Anti-Sicilians for Black: free opening course

Key ideas

• Against the Alapin, the knight jumps to d5. Then the d-pawn and the c6 knight attack the e5 pawn.
• Against the Smith-Morra, decline the gambit with the knight to f6. The game then looks like a good Alapin for Black.
• Against the Closed and the Grand Prix, put the bishop on g7. It presses on the long diagonal toward b2.
• Against the Rossolimo, the bishop on g7 and quick castling keep the king safe. Then Black strikes in the centre with the d-pawn.
• Against the Moscow, trade the light-squared bishops. Black has fewer pieces to worry about and a solid centre.

The 6 variations in the course

• Alapin: 2.c3 Nf6: 1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. cxd4 d6 … — White plays c3 to build a big centre with d4. Black attacks e4 at once with the knight. After e5 the knight jumps to d5, Black hits the e5 pawn and gets an easy game.
• Smith-Morra Gambit declined: 3...Nf6: 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Bc4 Nb6 … — White gives the d-pawn to get fast development. Black does not take the gambit pawn. The knight goes to f6 and then d5, and the game looks like an Alapin where Black is fine.
• Closed Sicilian: 2.Nc3 and 3.g3: 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. d3 d6 6. f4 Nf6 … — White keeps the centre closed and builds an attack on the kingside. Black puts the bishop on g7, castles and plays on the queenside with the b-pawn. The two sides race on opposite wings.
• Grand Prix Attack: 3.f4 with 5.Bb5: 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bb5 Nd4 6. O-O Nxb5 … — White pushes the f-pawn early and wants a fast attack on the king. Black puts the bishop on g7, sends the knight to d4 and takes the b5 bishop. With the two bishops Black is fine.
• Rossolimo: 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. c3 Nf6 6. Re1 O-O … — White pins the c6 knight with the bishop. Black answers with the fianchetto and castles quickly. When White takes the centre, Black hits back with the d-pawn.
• Moscow: 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. O-O Nc6 6. c3 Nf6 … — White gives a check with the bishop. Black blocks with the bishop and trades it. The game is calm and Black builds a solid centre with the e-pawn and the d-pawn.

Traps you will learn (3)

• Wing Gambit: 5.axb4? Qe5+ — Against the Wing Gambit Black takes the b4 pawn and hits back with the d-pawn. If White takes on b4 with the a-pawn, the a1 rook is left alone. The queen checks on e5 and wins it.
• Alapin: 5...dxc3? Qxd5 — A warning for Black. After 4.d4 cxd4 the d-file is open. If Black takes on c3 again, the d5 knight is left without a guard and the queen takes it.
• Alapin: 7.Bb5? Qa5+ — In the Alapin many White players pin the c6 knight too early. The queen check on a5 attacks the king and the b5 bishop at once. Black wins a piece.

How the opening courses work

Each course teaches an opening in a few main variations. For every move you read why it is played, which other moves are good, and which tempting moves are mistakes and why. Each course also shows the traps of the opening: the ones you can set and the ones to avoid.

After a lesson you play the moves yourself in a drill. The lines you learn go into your review, which brings them back when you are about to forget them (spaced repetition). 30 line courses add many short lines per opening, a few new ones a day, and every named opening, more than 3,800 lines, has a lesson of its own.