For White· 17 lines

Open Sicilian - 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.

Let's learn Black's main 4th moves! Black pushes e5 to kick our knight, entering the Löwenthal Variation. We step our knight back to b5 to keep it on the board. Let's begin with 1.e4.

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Main line

Scroll the moves: the board follows.

Key lines

The free lines of this chapter, each one trainable move by move.

  1. Main Line: position after 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
    Main Line

    … 8... Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Be3 Be6 11. Nd5

  2. 4...Nf6: position after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bd3 g6 7. O-O Bg7 8. e5 Nd5 9. Re1 O-O 10. Nd2 Qc7 11. Nf3 d6 12. c4
    4...Nf6

    … 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bd3 g6 7. O-O Bg7 8. e5 Nd5 9. Re1 O-O 10. Nd2 Qc7 11. Nf3 d6 12. c4

  3. 4...Nf6: position after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bd3 e6 7. Bf4 d5 8. Nd2 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. e5 Nd7 11. Re1
    4...Nf6

    … 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bd3 e6 7. Bf4 d5 8. Nd2 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. e5 Nd7 11. Re1

  4. 4...Nf6: position after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bd3 e5 7. O-O Be7 8. c4 O-O 9. Nc3 d6 10. Be3 Be6 11. b3
    4...Nf6

    … 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bd3 e5 7. O-O Be7 8. c4 O-O 9. Nc3 d6 10. Be3 Be6 11. b3

  5. 4...Nf6: position after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bd3 e5 7. O-O d5 8. exd5 cxd5 9. Bg5
    4...Nf6

    … 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bd3 e5 7. O-O d5 8. exd5 cxd5 9. Bg5

  6. 4...Nf6: position after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bd3 e5 7. O-O Bc5 8. Nc3 O-O 9. Na4 Be7 10. c4 d5 11. exd5 cxd5 12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. Qe2
    4...Nf6

    … 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bd3 e5 7. O-O Bc5 8. Nc3 O-O 9. Na4 Be7 10. c4 d5 11. exd5 cxd5 12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. Qe2

  7. 4...g6: position after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 d6 7. f3 Nf6 8. Qd2 O-O
    4...g6

    … 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 d6 7. f3 Nf6 8. Qd2 O-O

  8. 4...g6: position after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Bb3 d6 9. f3 Bd7 10. h4 h5 11. Qd2 Rc8 12. O-O-O
    4...g6

    … 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Bb3 d6 9. f3 Bd7 10. h4 h5 11. Qd2 Rc8 12. O-O-O

  9. 4...d6: position after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 d6 5. c4 g6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Be3 Nf6 8. Be2
    4...d6

    … 4. Nxd4 d6 5. c4 g6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Be3 Nf6 8. Be2

  10. 4...d6: position after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 d6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 g6 7. Be2 Bg7 8. Be3
    4...d6

    … 4. Nxd4 d6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 g6 7. Be2 Bg7 8. Be3

  11. 5...a6: position after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 a6 6. Nd6+ Bxd6 7. Qxd6 Qf6 8. Qd2 Nge7 9. Nc3 O-O 10. b3
    5...a6

    … 5. Nb5 a6 6. Nd6+ Bxd6 7. Qxd6 Qf6 8. Qd2 Nge7 9. Nc3 O-O 10. b3

  12. 5...a6: position after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 a6 6. Nd6+ Bxd6 7. Qxd6 Qf6 8. Qd2 Qg6 9. f3 Nge7 10. Bd3 O-O 11. b3
    5...a6

    … 5. Nb5 a6 6. Nd6+ Bxd6 7. Qxd6 Qf6 8. Qd2 Qg6 9. f3 Nge7 10. Bd3 O-O 11. b3

  13. 5...a6: position after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 a6 6. Nd6+ Bxd6 7. Qxd6 Qe7 8. Qd1 Nf6 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Bg5 h6 11. Nd5
    5...a6

    … 5. Nb5 a6 6. Nd6+ Bxd6 7. Qxd6 Qe7 8. Qd1 Nf6 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Bg5 h6 11. Nd5

  14. 7...Be6: position after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 a6 7. N5c3 Be6 8. Be3 Nf6 9. Nd5 Bxd5 10. exd5 Nd4 11. Bd3
    7...Be6

    … 7. N5c3 Be6 8. Be3 Nf6 9. Nd5 Bxd5 10. exd5 Nd4 11. Bd3

  15. 8...Be6: position after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 a6 7. N5c3 Nf6 8. Bd3 Be6 9. O-O Be7 10. Nd5 O-O 11. Be3
    8...Be6

    … 8. Bd3 Be6 9. O-O Be7 10. Nd5 O-O 11. Be3

  16. 10...Bg4: position after 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 Bg4 11. f3 Bd7 12. Na3
    10...Bg4

    … 10. Be3 Bg4 11. f3 Bd7 12. Na3

  17. 10...Ng4: position after 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 Ng4 11. Bc1
    10...Ng4

    … 10. Be3 Ng4 11. Bc1

Other chapters

All chapters of the Open Sicilian

Learn 4th moves after 2...Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 (4...e5, 4...Nf6, 4...g6, 4...d6) on the board

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