Normal Topic c3 Sicilian: a drawish line? (Read 4607 times)
TicklyTim
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Re: c3 Sicilian: a drawish line?
Reply #2 - 10/15/09 at 11:37:16
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Thanks, maybe that's were I go wrong.
I try to leave white with the dark squared bishop and clamp the c3 pawn down (ie; N into c4; rooks on the c-file; maybe even ..b5), thinking that Whites bishop is 'bad'. However the problem comes in taking adavantage of it as the Bishop becomes a good defender.
Think I'm going to have to take a look at this stuff. It seems very comfortable for Black, but I've been the stronger player in all 3 games, so wanted more. I drew each game.
  
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TN
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Re: c3 Sicilian: a drawish line?
Reply #1 - 10/15/09 at 10:52:46
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I checked my books on the Alapin and found some analysis by Rogozenko which doesn't directly address 14.Qe2, but which you may find useful:

1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nf3 e6 5.d4 cd4 6.cd4 d6 7.Nc3 (I agree that this is second-rate; Black should have good chances of a slight edge after this) 7...Nc3 8.bc3 Qc7! 9.Bd2 Nd7 10.ed6 (10.Bd3 de5 11.0-0 is an interesting but probably unsound pawn sacrifice, as in Flores-Karpov, Buenos Aires 2000) 10...Bd6 11.Bd3 0-0 12.0-0 b6 13.Re1 Bb7 14.h3 (14.Rb1 Bf4 15.Bf4 Qf4 16.Re3 Rac8 17.Rb4 Bd5 18.Ne5 Rfd8 19.Qe1 g6 = Hamdouchi-Bagaturov, Biel IZ 1993) 14...Bf4 (Black has good chances to get an advantage; the white pawns on c3 and d4 can easily become targets for Black's pieces) 15.Bf4 (15.Ng5 gave Black the advantage in Ni Hua-Yakovich, Beijing 1997) 15...Qf4 16.Ne5 Ne5 17.Re5 Rac8 18.Re3 Rc7 19.Rc1 g6 20.Bf1 Rd8 and Black was slightly better in Peptan-Bojkovic, Mamaia girls Wch 1991. 

After 14.Qe2, it seems to me that 14...Bf4 with similar ideas to the above games should at least equalise and possibly offer some edge for Black. The idea is to exchange the dark-squared bishops to activate Black's pieces and make it easier to attack White's hanging pawns.

There are some good chapters in books on how to play with and against hanging pawn structures if you are still struggling against hanging pawns; alternatively you can just look up the pawn structure on ChessBase for some ideas.
  

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TicklyTim
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c3 Sicilian: a drawish line?
10/15/09 at 08:53:42
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I've had the following or similar about 3 times now:
1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nf3 e6 6. cxd4 d6 7. Nc3 Nxc3 8. bxc3 Qc7 9. Bd2 Nd7 10. exd6 Bxd6 11. Bd3 O-O 12. O-O b6 13. Re1 Bb7 14. Qe2 Rfe8 15. Be4 Bxe4 16. Qxe4 Rac8
I tend to go for the ..e6 and ..d6 system and always feel that the 7.Nc3 line shouldn't be too good. I play to bind the c3 and d4 pawns. The position sometimes looks like a textbook bad Bishop position.

The problem I find as black is that White in each case just over protects c3 with everthing they have, and slowly as more and more pieces get swapped off the King works its way round to d3. There seems little play for Black, and the c3 pawn never falls (when I play).
I've tried activating my pieces and letting the bind up, but when White plays c4 their position looks the better.

Is the position ok and I'm a just playing it poorly?
Is there another plan I can use in this position?
Is there an alternative variation to this position once I've gone for ..e6 & ..d6 system?

Yours confused, 
Tickly.
  
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