Sicilian Defense Explained. Italy Kicks, Sicily Kicks Back
Italy looks like a boot, and Sicily is the ball. In chess, Sicily kicks back. The Sicilian Defense is the most popular reply to 1.e4, because it does not copy White, it fights from the side and plays to win. This page shows why it works and what White can do about it.
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The idea. Do not copy, kick back
White opens with 1.e4. The classic reply copies it with 1...e5, and that keeps the game balanced. The Sicilian answers with 1...c5 instead. It is the most popular reply to 1.e4, and it tilts the game from the first move, giving Black real winning chances.
You do not have to copy your opponent. The best answer can come from the side. The pawn on c5 is not in the center, yet it controls d4, the square White most wants to use.
The trade that makes the opening
White usually develops the knight to f3 and then opens the center with d4. Black takes the pawn. That trades a side pawn for a center pawn. Black now has two center pawns, a d pawn and an e pawn, while White has only one.
White gets space and quick development. Black gets an unbalanced fight, and that is the point. Black also gets the half open c file, a file with no black pawn on it. White usually attacks the king, Black counterattacks on the queenside, and the game becomes a race.
The famous lines
From here the well known lines begin. Two of them are worth knowing by name.
- The Najdorf. Black plays a quiet a6, which keeps White's pieces off the square b5. It was a favorite of Fischer and Kasparov.
- The Dragon. Black plays g6 and puts the bishop on g7, where it breathes fire down the long diagonal.
Both lines are sharp and full of theory, which is why many players choose a different way to meet the Sicilian.
The Smith-Morra Gambit. White kicks back
Many White players do not want to learn all that theory, so they kick back early. In the Smith-Morra Gambit White plays 2.d4, Black takes with 2...cxd4, and instead of taking back, White offers a pawn with 3.c3. It is named after Pierre Morra of France and Ken Smith of Dallas, who wrote nine books about it.
If Black takes again, White is a pawn down. But look at the board. The c and d files are open, and White's pieces are ready to fly out. The knights come out, the bishop aims at the weak square f7, the king castles, the queen steps up and the rooks take the open files. For one pawn, White gets a big lead in development and wants to attack before Black is ready.
It can go wrong quickly for either side. A careless Black can lose the queen to a simple sequence on the f7 square. A careless White can fall into the Siberian Trap, where Black's knight jumps to g4, White chases it with h3, and if White takes the other knight that lands on d4, the black queen gives checkmate on h2. So both players need to know the traps before they try the gambit.
Black also does not have to accept. Playing 3...Nf6, or pushing on with 3...d3, turns the offer down. And the Smith-Morra is only one way to face the Sicilian. White can also choose the Alapin, the Closed Sicilian or the Rossolimo.
What to remember
- Fight for d4 from the side. The c pawn does the job of a center pawn without sitting in the center.
- Count your center pawns. The trade on d4 leaves Black with two against one.
- Expect a race. White attacks the king, Black counterattacks on the queenside.
- Know a trap before you offer a gambit. A pawn given away without enough in return is just a pawn given away.
So Italy kicks, and Sicily kicks back. Black answers 1.e4 from the side and plays to win. If you want a quieter reply to 1.e4, read about the Caro-Kann Defense, and for the idea of offering a pawn read about the gambit.
Watch Sicilian Defense in motion
The same ideas as an animated video, once as the full lesson and once as a 45 second teaser.
The three minute version. The same lesson as an animated video. Watch on YouTube
The 45 second version. Watch on YouTube
Sources for Sicilian Defense
- Chess.com, Sicilian Defense opening page
- Positions are checked with a chess program. The lines shown are examples, not the only ways to play.