Open Sicilian
Take the Sicilian head-on: open the center, castle long, storm the king. Najdorf and Dragon included.
Train this repertoire freeChapters
Each chapter shows its main line move by move, with the coach's comments.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 a6 7. N5c3 Nf6 8. Bd3 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Be3 Be6 11. Nd5
4th moves after 2...Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 (4...e5, 4...Nf6, 4...g6, 4...d6)
Black pushes 4...e5 and settles with 5...d6, reaching the Kalashnikov Variation. Reroute with 5.Nb5, play 6.c4, retreat 7.N5c3, then castle and develop with Bd3 and Be3. Finish with 11.Nd5, offering a knight trade while sitting on a safe outpost. Aim for a queenside majority with Black's backward d6 pawn as your target.
1 · 17 lines1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 Be7 9. Qd2 O-O 10. O-O-O Nbd7 11. g4 b5 12. g5
Najdorf and Dragon Variations (5...a6, 5...g6)
Meet ...e5 and ...Be6 with the English Attack. Play Nb3, f3, Qd2, O-O-O, then g4 and g5 to gain space. Watch for ...b5, which stops your knight from landing on a4. Aim for a queenside majority, with Black's backward d6 pawn a target on the half-open d-file.
2 · 16 lines1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Bd3 Nf6 7. Qe2 d6 8. f4 Nbd7 9. g4 Nc5 10. g5 Nfd7 11. Be3 b5 12. a3
Open (3...cxd4)
Your opponent plays ...cxd4, entering the Open Sicilian, then follows up with ...a6, ...Qc7 and ...b5 in Kan style. Develop with Nxd4, Nc3, Bd3 and Qe2, then expand with f4, g4 and g5. Defend with Be3, meet ...b5 with a3, and prepare f5 and castling. Aim for a position with a queenside pawn majority.
3 · 11 lines
About this repertoire
Take the Sicilian head-on: open the center, castle long, storm the king. Najdorf and Dragon included.
The Open Sicilian takes 1...c5 head-on: d4 opens the center and gives you an attacking plan against the ...a6, ...g6 and ...e6 setups. Learn when to castle queenside, push your kingside pawns and target a backward pawn on d6. One trap, 8 model games and 26 puzzles help you spot the chances.
What you'll learn
Löwenthal Variation (4...e5, after 2...Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5
After 4...e5 kicks our knight, we retreat with 5.Nb5 and meet 5...d6 6.c4 a6 7.N5c3 Nf6 8.Bd3 Be7 9.O-O O-O 10.Be3 Be6 with 11.Nd5, trading knights from a safe outpost. Black's backward d6 pawn becomes a long-term target on the half-open d-file, while we hold a queenside pawn majority.
4...Nf6 Lines (after 2...Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6
When Black meets 4.Nxd4 with 4...Nf6, we trade on c6 with 5.Nxc6 bxc6 and develop naturally with 6.Bd3, 7.O-O and 8.Nc3, chasing the bishop with 9.Na4. After 10.c4 d5 11.exd5 cxd5 12.cxd5 Nxd5 13.Qe2, our queen attacks Black's undefended e5 pawn, and we aim for f3 next.
Other 4th moves after 2...Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 (4...g6, 4...d6)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6
Against the Accelerated Dragon's 4...g6, we meet 5...Bg7 with 6.Be3, guarding d4, then develop with 7.Bc4 and 8.Bb3. After 9.f3, 10.h4 h5 and 11.Qd2, we castle with 12.O-O-O, landing both kings on opposite wings.
Najdorf Variation (5...a6, after 2...d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6
In the Najdorf after 5...a6, we launch the English Attack with 6.Be3, meeting 6...e5 7.Nb3 Be6 with 8.f3 and 9.Qd2. We castle 10.O-O-O opposite Black's king, then push 11.g4 b5 12.g5 to gain space, keeping Black's backward d6 pawn as a long-term target.
Dragon Variation (5...g6, after 2...d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6
Against the Dragon's 5...g6, we answer 6...Bg7 with 7.f3 and castle queenside on 9.O-O-O, opposite Black's king. After 9...d5 10.Qe1 e5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Bc4, we target the knight on d5, aiming to win a piece by piling up on that square.
Open (3...cxd4)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6
Against the Kan after 2...e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6, we develop with 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Bd3 Nf6 7.Qe2 d6 and grab space with 8.f4 Nbd7 9.g4 Nc5 10.g5 Nfd7 11.Be3 b5 12.a3, keeping a queenside pawn majority. Next we aim for f5 and castling to continue the attack.
What's inside
- 1 trap featured as priority lines, so you learn the tricks that win games first.
- 8 master games played in these lines, linked from the moves where they leave the course.
- 26 puzzles from real games of this opening.
Why this repertoire?
- Built for club players. The plans target players rated 1600 to 2200 who want a clear idea on move two.
- A manageable load. You get a tight set of lines per chapter, reinforced by puzzles and master games to cement the ideas.
- Recurring plans. You repeatedly target Black's backward d6 pawn on the half-open d-file and lean on a queenside pawn majority.
- Opposite-side attacks. In the Najdorf and Dragon chapters you castle queenside and push pawns forward while Black castles short.
- Understanding over memorizing. Every move comes with the idea behind it, so you can find the right plan even when Black deviates.
Train the Open Sicilian repertoire
Play every line on the board and let spaced repetition bring back the moves you forget. Free to start.
Train this repertoire free