveshnikov, Kalashnikov and Four Knights

The structures with ...e5 and the hole on d5: the Sveshnikov with 7.Bg5 and 7.Nd5, the Kalashnikov and the Four Knights Variation.

  1. 17. Sveshnikov: main line (7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5…
  2. 18. Sveshnikov: 8.Bxf6 gxf6 and the ...f5 push 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5…
  3. 19. Sveshnikov: 7.Nd5 Nxd5 8.exd5 Nb8 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5…
  4. 20. Sveshnikov: the 11.c4 push 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5…
  5. 21. Sveshnikov: punishing the 9.Naxb5? sacrifice 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5…
  6. 22. Four Knights Sicilian (5...e6 6.Ndb5 Bb4) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6…
  7. 23. Kalashnikov Variation (4...e5 5.Nb5 d6) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6…
  8. 24. Sveshnikov: the 6.Nxc6 bxc6 trade 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5…

Chapter 4: Scheveningen, Taimanov, Kan and Paulsen

The Scheveningen's small e6-d6 center against the Keres Attack and the English Attack, and the flexible systems with ...e6 and ...a6: Taimanov, Kan and Paulsen.

  1. 25. Scheveningen: Keres Attack (6.g4 h6 7.h4 Nc6 8.Rg1 d5) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6…
  2. 26. Classical Scheveningen (6.Be2 a6 7.O-O Be7 8.f4) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6…
  3. 27. Scheveningen: against the English Attack (7...b5 and ...Nb6) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6…
  4. 28. Taimanov Variation (4...e6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 Qc7) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3 a6…
  5. 29. Kan Variation (4...a6 5.Bd3 Bc5) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Bc5…
  6. 30. Paulsen Variation (5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Bd3 Nf6) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 Qc7…
  7. 31. Taimanov: the 6.Nxc6 bxc6 trade 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3 a6…
  8. 32. Scheveningen: the premature 7.f5 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6…

Chapter 5: Anti-Sicilians

How to face White's deviations: the Alapin 2.c3, the Grand Prix Attack 2.f4, the Smith-Morra Gambit and the Closed Sicilian 2.Nc3.

  1. 33. Alapin: 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bg4…
  2. 34. Alapin: 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nf3 Nc6…
  3. 35. Grand Prix Attack: 3...g6, 5...e6 and ...Nge7 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bc4 e6…
  4. 36. Grand Prix Attack with 2...d6 (8.Qe1 Nd4) 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.f4 Nf6 4.Nf3 g6 5.Bc4 Bg7…
  5. 37. Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted (6...e6 7.O-O a6) 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6…
  6. 38. Smith-Morra declined with 3...d5 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.cxd4 Nf6…
  7. 39. Closed Sicilian: 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 and ...Nd4 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6…
  8. 40. Smith-Morra: system with 5...e6, 6...a6 and 7...b5 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6…