What does everyone play against the Sicilian as white?

@jonesmh Cool, I might try GPA against the accelerated dragon. There seems to be quite a lot of youtube videos on GPD vs dragon, some say that it is the best ‘anti-Sicilian scheme’ but I will see how that works out. I guess GPA against the English would just turn into reversed Sicilian with black having more initiative.Just out of interest, what do you play against the French?

@boilingFrog Maybe I will.

#15 I agree to a certain extent but its impossible to ‘play like a book’ even if someone has photographic memory. There are so many variations in the sicilian I doubt that even grandmasters knows every response.

"Having spent alarmingly large chunks of my life studying the white side of the Open Sicilian, I find myself asking, why did I bother?" - GM Daniel King

"A player should study opening theory after he becomes a grandmaster. From then on it uses up most of his time" - Kasparov

Here is a game where Fischer plays the Grand Prix Attack as black
www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1996690

I play Sicilian Dragon, although Stockfish don't like it... But if white doesn't know this, he will probably lose

@Tae7 I still play the KIA. I play the KIA against the Caro-Kann. Against the Pirc/Modern, I play the GPA.
Just to confuse the issue, against the Center Counter, I switch to the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, but then they can switch to a proper French or CK. Then I'm forced to wimp out and play the exchange variations.

@tpr Having spent virtually no time studying the open Sicilian, I find myself wondering if I should start learning it xD.
‘A player should study opening theory after he comes a grandmaster’.Well, how did they even become grandmasters in the first place if they don’t know any theory.Theory knowledge accumulates as you become a better player but I think you’ve got to start from somewhere. I have the impression that strong IMs/FMs know plenty of opening theory.Also, from reading some of your forum posts, you know far more opening theory than probably most people including myself so I don’t see why you are against learning it.
I agree that Its useless learning lots of opening moves if you don’t understand the concept behind it however Imo when you reach a certain level it helps one to understand the different position/tactics that arise from a particular opening.
Cool game btw!

I just play the open Sicilian. I don't know any real theory apart from having read a bit about typical structures and plans, but at my level (Lichess 1800-ish rapid and 1600-ish blitz) my opponents don't seem to know much either and I can generally get to a perfectly good middlegame by developing naturally and either castling long and pawn storming or castling short and putting pressure on the d-file.

If anything, open Sicilian positions seem to need more careful handling by black, because white typically comes out of the first few moves with a lead in development and a fairly obvious plan...

#25
"Well, how did they even become grandmasters in the first place if they don’t know any theory."
From being better at tactics, endgames, strategy. If they become grandmaster on that, then they can become a strong grandmaster if they add opening theory after that.

"I have the impression that strong IMs/FMs know plenty of opening theory."
Some do, but some do not. You would be surprised.

"you know far more opening theory than probably most people including myself so I don’t see why you are against learning it."
I know too much opening theory. I have been playing the game for a long time. I would have been much stronger if I had never studied any opening theory. It is ballast and a bottomless pit of time.

i just play the closed sicilian with 2. nc3

curiously, few sicilians players are prepared against the alapin variation

A pulse per second (PPS)

1. e4 c5 is used to not lose a second or a tempo. Every move counts. Playing a closed game or a semi-open game is not as sharp as playing an open game. You want to Push, Punch or Slap the pieces. You need to vision the horizon. Without it, play closed games.

The two main choices are

1. e4 c5 or 1. e4 e5
1. d4 Nf6 or 1.d4 d5
1. c4 e5 or 1. Nf6

Do you want to control the center directly or not?
Do you want to free your Bishops immediately or not?