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Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) Is the Classical Sicilian that bad? (Read 83974 times)
Stigma
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Re: Is the Classical Sicilian that bad?
Reply #104 - 07/17/25 at 01:47:50
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kylemeister wrote on 07/16/25 at 21:30:42:
Seems uncommon for a product to advocate 6...Bd7 in the Richter-Rauzer.

True, but once I saw Dreev was a co-author I immediately thought it might be 6...Bd7. I remember seeing a bunch of his games with it around 20 years ago - he must be the strong player who's most associated with the line.

The database (in the free excerpt) even claims it's a lifelong pet line of Dreev's. I take that to mean his pet way of taking a break from the Caro or French.  Smiley
  
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Re: Is the Classical Sicilian that bad?
Reply #103 - 07/16/25 at 21:30:42
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Seems uncommon for a product to advocate 6...Bd7 in the Richter-Rauzer. Actually the only one I can think of is a Gufeld/Kalinichenko book from 30 years ago.
  
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Re: Is the Classical Sicilian that bad?
Reply #102 - 07/16/25 at 15:35:03
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Modern-Chess has another data base on the Classical Sicilian. This one by Alexander Dreev and Luigi Basso. There have been so many books on the Classical Sicilian in recent years that I conclude that the Classical Sicilian is doing very well. I think theory turned the corner when 9...Nxd4! came to be appreciated (1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. f3!? Nd4! 10. Qd4 Be7!?).

Dreev and Basso's repertoire is based on 6...Bd7!?. It's not a new move, but they improve on past analysis.

Another surprise is their answer to the Sozin, which they call the "Bc4 attack." They analyze 6Bc4 e5!?. The last time I saw this recommended was in the Dangerous Weapons series. The Dangerous Weapons series has provided many recommendations that have since been promoted by other authors.
  
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Re: Is the Classical Sicilian that bad?
Reply #101 - 05/21/25 at 17:14:44
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The current Richter-Rauzer main-line in both theory and practice commences 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cd4 4. Nd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6!? Black usually ends up with doubled f pawns for example, 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. f4 Be7 10. Nf3 b5 11. Bf6 gf6. However, Black gets adequate counterplay.

Some players might prefer to avoid doubled f pawns. That can often be done with 7...Be7, which is an older, less popular line. Amro El Jawich covers it in his course on Chessable.

One line he covers is 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cd4 4. Nd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8. O-O-O O-O 9. h4!? Nd4 10. Qd4 Bd7 11. Kb1. He continues with 11...a6. I was also looking at 11...Bc6. For example, 12. f3 Qc7!? 13. g4!? Rfc8 14. Be3 d5 15. g5 e5!?

White is generally a little better in the 7...Be7 lines. However, the play remains tricky.
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cathexis
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Re: Is the Classical Sicilian that bad?
Reply #100 - 04/17/25 at 21:29:57
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Cheesy Yep! Math failure! Sorry 'bout that!

@Free - Yep! Modern Chess is the maker. But is modern chess selling it for $23.79 (perNernstian59)?
  
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Re: Is the Classical Sicilian that bad?
Reply #99 - 04/17/25 at 21:07:19
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cathexis wrote on 04/17/25 at 15:55:47:
I would welcome your opinions.

This sounds a lot like the 2022 Modern-Chess product. I would compare the two before buying. If this is newer, that would be a plus.
  
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Nernstian59
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Re: Is the Classical Sicilian that bad?
Reply #98 - 04/17/25 at 18:22:36
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cathexis - I may be wrong, but I believe that the 70% off sale would reduce the price of that $79 course course to $23.70. At least that's how the 70% off sales work at modern-chess.com. And speaking of Easter sales, that site also announced a 70% off sale earlier this week.  In their case, the code is EASTER2025. IIRC this is the highest discount the modern-chess offers. (60% off sales are fairly common). In addition, there's a quantity discount if two or more courses are ordered at the same time.
  
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cathexis
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Re: Is the Classical Sicilian that bad?
Reply #97 - 04/17/25 at 15:55:47
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Well, speaking of vids - Thechessworld is having a Easter sale of 70% off from any course. This Classical Sicillian course has 3 chapters on 6.Bc4 Qb6 lines. I can't comment on the course except to say the Bulgarian GM has easily understood English (sometimes an issuewith other vids). The "special code" is EASTER70. A 15 hour course. $79.00US for $55.30 I think. Link:

https://thechessworld.com/store/product/classical-sicilian-expert-repertoire-for...

I would welcome your opinions.
  
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FreeRepublic
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Re: Is the Classical Sicilian that bad?
Reply #96 - 04/17/25 at 15:26:05
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cathexis wrote on 04/17/25 at 14:23:54:
Just got this ad from CB this morning:

Very timely! He provides a good introduction to the opening and to his course. it does not seem that he dwells on deviations prior to reaching the Classical Sicilian. I'd have to do some digging to see if other authors cover early deviations.

I notice that he goes with Benko's response to Bobby Fischer:
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cd4 4. Nd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bc4 Qb6 instead of the more commone 6...e6. 6...Qb6 is sensible and definitely takes the edge off the game compared to 6...e6.

The intro mentions the pros and cons of 2...d6 and 2...Nc6, rightly pointing out that 2...Nc6 allows 3Bb5. I like the play from 2...Nc6 3Bb5 for Black, yet think that White is better. I'm leaning towards 2...d6. It's more lines for me to learn, but Black seems to be A ok.
  
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cathexis
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Re: Is the Classical Sicilian that bad?
Reply #95 - 04/17/25 at 14:23:54
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Go figure! Just got this ad from CB this morning:

   https://shop.chessbase.com/en/products/sethuraman_the_classical_sicilian?ref=RF1...

Hope this helps!
  
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Re: Is the Classical Sicilian that bad?
Reply #94 - 04/16/25 at 12:43:13
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Chessable also has publications on the Classical Sicicilian. GM Sam Shankland, GM Srinath Narayanan, and  GMs Mikel Huerga & Andrea Stella have each published.

It seems that most all recent publications on the Classical Sicilian have the same approach to the critical Richter-Rauzer:  
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6!? 8. O-O-O Bd7

I've only seen one author attempt an older, even more classical, approach.  FM Amro El Jawich advocates 7...Be7 in "The Razor Sharp Rauzer Sicilian." It's a great effort on his part and well suited for anyone who already plays 7...Be7.

I did not find any titles on the Classical Sicilian at Forward Chess.
  
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Re: Is the Classical Sicilian that bad?
Reply #93 - 04/15/25 at 21:54:00
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To answer the subject question, it seems it's not bad at all. It has been recommended at Modern-Chess by several authors:  GM Arjun (Dec 2024), GM Cheparinov (June 2022), Workshop (Dec 2021), and IM Kanmazalp (Feb 2019). I remember Cheparinov gave resources for both sides. Here's one that came as a surprise to me:

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cd4 4. Nd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Be3 a6 8. Qe2 Be7 9. O-O-O O-O 10. Nc6!? Cheparinov:  An original thought. bc6 11. h4!? d5 12. h5 h6 13. g4 Qc7 14. Bd3 END
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But that may not be the end of the story! 14...dxe, 14...e5, and 14...d4 can be considered. Perhaps best is 14...de4 15. Ne4 Rb8 where White has a promising position, but I think Black hangs on in complications.
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Re: Is the Classical Sicilian that bad?
Reply #92 - 01/05/24 at 23:36:36
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kylemeister wrote on 01/05/24 at 05:40:04:
I'm inclined to wonder about is why 6...e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. 0-0-0 Bd7 9. f4 Be7 10. Nf3 b5 11. Bxf6 is so much more popular than 11. e5.


I can't say. I wouldn't be surprised if 11e5 were to become more popular. Over the last two years with players rated above 2400, the score has been +7, =4, -5.
  
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Re: Is the Classical Sicilian that bad?
Reply #91 - 01/05/24 at 15:45:10
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I seem to recall Shankland (author of a product for the black side) commenting to the effect that (6...e6) 7. Qd3 is a worthy try and Black needs to know what [s]he's doing.

Chess Openings: Theory and Practice from the 1960s (supposedly by I. A. Horowitz, but according to an ordinary chessplayer actually not) attributed 7. Qd3 to Keres. 

Re 6...Qb6, I note that the yellow ECO reboot of a few years ago gave 7. Be3 a6 as one of the paths to a slight advantage for White.
  
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Re: Is the Classical Sicilian that bad?
Reply #90 - 01/05/24 at 14:55:05
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Indeed, Cheparinov recommends 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd3 for White in the Richter-Rauzer, as well as 6.Bg5 Qb6?! 7.Be3! (his punctuation). It's in the preview at the end of
https://www.modern-chess.com/top-level-repertoire-against-the-sicilian-part-1-7-...

edit: Browsing with the Lichess comp on the 6. Bg5 Qb6 7. Be3 line:
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With White's bishop still on f1, Black shouldn't take on b2:

A) 7...Qxb2? 8. Ndb5 Qb4 9. Bd2 Qc5!?
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Hoping for 10. Nc7+ Kd8 11. Nxa8 Ng4 12. Qf3 Nd4 13. Qd1 Nb5 with a repetition, but White is on top after 10. Rb1! Ng4 11.Qe2 Rb8 12.h3, Goins-Vroom 2004.

B) if Black doesn't want to play tempo-down lines with Qc7 or Qa5, he can try 7...a6 when 8. a3 or 8. Nb3 are OK for White, as Black will soon regroup with Qc7 and e6.
  
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