not sure what's wrong with 3. ...Qxd5

Nothing really. It's just that 3. - Nf6 is considered a stronger move.

Pierre/

best counter for sicilian is to play one yourself!

1.c4

i did stop playing e4 for myself becaue of e6....

maybe it's just me, but i absolutely hate the positions after Nf6 (not that i really enjoy much of anything of the grand prix except for 2. ...d5 3. e5 Nc6 - those lines are actually really easy to play as black since you get an advanced french without a bad light squared bishop) and play Qxd5 every time.

Open Sicilian>Bb5>c3>Closed>GrandPrix

I usually just play the offbeat open lines, sometimes main depending on which system they use

I play bb5 lines a lot but sure they are flawed.

how strong are you? if you intend to ever get serious about chess ( expert or better) i think learning the open Sicilian is the move.

if your still relatively weak and just play casually i think your time is better spent elsewhere

i don't think that opening choices depend so much upon playing strength. If you're relatively weak so will be your opposition. It's not true that the Najdorf or Dragon are so much easier for Black to play than for White.

if you are black that is your opening and you know what line you're playing into, as white you'll have to have an answer for quite a few different systems

also if OP were a novice and likes attacking, i'd say the smith-morra wouldn't be a bad option. if he were an A player i wouldnt recommend it

But in many open sicilians, white can then often choose from quite a few variations, while black must know each of them. For example, if you play the najdorf as black, you must have an answer to Bg5, Be3, Bc4, etc, each of which can turn into very different types of middlegame. If you run into the najdorf as white, you need to know only one of those systems.

The stronger your opponent is the more difficulty you will face trying to play lines besides the open sicilian. The sicilian sidelines are generally inferior to the open sicilian. Fine when facing weak players, not fine when facing strong players.

Right.

What complicates this discussion is that Black also has options against these major systems. Against Bg5, Black can choose the poisened pawn, the Polugaevsky, the Brown, etc. Against Be3, there are e5-based responses and e6-based responses.

Same with the Dragon. Against the main-line Yugoslav for example, there are systems with -h5, systems with -Qa5, systems with -Rb8, etc.

Pierre/

[QUOTE=Noir_Desir;22792306]i don't think that opening choices depend so much upon playing strength.[/QUOTE


In one way, you're right.

However, a weak player wanting to improve will benefit from playing instructive openings that don't require too much work. Studying tactics is proportionally much more important for a 1200 player than for a 2200 player.

Pierre/

I highly endorse this plan. It's a great system, you learn important ideas about opposite side castling and it's very, very easy to build from a basic foundation with more theory as you progress.

This

im bout ~2200 and switched off between playing the rossolimo/moscow against masters and playing the grand prix (nc3 followed by f4) against anyone else. 2.f4 is horrendous b/c of 2...d5 and 3...nf6. I got many drawish and += positions vs. 2400s and 2500s and cheapo wins in 40/2 g/1 time controls vs. experts/A players.

i do think the open sicilian is the best line, but it's not necessary due to tremendous theory. The amount of time i spent studying the grand pree is laughable and i prolly memorized half a book for 3.bb5 (which i probably have completely forgotten).

This seems like an interesting post, but I am a bit confused by the first part. I would appreciate it very much if you could re-word it somehow as I find the first part a bit confusing, not sure which lines you are talking about.

My apologies, english is not my first language

Yeah I realize my wording was pretty bad there. What I meant to say is I normally play the moscow/rossolimo (3.Bb5) against relatively better opponents, while playing the 2.Nc3 3.f4 grand prix line against weaker players. I admit the grand prix allows black to easily equalize, but it's very playable as white and it won't be hard to outplay black. However I don't advocate the 2.f4 version of the grand prix, since it's my opinion that 2...d5 basically refutes it and lands white into a bad position.

I normally get slight advantages or dead equal/solid position as white against opponents better than me when I play 3.Bb5. Against weaker opponents, the grand prix normally gives me numerous tactical shots, which rarely fails.

These lines are so much simpler than the open sicilian and I think it's worth avoiding the open sicilian, because of that. I've scored numerous draws along with a few wins against FMs and IMs with 3.Bb5, meanwhile the grand prix has rarely failed me against weaker opponents. Even if I allow black to equalize, it's still not the end of the world, because I can just try outplaying them.

But aren't you delaying the inevitable? At some point, you'll have to play the open Sicilian as White if opening 1.e4 to expect your play to develop and get more experience in "modern positions". Sure, keep throwing out 3. Bb5 on occasion versus some FMs and IMs, or maybe against a player who plays the Sicilian, open with 1.d4 or 1.c4 or 1. Nf3.

Thanks a lot for clarifying, very nice post

As a Najdorf player myself, I have to admit that I am not very thrilled when I have to play against the gran prix. Even though my score in general is positive due to playing a lot of weaker players, I had several losses and numerous draws against 2200ELO and lower opponents when faced with gran prix.

That said, I puke inside a little every time someone plays 3. Bb5+. I just absolutely hate playing against it!!!!!!! Objectively speaking black should be fine in most lines, but the positions are not at all what a typical Najdorf player wants after the opening. Again, my scores are not horrible, but I've been held to a draw multiple times against weaker opponents, and lost some games too.

Boom, I just revealed a secret to beating me in the 2+2 championship hehe

Ok you are only looking at this from one perspective. When you play the open sicilian as white you must be prepared for the dragon, najdorf, classical, acc dragon, sveshnikov, kan, schvenigen, four knights, kalshnikov, Taimanov, Pin variation and some other little sidelines im forgetting.

You are right after black picks his system, white has choices, but it pales in comparison to what white needs to know in order to play the open sicilian in the first place. Trust me it took me about a month of nothing but preparing with Rybka and the database to build an opening repetoire as white in the open sicilian.