Silicon Road: Blitzing out Crazy Leela ideas on Lichess! 3.Bb5 Sicilian? White players be afraid!

In July 2023, the Leela team introduced a feature called WDL (Win/Draw/Loss) Contempt. Behind this austere technical name, there's something amazingly cool! You tell Leela “Look I’m playing White against an opponent rated 400 ELO lower than me. Can you suggest some ideas in the opening to maximise my winning chances against such an opponent?” During analysis, Leela will look to sharpen the play to a degree appropriate to the ELO difference! This new series of videos has tested out completely fresh Leela ideas against unsuspecting Lichess blitz opponents! This video showcases a very dangerous and wild gambit against the normally rock-solid 3.Bb5 Sicilian. It comes from the work TCEC chatter mrbdzz did on the Candidates games with his cool new tool Novelty Grinder (matthewsadler....) As always, there's a hugely detailed pgn with analysis of my Lichess games by Leela, Stockfish, Dragon and Torch which is available from a chapter of the following Lichess Study: lichess.org/st...
Check out the Leela blog for more technical explanations: lczero.org/blo...
My blog entry "Getting Leela to analyse and play in the style you want! Part 1 - Setting up WDL Contempt" matthewsadler.... explains how to set this feature up in the superb Nibbler GUI.
For more information about how to set up Leela and the Nibbler GUI, take a look at the free supplementary material provided with my book "The Silicon Road to Chess Improvement" (www.newinchess...)
Finally check out the cool new Novelty Grinder tool (github.com/ski... and matthewsadler....) which seeks out Leela opening suggestions in an automated fashion!
I’m grandmaster Matthew Sadler, a 2-times British Champion, and ranked in the world’s top 50 for many years. I’m also a prolific author. My latest book "Re-Engineering the Chess Classics" appeared in May 2023. It uses the techniques described in "The Silicon Road to Chess Improvement" to analyse afresh thirty-five of the most fascinating and complex chess games ever played by World Champions and other top grandmasters.
"Re-Engineering the Chess Classics" is available from here:
www.newinchess... (Paperback English edition)
www.amazon.co.... (Paperback English edition)
"The Silicon Road to Chess Improvement" - which came out in October 2021 is, just like this channel, all about learning from and training with engines. My previous book, the award-winning Game Changer - written together with Natasha Regan - brought the amazing chess games of DeepMind’s AlphaZero to the world.
The Silicon Road to Chess Improvement is available from here:
www.newinchess... (Paperback English edition)
www.amazon.com... (Paperback and Kindle)
forwardchess.c... (Digital)
"Game Changer" came out on 20th January 2019 and won the prestigious ECF Book of the Year and FIDE Book of the Year prizes for 2019! The Game Changer chess book is available in print and digital versions from these links:
newinchess.com/... (Paperback English edition)
forwardchess.c... (Digital)
www.chessable.... (Digital)
www.amazon.com... (Paperback and Kindle)
www.amazon.de/... (Hardback German edition)
#siliconroad
#matthewsadler
#tcec

[@AnishGiriOfficial]

Just in time for the Grand Chess Tour rapid and blitz event. I bet Carlsen will play this again, at least once!

[@SiliconRoadChess]

Let's see!! Can't wait! 😂😎

[@gavinjones8543]

Ha, does have him written all over it.

[@user-gg6df4xr3i]

Engines way of opening up lines is incredible,loving the new series matthew.

[@SiliconRoadChess]

Ah thanks! It's fun to do!

[@ahmadhamed3686]

This channel is amazing! Nowhere else do I see chess as fantastic as what I see here. Also you present all of this in a excellent way, and I learn so much. Thank you, and please keep going!

[@SiliconRoadChess]

Ah thanks so much! Really appreciate that! 😊😊😊😊

[@SiliconRoadChess]

This video showcases a very dangerous and wild gambit against the normally rock-solid 3.Bb5 Sicilian. It comes from the work TCEC chatter mrbdzz did on the Candidates games with his cool new tool Novelty Grinder (matthewsadler.me.uk/openings/the-mrbdzz-novelty-grinder/) As always, there's a hugely detailed pgn with analysis of my Lichess games by Leela, Stockfish, Dragon and Torch which is available from a chapter of the following Lichess Study: lichess.org/study/GJ5NRo9a

[@gavinjones8543]

Yeh it does have the advantage of not allowing black a softer sicilian, dragging him back in to the ring haha.

[@SiliconRoadChess]

@@gavinjones8543 Yes no easy opening for the opponent that's for sure!

[@AntonStachSZN]

I love this series. I need a whole repertoire of these variations lol

[@SiliconRoadChess]

Well by the end, we'll have covered my entire blitz repertoire of the past few months! 😊

[@harrynash1346]

Damn this is wild stuff! cheers for the vid matt

[@SiliconRoadChess]

Yeah pretty cool! 😎😎😎😎

[@olivierpucher1113]

Just discovered that back in 2015 Alexei Kornev devoted almost a full page about how to counter 3...g5 in his book "Rossolimo and friends"!

[@SiliconRoadChess]

That's really incredible! 😊😊😊

[@krystian19619]

Basically, Leela shows there is still a lot of theory to be discovered if you are strong enough ;) Awesome coverage and wonderful games, thank you!

[@SiliconRoadChess]

Ah thanks! 😊 Yes it seems like an inexhaustible supply of new and interesting ideas!

[@MultiMarcd]

Either with White or Black, Leela have great ideas with the g-pawn. I really love this idea with the Sicilian, i'll try it for sure. Again Matthew, thanks a lot for the easy access for the pgn. Of course the videos are great but with the pgn as a bonus ... it's more than we can ask. Merci beaucoup.

[@SiliconRoadChess]

Ah thanks Marc! Makes it all worthwhile with so many positive subscribers! 😊😊

[@jp_64]

I've played g5 in the Rossolimo on move 6/7 many times with reasonable success (getting beaten up badly or winning some of my fav games ever). But playing it on move 3 is just crazy. Only Mr.Sadler, ably backed by Leela, can come up with stuff like this! Will definitely be playing this quite a bit, hopefully with good results.

[@SiliconRoadChess]

It's definitely very dangerous! I'm having a glorious time in blitz! 😂😂😂

[@martynhamer3133]

I've just started dabbling with the Sicilian again, I think this now has me covered against 3.Bb5 Thanks for sharing!

[@SiliconRoadChess]

If ever there was a smooth transition from the Borg to the Sicilian, this has to be it! 😊

[@MattduCouloir]

Really interesting, I got the g5 suggestion too after doing the « Leela with contempt » set-up and have tried it here and there in blitz.

[@SiliconRoadChess]

Ah fantastic! Yes I think it's a really cool idea!

[@jhakaasplayer6453]

Very Informative...superb work Mr.Mathew Saddler.. Plz keep going and do help us make complete repertoires... Maybe making some chessable/modern chess courses would be a gud idea too..(i would love to buy them) Also...do you offer private coaching too..? (I wud love to work on my opening repertoire..with someone like you.)

[@SiliconRoadChess]

Ah thanks! Yes the Chessable guys did half-hint at whether I was interested but I don't know... It's quite relaxing to do it in this way with relaxed production values! 😉😊 I'm afraid I don't do any coaching - I don't have so much time for chess so any time I have left is dedicated to Leela 😉😊

[@jhakaasplayer6453]

@@SiliconRoadChess that makes sense..Appreciations to you and plz keep making these videos..they are really useful..

[@gavinjones8543]

Yeh really excellent idea.. Will try out!

[@SiliconRoadChess]

It's pretty cool: it's scoring really heavily in 3+0 against some strong opposition!

[@mrbdzz]

😎

[@SiliconRoadChess]

😎😎😎😎😎

[@user-jz6pq4zx3e]

Topalov played it against Carlsen and won the game all those years ago that too in a classical game.

[@SiliconRoadChess]

Well... he played g5 on move 7 or 8 I think? In that 3.Bb5+ Sicilian. Not the same as playing it on move 3!

[@joshjac81010]

Seems like Crazy Leela loves her g4/g5 moves

[@SiliconRoadChess]

Yes it's claerly a standard way to unbalance stuff!

[@EzequielBirman77]

I vote to rebrand to “Crazy Elsie”.

[@SiliconRoadChess]

😂

[@Joekd6.1]

Magnus has played this g5 move a few times for some years now in online blitz

[@SiliconRoadChess]

Ah I didn't know that!

[@Old_Chess_Man]

Hi, can you provide a link to the book you mentioned in the video? I think you mentioned the book is called “how to find the best move in any position”.

[@SiliconRoadChess]

This is the one: www.amazon.com/Best-Play-Method-Discovering-Strongest/dp/1936277468 It's a bit crazy but there's lots of good stuff in there too (don't try and make sense of the formulas though!)

[@jakublizak6825]

what's the book find the best moves in any position? put it into google and didn't find anything. thanks!

[@SiliconRoadChess]

This is the one: www.amazon.com/Best-Play-Method-Discovering-Strongest/dp/1936277468 It's a bit crazy but there's lots of good stuff in there too (don't try and make sense of the formulas though!)

[@SiliconRoadChess]

This is the one: www.amazon.com/Best-Play-Method-Discovering-Strongest/dp/1936277468 It's a bit crazy but there's lots of good stuff in there too (don't try and make sense of the formulas though!)

[@kevinwellwrought2024]

3.g5!?

[@SiliconRoadChess]

Absolutely! 😎😎😎

[@patriziodifranco8080]

Hi how can i look for the pgn i cannot see the link? Thanks in advance

[@SiliconRoadChess]

Link is in the description: lichess.org/study/GJ5NRo9a

[@kleefan8]

I was really shocked to see this video. Bologan includes 3..g5 in his book on the Rossolimo, including its history. I'm attracted to g5 moves, so had looked at these lines in his book.. but he only analyzes 4 N:g5 and 4 B:c6 dc 5 N:g5. I'm really looking forward to going through this analysis you've so kindly provided. Do you think this line could be used in classical chess below 2000 or so? I was wanting to play Sveshnikov and have an aggressive alternative for the inevitable Rossolimo and c3 Sicilians.

[@SiliconRoadChess]

Aaah I’m not sure I’ve seen that book… I hadn’t seen …g5 in the books I checked! I definitely think it’s a very decent line in classical. It’s got lots of nice points and most of White’s best lines just end up in a queenless middlegame where White is a pawn up but Black has the 2 bishops - not so different to all the Lopez Marshall-style pawn sacs you see nowadays!