Guys, live right now, the world's strongest amateur GM, Luke McShane, is playing Rd 2 of the Millionaire Chess Open (https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/millionaire-chess-2015-open/2/1/7 and Luke essayed the 3 g3Anti-Sicilian against an …e6 Sicilian.

It is the 3…d5 5…Nc6 line with an IQP and according to Kornev, similar to the Tarrasch except W has pawn on c2 and not e2.
Black has opted for the 6…Bd6, 7…Nge7 setup which Kornev says is not so active.

1 e4 c5
2 Nf3 e6
3 g3 d5
4 exd5 exd5
5 d4 Nc6
6 Bg2 Bd6
7 O-O Nge7
8 Nc3
Luke deviates from Kornev who prefers the Knight to head to b3-sq to control the d4-sq. Kornev follows Short-Ivanchuk, Wijk aan Zee 2010 game.
I found 5 games with 8 Nc3. But no games with 8…0-0 but a Glek-Tregubov game after 9 dxc5 Bxc5.
Luke looks like playing against IQP in classical fashion with blockade on 12 Nd3.
Luke plays 13 Re1 whilst Glek played 13 a3 in 2002 although Gkex=k did play Re1 on move 14 and Luke played  a3 on move 16. But the position changed as both players adopt a different setup from Glek-Tregubov.
Luke has put booth rooks on e-file and began attack on K-side.

Am glad Luke is back playing as he plays the KIA, the Closed Sicilian including the Big Clamp etc but the danger for us club players is he makes it look easy as he is so good!

Imo 3.c3 is the most critical of the Anti-Sicilians, but it's a matter of taste of course. 3.g3 leads to a wider range of pawn structures than 3.d3 if that's your thing.

Could 3.c4!? be an idea going for some hedgehog

JEH wrote on 09/26/15 at 12:54:40:


Thanks JEH (btw, congrats on 10th year on the Forum, I am 3 yrs behind but not as many posts! ) Thanks for the good advice.

The example for Nge7 is good. As explained in reply to katar, I probably won't go for the KIA.

In the Kornev book, the other "mainline" is of course …d5 and in one Var, 5…Nf6, White plays agst IQP,
In 2nd Var, 5…Nc6 6…Bg4, there is a doubled up IQP pawns and an endgame with N vs B. Hmmmm, perhaps a study of Fischer games with Knights? (I think I got that right?);
In 5…Nc6 6…Nf6 Var, Kornev does not advocate classical plan of Knight blockade with Knight manoeuvre Nb1-d2-b3-d4 but instead recommends capturing IQP.

Kornev in his conclusion index mentioned that the …d5 Var results in Tarrasch-like IQP positions but with pawn on c2 not on e2.

The …d5 mainline is mainly in line with my proposed study of French Tarrasch IQPs with Denis Yevseev's book. So I think should not be a problem.

But with other mainline 3…Nc6,
Kornev concludes that centre is closed, play is focused on flanks. White must watch out for "B's counter play connected with f7-f6, b7-b6, a7-a5, Ba6 and b6-b5.

So same question as to katar, any suggestions on studying the resulting positions arising from the "mainline"?

Is this similar to a Qe2 KIA as you recommend and which kylemeister mentioned is a KIA a tempo up? Should I be looking also at KIA Qe2 games as well to study the positions? I am afraid I have forgotten most of my KIA stuff (memory problems!)

BTW, in the position you posted with 4…g6, Kornev addressed this and gives Internet game Starosek vs Pugachov 2004. Kornev concludes a 11.0-0+/= as B does not have compensation for pawn.

Interestingly the Starosek-Pugachov game proceeds to a Q-less middle game with a White's Q-side pawn majority. And of course this reminded me of Evgeny Sveshnikov's c3 Sicilian book where he has an entire chapter on this Q-less W's Q-side pawn majority structure. Hmmmm, I might just have answered partially my own question i.e. if B plays 4…g6.

But if 4…Nf6???

Thanks again, JEH and kylemeister.

Indeed a tempo-up version of the old possibility 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d3 Nc6 4. g3 g6 5. d4 is attractive.

3.d3 and 3.g3 can transpose of course, depending on your intentions.

Looks like Kornev wants to go c3 and d2-d4-- that means his lines will be more open.  d2-d3 lines will be more closed.  You opened 1.e4 so i presume you prefer open to closed.  But, it is up to you.

3.d3 is almost a complete K.I.A. repertoire against the French.  So, if you like the K.I.A. against the French, it is a two-for-one.  I have always considered the KIA to be murky and difficult.

I will mention also that the Dangerous Weapons: Anti-Sicilians book has a chapter on 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 and one critical line from that book is 3...d5 4.exd exd 5.Bg2 Qe7+ 6.Kf1 which has fallen out of favor as people now usually play 5.d4 instead.

As mentioned in this thread, above, 3.c3 and 3.b3 are fine moves as well.  I heard a strange rumor that 3.d4 is even playable, but i cannot confirm this.

I think that the KIA structure against the 2...e6 Sicilian is quite good.  That's what I play against the 2...e6 Sicilian.