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andante_lagrimoso
♡ 24 ( +1 | -1 )
Sicilian defence Before I have played the caro-kann against e4, but now I have decided to play the sicilian defence. After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3. What do you think is the most solid system with black, that also give winning-chances??
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kasparovfan
♡ 63 ( +1 | -1 )
Re: Sicilian defense Well, I would say that the Scheveningen variation (1. e4 c5, 2. Nf3 d6, 3. d4 cxd4. 4. Nxd4 Nf6, 5. Nc3 a6 -avoiding the Keres attack (6. g4)- 6. Be2 e6) is strong and solid.
Also, you could try the Dragon variation (1. e4 c5, 2. Nf3 d6, 3. d4 cxd4. 4. Nxd4 Nf6, 5. Nc3 g6, 6. Be3 Bg7, 7. f3 0-0. It is very solid for black, I think, especially the pawn structure, that has no weaknesses in my opinion. See for an example game 11 of the World Championship Match 1995 between Kasparov and Anand. In some variations, black's white-squared comes to e6, while the pawn remains on e7, which looks interesting.
I would lik eto add, though, that there are many here more qualified than I am to judge which Sicilian variations are the strongest.
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wadvana
♡ 60 ( +1 | -1 )
Sicilian The sicilian defence itself is a counter-attacking system to provide opportunity for a win. Any variation of the sicilian provides winning chances. In my opinion, the Taimanov / Kan variation with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6/a6 is solid and scores well with black. If you like the positions resulting from it, then you're in luck. The Scheveningen variation is also solid, with a positional touch. Again look through games to see if this variation suits your style.
The Dragon, i would say is solid in theory, it requires practice and understanding.
If you've played the Caro for some time, I recommend the Taimanov/ Kan variations.
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riga
♡ 69 ( +1 | -1 )
KasarovFan The first variation you presented is the Najdorf variation of the sicilain up to move 6. Be2 (Scheveningen variation), but the main line proceeds with 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 Qc7 9.0-0-0 and here it splits into a few different plans for black. IMO this is much better than the tame 6.Be2. As for the dragon, it is unrecommended in professional chess and hasn't been considered a solid opening for a long time.
My favorite variation of the sicilian for both white and black is the Pelican.(Sicilian Defence>>>Pelican Variation>>>Pelican Variation; although i don't play it for black). 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Nb5 e6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nd5 f5 11.Bd3 Bd6 12.Qh5 and several options here including Bg7,Rg8,Ne7. It's very open and both sides have strenghs and weaknesses. It's very tactical and fun to play.
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kasparovfan
♡ 69 ( +1 | -1 )
"The first variation you presented is the Najdorf variation of the sicilain up to move 6. Be2 (Scheveningen variation), but the main line proceeds with 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 Qc7 9.0-0-0 and here it splits into a few different plans for black. IMO this is much better than the tame 6.Be2. As for the dragon, it is unrecommended in professional chess and hasn't been considered a solid opening for a long time."
Well, 6. Be2 was played by Anand against Kasparov at the World Championship 1995. It's quieter and more positional. That's true.
As far as the Dragon goes. Kasparov played it against Anand in 1995 and it worked pretty well. Why wouldn't it be a solid opening? I think black's pawn structure is excellent and his pieces are well placed too.
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caldazar
♡ 186 ( +1 | -1 )
The Sicilian is not a solid opening setup, at least not solid in the same way as, say, the Caro-Kann or the French. It's a risky opening that invites White to undertake aggressive action in the hopes that the attack can be repelled. White's attack would leave serious weaknesses in his position (since most attacks require some kind of positional commitment) and Black could counterattack against those weaknesses.
There are various ways to enter into Hedgehog setups, which I suppose could be considered solid. White has a significant space advantage in those setups, but Black's setup is so solid that White has a hard time pressing forward. Hedgehog setups require a great deal of patience to play well, though; both sides must be willing to sit on their position for many moves at a time while engaging in quite a bit of quiet maneuvering. The Taimanov and Kan are solid and flexible as far as Sicilians go, I suppose, although all the usual caveats apply. Black must be prepared to weather a strong attack and be sure that his counterattack is timely (i.e. after White has committed his forces and reduced the flexibility of his position but before White's attack grows unmanageable).
I wouldn't classify the Dragon as solid. It doesn't take much of a mistake on the part of either player for the game to come to an abrupt end. In the Dragon (the main-line Yugoslav, anyway), if you're playing defensive-type moves for any length of time, you're probably losing.
Practically all the major Sicilian setups concede some significant positional assets to White at the outset (usually space and development, hence White's propensity to launch vicious attacks) in the hopes that Black's long term assets (extra central pawn, open c-file and queenside attack) will prevail.
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