Keano wrote on 09/01/21 at 02:35:07:
2...e6
but not the best open sicilian
katar wrote on 07/20/21 at 14:09:06:
In my opinion, 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 limits White's options the most. A wise philosopher once said:
fjd wrote on 07/18/21 at 11:55:08:
- 2...e6 is a good choice if you don't mind having your pawn on e6
I have reached the opposite conclusion and now avoid 2...e6 as Black. Both 3.c3 and 3.g3 are annoying lines to face, and 3.b3, 3.d3, 3.Nc3 and even 3.c4 are also playable (though less worrisome). So White's options aren't limited at all.
But you could say this is a stylistic conclusion, a matter of taste rather than objective evaluation.
The problem for most practical Black players is finding an Open Sicilian and a corresponding set of Anti-Sicilian lines that are not
too far apart stylistically. If I play a solid, safety-first Open Sicilian (relatively speaking; some would say there is no such thing...) I don't want to allow crazy complications in the Anti-Sicilians, and vice versa.
So for instance, if you're a Najdorf or Dragon player out for blood, super-solid lines like the Moscow (2...d6 3.Bb5+) and the Prins (5.f3) may be a real headache. Though objectively 2...d6 is probably a very good move to counter Anti-Sicilians, if you're OK with some of them being a bit drawish.
At the moment I play a couple of Open Sicilians that are both somewhere between razor-sharp and solid, and I've found both 2...Nc6 (allowing the Rossolimo and 3.c3) and 2...g6 are a good enough fit with that. Of course the move orders also need to work out.