Sicilian Defence

After 1.e4 c5 Black fights for d4 with a flank pawn instead of meeting e4 symmetrically. When White opens the centre with Nf3 and d4, Black exchanges ...cxd4 and gets the half-open c-file and an extra central pawn in return for a lead in development for White. That imbalance makes the Open Sicilian a fighting game. Black's queenside play runs down the c-file, often with ...a6 and ...b5, while White uses the d5 square and space in the centre, and frequently castles queenside to throw kingside pawns forward.

The main Open Sicilian systems covered start from 2.Nf3. After 2...d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 come the Najdorf (5...a6), the Dragon (5...g6), the Classical and Richter-Rauzer (5...Nc6) and, from 2...e6, the Scheveningen. After 2...Nc6, 4...Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 is the Sveshnikov, and 4...g6 is the Accelerated Dragon. After 2...e6, 4...Nc6 is the Taimanov and 4...a6 is the Kan. Other first moves are also covered: the anti-Sicilian bishop checks 3.Bb5 (Rossolimo) and 3.Bb5+ (Moscow), the Alapin 2.c3, and the Closed and Grand Prix systems with 2.Nc3. Key structures include the Najdorf and Sveshnikov ...e5 pawn, which leaves a hole on d5 and a backward d6-pawn. Opposite-side castling in the English Attack and Yugoslav Attack leads to pawn races, and in the Maroczy Bind White's c4 and e4 pawns restrict Black.

A good place to start is the Najdorf English Attack, 5...a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3, in Part 1 of 2. White plans Qd2, O-O-O and a kingside pawn storm with g4. Black aims to play ...d5 or to attack down the c-file.