I play mostly internet gmes. And on lower levels 80% have no real plan against the Alapin and just try to play what they are used to and white gets an advantage. Your video is very good. You explain the main plans well.
@@jopekpl3986 play Snyder variation (2. b3) it isn't really covered with the black pieces on TH-cam so they'll be underprepared. Also chances are they will deviate from dragon variations after you fianchetto on the a1-h8 diagonal.
Thanks for such an informative video! I despise playing the Sicilian because I never know the theory my opponents do, but I feel like this is pretty uncommon and also playable for white, so Imma study it and add it to my repertoire. Thanks again xx
Some lines that black sometimes uses when playing for a win: 3...Qxd5 4.d4 g6!? these can get much sharper 3...Qxd5 4.d4 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bf5 some Gawain Jones games and Navara 2...Qa5!? is an interesting way to sidestep theory, played by Movsesian some years ago. The idea is white can't recapture on d4 with a pawn. Closing in on 1k, well done! And congrats on Croatia in WC, they are looking good. We came so close to the round of 16, late lucky goal and we would have been through :-(
Yeah...I'm sorry for Iceland. I was unsure whether I wanted us to win because Iceland was the only other team that deserved to go through. I wish you beat Nigeria. And you should have won yesterday. We played with the 2nd team and they didn't even try too hard (and you were unlucky and we scored from the only two real chances in the game). I wish we met in the finals:D
thank you zibbit's chess channel for this tip(2...Qa5!? is an interesting way to sidestep theory, played by Movsesian) I found 255 wins on my database by high rated players . I have been going thru the games and digging out all the tactics,strategys and ideas. i've never liked playing against the c3 sicillian. But his is what i've been looking for. here is all my book says about it .(b) 2...Qa5 (D) is a rather exotic method of discouraging d4 (since the c-pawn will be unable to recapture). After 3 Nf3 Nc6 4 Bc4 Black has no clear route to equality. Rozentalis-Miezis, Gausdal 2003 continued 4...Nf6 5 d3 e6 and now 6 Qe2!, preventing ...d5, would have left White with a stable advantage). Collins, Sam. Chess Explained: The c3 Sicilian
really nice video, got a lot out of it. i would have loved to also see some ideas how to attack the king from the end-positions of the opening lines, maybe you could touch on that in future videos. keep it up!
In the 2...d5 lines, white has some good ways to prevent from having an isolated QP, mostly by not playing an immediate d4. Instead, there are ways of embarrassing the black queen in the center of the board, mostly starting with an early Na3, which supports the d4 square and also threatens a Nb5-c7 maneuver. Great analysis. I have been playing the Alapin for many years. Oftentimes, black gets into an unfavorable French-like position, with no c5 break available. The Alapin often leads to positions that a Sicilian player is not comfortable with.
hello guys this guy is one of the best theory student on the internet . his study is indepth and very large. it may be difficult to extract the pgn tree of the repertoires so that you can train against them . but guess what i have do that for you . but guys you have to buy me lunch first please hit me up
I like e6 in the Nf6 lines. If they play Bc4 before capturing on d4 you can play dxc3 and get into some nice complications. I also prefer e6 positions to Nb6 in response to Bc4.
Something I struggle with is how to punish when people don't play the line. For example after learning this variation I've come across 3 players who defend with alapin but everyone is playing E5 in defense to d5.
That's a crazy line. Ive played similar stuff in the past. Going for the queen sac is bold but I think better is instead of 9.Nxe5, to play 9.Bb5+ right away, and after 9.Bd7 10.Bxd7+ Nxd7, white castles and is much much better because hes castled, and has easy development, and black hasn't moved any of his kingside pieces. That is a safer line but your line with the queen sac is flashy and works as well if thats your style
Now, I have encountered 2. ...g6 for black in a video by Miodrag Perunovic [aka 'The Butcher' -scary name!?]. Seems he has a line for Black versus almost anything White throws up??!!
@@Will-zq1os I have not discovered the answer to this yet. Played it a few times against my chess buddy and was worse quickly, I stick to the normal Alapon now.
Yeah, it could be similar. The problem is that white has already played 1.e4, which makes it almost impossible to enter a reversed Caro-Kann. I think that if 1.d4 c5 2.c3 could be played it would be closer? I'm not sure though. It doesn't make too much sense to try and enter the reversed Caro-Kann. White always seems to have something more useful to do.
@@HangingPawns 1. c3 e5 2. d4 can be regarded as an invitation to reversed Caro-Kann or Queen's gambit, and therein a tempo difference can be beneficial for white. I can't imagine some human player could consider playing 2. .. e4 , trying to imitate advanced Caro-Kann, because black's pawn on e4 pawn can be a long-term weakness.
@@milankotevski1663 you asked how, he answered, whats your problem. Also he basically says he doesn't play e4, but now that he is not scared about the sicilian he will play it.
His lichess blitz/rapid rating is around 2200. However what is his actual fide id/name ? I´m myself am an 1800+ elo player and this lower level simplified video´s are qiute good to memorize the main lines in a sense. From there you can go and explore yourself in practise. Its the only way by the way to master it to some extend.
Nothing wrong IMO. but you are transposing into a caro khan or a french defense. So as white is the one choosing the alapin sicilian normally you are prepared in the alapin ^^
@@yann7196 u transpose to a an improved version of caro kann, after white plays e5 black plays bf5.his bishop is not blocked like in french and he played c5 in one move. also white placed his pawn on c3 , he would have to spend another tempo to play c4 which he would play in a single move in the regular caro kann
1e4 c5 2.d5 e5 6.e6 and you are likely going to enter in the french defense. Might be good if you play it yourself as black and/or know the opponent is not playing it. You can also plat 3.... Bf5 , so an improvement over the french. Its considered good for black because of the latter.
I play mostly internet gmes. And on lower levels 80% have no real plan against the Alapin and just try to play what they are used to and white gets an advantage. Your video is very good. You explain the main plans well.
Mhm alapin is super annoying.
@@dannytran1587 sicilian is annoying too
@@ArtificialIntelligence911 Dragon players are annoying. The rest is pretty interesting to play
@@jopekpl3986 play Snyder variation (2. b3) it isn't really covered with the black pieces on TH-cam so they'll be underprepared. Also chances are they will deviate from dragon variations after you fianchetto on the a1-h8 diagonal.
7:33 "white still has castling rights": *looks at the king on d1* "do you?~"
exactly what i was thinking
still a helpful video tho
Stjepan is a pro. He doesn't bother with the details.
Haha, I started wondering if there was some secret rule I didn't know about.
I came here to comment this 😛
♟3:04 2..d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 -----> 4:00 4..Nf6 10:30 4..Nc6 | 13:10 2..Nf6 ----> 13:40 Nf3 19:22 d4 🏁
Ty
Thanks for such an informative video! I despise playing the Sicilian because I never know the theory my opponents do, but I feel like this is pretty uncommon and also playable for white, so Imma study it and add it to my repertoire. Thanks again xx
Watched this video shortly after getting crushed playing against the Alapin :D
Now I finally know what to play against white. Thank you, Sir :)
Thank you for the video, very helpful! Just started playing last month after not playing for 24 years.
This is me too! Good luck! It’s a different (chess) world, right? 🤣👍🏽
Some lines that black sometimes uses when playing for a win:
3...Qxd5 4.d4 g6!? these can get much sharper
3...Qxd5 4.d4 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bf5 some Gawain Jones games and Navara
2...Qa5!? is an interesting way to sidestep theory, played by Movsesian some years ago. The idea is white can't recapture on d4 with a pawn.
Closing in on 1k, well done!
And congrats on Croatia in WC, they are looking good. We came so close to the round of 16, late lucky goal and we would have been through :-(
Yeah...I'm sorry for Iceland. I was unsure whether I wanted us to win because Iceland was the only other team that deserved to go through. I wish you beat Nigeria. And you should have won yesterday. We played with the 2nd team and they didn't even try too hard (and you were unlucky and we scored from the only two real chances in the game). I wish we met in the finals:D
Hanging Pawns we had one bad half against Nigeria and that cost us dearly
thank you zibbit's chess channel for this tip(2...Qa5!? is an interesting way to sidestep theory, played by Movsesian)
I found 255 wins on my database by high rated players . I have been going thru the games and digging out all the tactics,strategys and ideas. i've never liked playing against the c3 sicillian. But his is what i've been looking for.
here is all my book says about it .(b) 2...Qa5 (D) is a rather exotic method of discouraging d4
(since the c-pawn will be unable to recapture).
After 3 Nf3 Nc6 4 Bc4 Black has no clear route to equality.
Rozentalis-Miezis, Gausdal 2003 continued 4...Nf6 5 d3 e6 and now
6 Qe2!, preventing ...d5, would have left White with a stable advantage).
Collins, Sam. Chess Explained: The c3 Sicilian
really nice video, got a lot out of it. i would have loved to also see some ideas how to attack the king from the end-positions of the opening lines, maybe you could touch on that in future videos. keep it up!
In the 2...d5 lines, white has some good ways to prevent from having an isolated QP, mostly by not playing an immediate d4. Instead, there are ways of embarrassing the black queen in the center of the board, mostly starting with an early Na3, which supports the d4 square and also threatens a Nb5-c7 maneuver. Great analysis. I have been playing the Alapin for many years. Oftentimes, black gets into an unfavorable French-like position, with no c5 break available. The Alapin often leads to positions that a Sicilian player is not comfortable with.
The real question is why one would avoid IQP when it is such a fundamental pawn structure that you have to know for both sides.
Is that MVL hanging out in the background?
After 3 years you deserve an answer. So, no, it is not MVL.
@@slylataupe4272 hahaha
Bruh
😂😂😂😂😂
You ,,, you still alive ?
Im sure everyone will agree that ur yt channel is underrated
13:10 main variation 1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6
Thanks for giving me an idea that I can use in my next post on TH-cam. Keep the inspiration coming!
hello guys this guy is one of the best theory student on the internet . his study is indepth and very large. it may be difficult to extract the pgn tree of the repertoires so that you can train against them . but guess what i have do that for you . but guys you have to buy me lunch first please hit me up
I like how Anish is streaming on the background :)
its not anish its mvl
Thanks for this video man.
2:24
Me: *watching this video ten seconds after facing c3*
I like e6 in the Nf6 lines. If they play Bc4 before capturing on d4 you can play dxc3 and get into some nice complications. I also prefer e6 positions to Nb6 in response to Bc4.
Nice video again,
Thanks stefen
I would like you to make video on best moves in common middle posotion of the board
Very clearly explained. Thank you.
13:13 Black plays Nf6
Great vidéo again thanks keep up your great work 🎉
Thank you sir
very useful and clear explanations.
This is my favorite response to the Sicilian since I’ve gotten back into chess. Even won a game with it today in a club tourney. Thanks again.
❤️thank you
No problem:)
Something I struggle with is how to punish when people don't play the line. For example after learning this variation I've come across 3 players who defend with alapin but everyone is playing E5 in defense to d5.
It's basically a variation in the Caro Kann but you have 1 extra move
Cool, I didn’t realize the Alapin transposed so much
Anish giri chilling in the background
I have played the following line in the Alapin Sicilian. Do you think it's solid?
1. e4 c5
2. c3 d5
3. exd5 Qxd5
4. d4 Nc6
5. Nf3 cxd4
6. cxd4 Bg4
7. Nc3 Qa5
8. d5 Ne5
9. Nxe5 Bxd1
10. Bb5+ Kd8
11. Nxf7+ Kc8
12. Kxd1 Nf6
13. Nxh8 Nxd5
14. a4 Nxc3+
15. bxc3 a6
16. Bc4 Qxc3
17. Be6+ Kb8
That's a crazy line. Ive played similar stuff in the past. Going for the queen sac is bold but I think better is instead of 9.Nxe5, to play 9.Bb5+ right away, and after 9.Bd7 10.Bxd7+ Nxd7, white castles and is much much better because hes castled, and has easy development, and black hasn't moved any of his kingside pieces. That is a safer line but your line with the queen sac is flashy and works as well if thats your style
I love these videos.
2...Nf6 Main Line - 13:12
Great stuff
Now, I have encountered 2. ...g6 for black in a video by Miodrag Perunovic [aka 'The Butcher' -scary name!?]. Seems he has a line for Black versus almost anything White throws up??!!
3:38 he was wrong stockfish says knight f3 is the best so d4 is definitly not the only move
You sound a little like Arnold Shwartzenegger sir. Thanks for the lesson.
I play the delayed Alapin with 2.Nf6 which is actually quite different
I am struggling with the delayed alapin after black plays 2.nc6. What do you play here?
@@Will-zq1os I have not discovered the answer to this yet. Played it a few times against my chess buddy and was worse quickly, I stick to the normal Alapon now.
@@zacharymazzuca1150 yeah samee
i don't get at 14:23 after Bb3 why not dxc3? Is there a tactic?
Thank u
7:42 after Queen captures on d8, Black can't capture with the Knight, as the next move from White is Nc7+
Yeah, he corrected himself
TERIMA KASIH 🇮🇩
2. c3 makes me think Caro-Kan attack
Yeah, it could be similar. The problem is that white has already played 1.e4, which makes it almost impossible to enter a reversed Caro-Kann. I think that if 1.d4 c5 2.c3 could be played it would be closer? I'm not sure though. It doesn't make too much sense to try and enter the reversed Caro-Kann. White always seems to have something more useful to do.
@@HangingPawns 1. c3 e5 2. d4 can be regarded as an invitation to reversed Caro-Kann or Queen's gambit, and therein a tempo difference can be beneficial for white. I can't imagine some human player could consider playing 2. .. e4 , trying to imitate advanced Caro-Kann, because black's pawn on e4 pawn can be a long-term weakness.
Where is the video on the closed sicilian?
What about 4... e6
Cheers bro helps alot I typically play d4 and c4 but now that I have a weapon against Sicilian I will invite it
How do you invite a chess opening?
@@milankotevski1663 E4 would invite it I guess
@@hfvales guess again.
@@milankotevski1663 you asked how, he answered, whats your problem. Also he basically says he doesn't play e4, but now that he is not scared about the sicilian he will play it.
levon aronian is in the background
7:35 how does white still retain the castle right?
Hi! What’s your uscf rating? Awesome video!!!
CHESS Fan Stjepan’s Lichess rating is 2099.
He is Croatian. No US rating. His FIDE is 1909 at the moment.
Here in Europe we have the real deal. You know, FIDE ratings.
His lichess blitz/rapid rating is around 2200. However what is his actual fide id/name ?
I´m myself am an 1800+ elo player
and this lower level simplified video´s are qiute good to memorize the main lines in a sense. From there you can go and explore yourself in practise. Its the only way by the way to master it to some extend.
white does not have castling rights. He moved
Can you go over the delayed Alapin ?
Is that Elon Musk teaching me chess?
2. e6 is pretty ok for black or not?
Yes it will probably transpose to the French Advance variation
At 7:30 you said white still has castling rights
Sorry. I should have read the comments
This is the first time I heard the word Farfetch’d used in real life, excuse my spelling
Why is exd5 the “only option”? Second best engine line is e5...
After Nc6 d5, it leads to a bad version of the advance Caro kann where Black is up a tempo and their knight is on a better square.
1:55 Having an isolated queen pawn is not a downside for White. In hands of a skilled player, it is most definitely an asset.
Milan Kotevski I disagree. The d pawn is strong even if it is isolated, but it is surely a disadvantage in the long term.
I also disagree. It can be made safe, maybe even useful, but 9 times out of 10 you will be at a disadvantage
@@victorzaak 9 out 10? Boy, you gotta brush up on your theory, asap.
No. An isolani is a disadvantage, but not so big that it is unsound. For that reason, some people prefer to play with it, most notably Boris Spassky
What about g6 on move 2?
7:33
What wrong with e4c5 c3d5 and e5?
Nothing wrong IMO. but you are transposing into a caro khan or a french defense. So as white is the one choosing the alapin sicilian normally you are prepared in the alapin ^^
@@yann7196 u transpose to a an improved version of caro kann, after white plays e5 black plays bf5.his bishop is not blocked like in french and he played c5 in one move. also white placed his pawn on c3 , he would have to spend another tempo to play c4 which he would play in a single move in the regular
caro kann
Nice banana in the back
7:28 “… white still has castling rights”. Are you sure? 😀
What if white plays 3. e5?
1e4 c5 2.d5 e5 6.e6 and you are likely going to enter in the french defense. Might be good if you play it yourself as black and/or know the opponent is not playing it.
You can also plat 3.... Bf5 , so an improvement over the french. Its considered good for black because of the latter.
why cant you just do nc7 7:47
13:17
~~test~~
Please play the Alapin and I will play Nf6 immediately and equalize. A garbage opening.
I gave you exactly 70,000 views Jun 25, 2018 - copy pasted by the way
Personally I prefer the Na5 variations, more dynamic. The alapin can get very stale otherwise. But I'm not anywhere close to GM level...
Which Na5 variations? White can simply not play that move.
@@sleepy4x that is why he is nowhere near GM level.
Can we play 1.e4 c5 2.c3 e5
No, that is bad since it greatly weakens the d5 square. White is close to winning there.
You kind of look like Elon Musk.
Pretty sure you could walk in on a Tesla shareholders meeting and be given VIP treatment
19:43 defending what? an already lost pawn?🤷♂️
yeah wtf
I think this is the most boring variation of the sicilian and not a real sicilian
You look like Elon Musk
Thanks. Comparison number 49. I'll celebrate at 50.