Sam Shankland - Chessable - Lifetime Repertoires: Classical Sicilian

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{ Welcome to the final installment of my first Lifetime Repertoire! Having already covered The Semi-Slav and English Reti and sidelines for Black as well as d4 parts 1, 2, and 3 for White Semi-Slav: @@LinkStart@@https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-semi-slav/course/31529/@@LinkEnd@@ Black vs. The English, Rti and Sidelines: @@LinkStart@@https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-black-vs-the-english-rti-and-sidelines/course/39554/@@LinkEnd@@ 1.d4 Part 1: @@LinkStart@@https://www.chessable.com/course/47519/@@LinkEnd@@ 1.d4 Part 2: @@LinkStart@@https://www.chessable.com/course/53465/@@LinkEnd@@ 1.d4 Part 3: @@LinkStart@@https://www.chessable.com/course/58696/@@LinkEnd@@ the final task at hand was a repertoire for Black against 1.e4. I have been playing the Classical Sicilian almost exclusively for some time now, and with a lot of success, so it seemed like an easy decision that this should be what I recommend. I had not played it much before 2020, but now that I have added it to my repertoire, I really wonder why I had largely avoided it for so long. I think it is one of the best possible lines to play for a win with the black pieces, as it leads to dynamic, unbalanced positions without nearly as much forcing theory as other Sicilians, such as the Najdorf and the Sveshnikov. The only issue I take with it is that I think White has a very slightly better chance of proving an objective advantage than some other lines, such as the Petroff, Berlin, or Najdorf. But, I am okay with that. In general, I think the Classical is a lot better than its reputation. The more sound an opening gets, the more theory there will be. This is always the case. And I think the Classical Sicilian sacrifices only a little less soundness for a lot less theory. Additionally, I like how dynamic the positions are. It strikes me as a very healthy balance. Some lines in the Berlin and Petroff are mind-numbingly boring and dull, leading to incredibly dry positions that are very hard to play for a win. By comparison, lines like the Najdorf and Sveshnikov are so direct and forcing that the game has a high tendency to fizzle out to nothingness just a few moves outside of preparation, and in some cases forced lines can be memorized some 30 moves deep and beyond. I find the Classical Sicilian to be a healthy, happy middle-ground. As always, I have done my best to address any recommendations I can find in chess literature advocating 1.e4 for White, and to provide appropriate antidotes. Additionally, I have done my best to explain the strategic themes as clearly as possible. This is always a good idea, but I find it to be uniquely important when dealing with very non-forcing positions, where the difference in evaluation between the best move and the second-best move is not very notable. There are a lot of positions like this in the course, much more so than any other course I have done before. The lines covered in the course are all noted here in the introduction. }

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3

{ 2.Nc3 One big appeal of the Classical is that Black can comfortably play Nb8-c6 here rather than d7-d6, making 2.Nc3 a significantly less annoying move order than it would be against the Najdorf. 2Nc6 3.g3 3.f4 g6 g6 2.c3 Nf6 2.b3 g6 2.a3 g6 }

2 d6 3. d4

{ 3.Bb5+ The Moscow Variation is Whites only serious alternative to the Open Sicilian, but I was quite happy with 3Bd7 And the plan of taking back with the knight on d7. }

3 cxd4 4. Nxd4

{ 4.Qxd4 Nf6 I think this is the best move order for Black, remaining flexible with the b8-knight. }

4 Nf6 5. Nc3

{ In this position, Black has three main moves he chooses between. 5a6 is the Najdorf, 5g6 is the Dragon, and our move is 5Nc6 , the Classical Sicilian. In order to understand the point of our move order, it helps a lot to know a bit about the other options. In general, I believe Blacks most harmonious development scheme is with g7-g6, Bf8-g7, O-O, and Nb8-c6. Black will have a very compact position, no weaknesses, and very active pieces. The only issue is the Yugolav Attack, where White plays Bc1-e3, f2-f3, Qd1-d2, Bf1-c4 is optional, castles long, and throws the h-pawn down the board to go deliver mate. Black is then harmed by his pawn hook on g6, and often finds himself crushed. 5.f3 Again, we see that the Classical is an excellent opening to play against Anti-Sicilians. Najdorf players often find this position annoying since after Nb8-c6 White can play Nb1-c3, forcing them into a Classical instead. Obviously we dont care. 5Nc6 }

5 Nc6

{ Now, Blacks default next move is g7-g6. Apart from the mainline with 6.Bg5!, White has only three moves that fit in with his Yugoslav Attack plan. 5g6 The Dragon is a fantastic opening against every line but one. After 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3! O-O 8.Qd2 Nc6 With O-O-O here, or Bf1-c4 first and then O-O-O, White has a very dangerous attacking plan with h2-h4-h5. Black can find his king in tremendous peril very quickly. This plan is important to remember. If Black plays Nb8-c6 on the fifth move and White makes a move that is not part of this plan, then Black can nearly always play g7-g6 to transpose to a good version of the Dragon. 5a6 If Black plays the Najdorf, he has not completely abandoned the plan of fianchettoing the kings bishop and it is seen in some lines, but it is not the main idea and he generally cannot switch to a Dragon setup too easily. The main reason for this is that a7-a6 is not a wildly useful move. For example, after 6.a3 Despite White making a less than critical move, Black still should probably avoid g7-g6. This will lead directly to the Dragon with the inclusion of a2-a3 and a7-a6. I dont think this is massively in Blacks favor or anything like that. By contrast, if Black had played Nb8-c6 instead of a7-a6, he is much more able to successfully transition into a Dragon. }

6. Bg5

{ I believe this is far and away Whites most challenging move. It serves a few purposes. First off, g7-g6 is no longer a thing, for obvious reasons. Secondly, Black is discouraged from playing e7-e5 thanks to the weakness of the d5-square. Finally, after 6.f3 This is a somewhat annoying move in that Black cannot comfortably play g7-g6, but after 6e5! I think Black is totally fine. 6.Bc4 Here as well, we cannot play g7-g6 as White will be able to transpose to the mainline Dragon. 6Qb6! Black should be fine here as well. The bishop loses a lot of time. 6.g3 A move like this one, which is inconsistent with the Yugoslav Attack, is well met with g7-g6. 6g6 6.f4 g6 Ditto the g3 note. 6.Be2 g6 Here as well, Black is very happy playing g6 because Whites Bf1-e2 does not mesh with the Yugoslav attack. 6.Be3 Ng4! This is a good way to make Bc1-e3 fall on its face. }

6 e6

{ For once, we see something in the Najdorfs win column over the Classical. In the Bg5 Najdorf lines, generally the b8-knight is best placed on d7. I think this position is by far the most dangerous one in the course, and I have put a lot of effort into presenting a Black repertoire that handles it well. One nice thing about the Classical Sicilian is that Black is easily fine and very comfortably equalizing without much trouble against all of the other lines, and White never really tries to fight for an advantage with any move other then 6.Bg5. This being the case, there is comparatively little theory to analyze compared to an opening like the Najdorf, where 6.Bg5, 6.h3, 6.f3, 6.Be3, 6.Be2, and perhaps some other moves all have chances to fight for an edge, and ones chances are not that much higher than the others. In our repertoire, 6.Bg5 is definitely the only seriously troubling move. Perhaps Whites chances of fighting for an advantage are objectively higher than they would be in another opening, but I believe I have presented a solid, Lifetime Repertoire based on the Classical Sicilian. It has certainly served me well as of late! }