Sicilian Classical and Scheveningen: free opening course
In the Classical Sicilian Black develops the knights first and keeps every pawn set-up open. You learn the Richter-Rauzer, the Boleslavsky with ...e5 and the Anti-Sozin. You also learn the strong reply to 6.Be3 and how to meet the pawn storm with 6.f3. A Scheveningen line shows the small centre with pawns on d6 and e6.
Key ideas
- The c6 knight challenges the d4 knight and keeps an eye on e5 and d4.
- Choose the pawn set-up by White's plan. Push the e-pawn two squares against quiet lines, or keep it on e6 against sharp ones.
- After the e-pawn reaches e5, the d5 square is the key. Keep a bishop on e6 or trade the knight that lands there.
- When White castles long, play on the queenside at once. Pawns on a6 and b5 and the half-open c-file are Black's weapons.
- Punish loose bishops on e3. The knight jumps to g4 and the queen goes to b6, so watch b2 and f2.
The 6 variations in the course
- Richter-Rauzer: 6.Bg5 with 9.f4: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 … — White pins with Bg5, castles long and pushes the f-pawn. Black plays ...a6, ...Bd7 and ...b5. Black accepts broken pawns for the bishop pair and castles long when the time comes.
- Boleslavsky: 6.Be2 e5: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be2 e5 … — Against the quiet bishop move Black pushes the e-pawn two squares and kicks the knight. The fight is about d5. Black guards it with the e6 bishop and trades the knight when it lands there.
- Anti-Sozin: 6.Bc4 Qb6: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bc4 Qb6 … — Black hits the d4 knight and the b2 pawn with the queen before White's attack starts. After the knight retreats, Black sets up with ...e6, ...a6 and ...b5.
- 6.Be3 Ng4: hitting the bishop: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be3 Ng4 … — The bishop on e3 is a target. Black hits it with the knight and chases it with pawns. Then the dark bishop goes to the long diagonal. Many White players go wrong here.
- 6.f3 e5: against the pawn storm: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. f3 e5 … — White prepares a kingside storm. Black kicks the knight with the e-pawn and castles. Then the a-pawn and the b4 square give quick queenside play.
- Scheveningen: 5...e6 6.Be2: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Be2 Be7 … — Black keeps the pawns on d6 and e6, a small but solid centre. Against the classical set-up with castling and the f-pawn push, Black regroups with ...Qc7, ...Re8 and ...Rb8.
Traps you will learn (2)
- 6.Be3 Ng4 7.Bg5 Qb6: mate on f2 — After 6.Be3 Ng4 7.Bg5 the queen jumps to b6. Many White players trade knights on c6 without looking. That opens the diagonal, and the queen mates on f2.
- Anti-Sozin: 7.Be3 Qxb2 8.Na4 — In the Anti-Sozin, 7.Be3 drops the b2 pawn. Then White often chases the queen with the knight to a4. A queen check on b4 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.
Questions and answers
Is the Sicilian Classical and Scheveningen course free?
Yes. The Sicilian Classical and Scheveningen course on chessGM is free, with all 6 variations, 2 traps, the drills and the review. There is no paid plan that unlocks more.
Who is the Sicilian Classical and Scheveningen course for?
It is a course at advanced level for Black, written for players rated around 1800.
How do I practise this opening?
After each lesson, play the moves yourself in the drill. The lines you learn go into your review, which brings them back when you are about to forget them, and you can try the opening in games against the bots.