Every player has his favorite systems that he prefers to reach. But your opponent will often have several options to direct play onto other paths into the first few moves. The 3.c3 choice against the 2…d6 mainline Sicilian is such a system. First considered a bit obscure, it has now become a respected attempt to [...]

In the 1990s, White has developed another approach against the 2…Nc6 Open Sicilian. By playing 3.Bb5, White immediately forces Black to deal with positions that he rarely encounters in the Sicilian. White’s unusual plan typically involves keeping the center closed for some time and exchanging the light-squared bishop for Black’s knight on c6 at the [...]

Most Sicilian players have their favorite system like the Najdorf, Dragon or Scheveningen. But often White deviates from mainstream play between moves 2 and 5 in order to take his opponent onto less explored and hopefully less prepared paths. We will be learning the basic concepts of all those less popular lines as well. The [...]