A Brief Masterclass on Sicilian Move-Orders

IM Kostya Kavutskiy took a time-out from commenting on Dojo games to explain various nuances in the Sicilian Defense, specifically how White should deal with Black's e7-e5 push. Watch and learn!
Quick note, at 3:09 (after 1.Nf5) Black can and should try 1...Nxe4, where the line goes 2.Nxg7+ Bxg7 3.Nxe4 d5 4.Bh6! 0-0 5.Bxg7 Kxg7 and White should be slightly better, but perhaps simpler is to play 1.Nde2! instead of 1.Nf5, with a nice grip over the d5-square.
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[@IMKostyaKavutskiy]

Quick note: at 3:09 (after 1.Nf5) Black can and should try 1...Nxe4, where the line goes 2.Nxg7+ Bxg7 3.Nxe4 d5 4.Bh6! 0-0 5.Bxg7 Kxg7 and White should be slightly better, but perhaps simpler is to play 1.Nde2! instead of 1.Nf5, with a nice grip over the d5-square.

[@pushingyourownagenda9889]

nice ..i was wondering about it (because i knew it before while analysing with engines and database) ..glad u pointed that out.. btw great explanation on the sicilian...:) keep doing these kinds of videos.. they r amazing

[@joeldick6871]

I watched this video a couple years back, and since then I can think about Sicilians much more clearly. This is the kind of video you have to come back to again after a bit.

[@noyb-yb]

Thanks. This brings back my youth (Cat-1 USSR, ELO ~2000) when I did remember most of the B33 Sveshnikov by heart, that was in 1976-1977!! 8^) LOL. The more of these types of videos I see now in 2021 the more convinced I become that Chess-960 (or some variant of it) is the future of classical chess. Chess960 instantly stops the insanity of home openings engine/database preparation and near-100% reliance on variation memorization. Instead it brings the over-the-board chess skills, creativity and imagination back to the game. Imagine how much free time you will all gain if you did not need to study the openings chess theory? You could spend this time on middle-game and end-game skills! IMHO. I am sure many will disagree but we need this debate nevertheless. Happy 2021 to all chess fans.

[@screamingliner]

I'd be perfectly happy if the rest of my chess games started 1.e4 c5 (with either color). Sicilian forever.

[@pushingyourownagenda9889]

unless somebody ruins our life with closed sicilian xd..

[@pushingyourownagenda9889]

maybe its still fun even if they play closed sicilian...maybe its annoying because i dont know how to deal with it the best way :)

[@improvechess]

thanks for this extremely informative video. this man deserves more !

[@Jonathan-vb3hi]

Great explanations. I really like the Najdorf, but as I learned it for both sides I focused too much on theory and less on themes/plans, which is what I should have focused on.

[@siraf1234]

What im taking away from this is that Knife f5 is a very strong move All jokes aside, even as someone that has played the Najdorf for 2 years now this vid has opened my eyes on how much I really don't know. Great video.

[@pbcorporeal4730]

Wonderful depth, especially about the squares being fought over.

[@lockdowndb4863]

At the moment I focusing on the closed Sicilian, but this video was still incredibly instruction and valuable as a Sicilian Player even if the Sveshnikov and Najdorf aren't your focus. Thank you Kostya

[@mikeiavelli]

Awesome content. Thank you! (Subscribed and now following you on twitch.)

[@joeldick6871]

That little trap you show at 21:00 in the AccDrag, where Black gets ...d5 in one move... I once fell for that to Liza Orlova... Won't make that mistake again. Normally I play the c4 Maroczy Bind on the AccDrag, but she got me with some kind of move order trick (perhaps it was 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 ) so I didn't get my usual c4 in.

[@nklristic]

By the way, around 25:24, against Hyperaccelerated Dragon (if I am not mistaken that position is on the board), white can force Maroczy bind by playing 3.c4 instead of 3.d4 and allowing this 4. ...Nf6 which forces him to play 5.Nc3. Of course, the line with Nc3 and e5 is fine, so this is just a thought if white likes to play Maroczy bind.

[@miggylobos1]

Nice Kostya, thanks for explaining these variations.

[@kartik_kumbhar1703]

Very instructive thanks for video

[@nklristic]

Really nice lesson. :)

[@JoaoPedro-sb4fh]

Nice vid, the vibe is really good

[@JoaoPedro-sb4fh]

also, whats the playlist used?

[@ChessDojo]

Twitch & Chill on Spotify, you're welcome!

[@michaliskokkinos9740]

lovely video!!

[@mmmcheese1]

That was awesome, makes me want to play the open Sicilian but Smith-Moro is too much fun