The Sicilian Defense, known for its complexity and richness, is a favorite among chess players seeking an aggressive response to 1.e4. In his book Starting Out: The Sicilian, 2nd edition, John Emms makes the bold claim that the Sicilian Defense is the “most famous chess opening of all time”. This statement might be a bit of a jaw-dropper, but the numbers make it make sense – according to Emms, almost 1/4 of chess games are Sicilian Defenses!
Now it is important to note that the “Sicilian” is the umbrella term for the opening where Black responds to 1.e4 with 1…c5. This then leads to a myriad of variations, each with its own subtleties. Let’s explore some of the most popular ones from the Open Sicilian:
- Dragon Variation
- Najdorf Variation
- Scheveningen Variation
- Sveshnikov Variation
- Classical Sicilian
- Taimanov Variation
- Four Knights
- Kan Variation
- Accelerated Dragon
- Kalashnikov Variation
Sicilian Dragon Variation
Sicilian Najdorf Variation
Sicilian Scheveningen Variation
Sicilian Sveshnikov Variation
Classical Sicilian
Sicilian Taimanov
Sicilian Four Knights
Sicilian Kan
Sicilian Accelerated Dragon
Sicilian Kalashnikov
With all these variations, no wonder the Sicilian is one of the most popular openings in the world. At the same time, because there are so many different arising positions, there is a Sicilian line out there for everyone.
Starting Out: The Sicilian, 2nd edition is a great start for any player on their journey into the Sicilian. It covers all these lines, and not in a way that makes studying theory feel endless. By including so many different lines, it allows you to trial run a few without committing your all to just one variation.
Check out the book on Forward Chess, where learning openings through books is made even easier with an accompanying interactive board.
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