TacticForge

1.e4 c5

The Sicilian Taimanov

A fighting answer to 1.e4 with a simple, flexible set-up: …e6, …Nc6, …Qc7 and …a6 in the Open Sicilian, and a clear plan against the Alapin, the Grand Prix, the Smith-Morra and every other anti-Sicilian.

1…c5 is the most popular answer to 1.e4, at club level and among masters. Black does not copy White in the centre; the c-pawn fights for d4 from the side, and the game is unbalanced from the first move. That is why players who want to win with Black choose it.

The Sicilian has a reputation for mountains of theory. The Taimanov is the exception: Black plays the same few moves against almost everything, …e6, …Nc6, …Qc7 and …a6, and decides later where the other pieces go. Ideas matter more than memory, and they repeat from chapter to chapter.

The first three chapters cover the Open Sicilian, where White plays 3.d4; the 6.Be3 chapter, the most common at club level, is free to read. The last four cover the systems club players use to avoid it: the Alapin, the Closed and the Grand Prix, the Smith-Morra Gambit and the early 2.Bc4.

Chapters

  1. 16.Be3 and the English AttackAfter 5…Qc7 6.Be3 a6 Black is ready for anything. Against quiet development, …Nf6 and …Bb4 hit e4; against the English Attack with Qd2, f3 and long castling, …b5 starts the race on the queenside at once.
  2. 2Quieter Sixth Moves: 6.Be2, 6.g3, 6.Ndb5 and 6.Nxc6White's other sixth moves are calmer. Against 6.Ndb5, …Qb8 and …a6 send the knight back; against 6.Nxc6, take toward the centre and play …d5; against 6.Be2 and 6.g3, the same …a6 and …Nf6.
  3. 3White Avoids 5.Nc3: 5.Nxc6, 5.Be3 and 5.c4Without a knight on c3, the pawn on e4 is weak. Black attacks it with …Nf6 and …Bb4, or takes the centre with …d5 after 5.Nxc6 bxc6.
  4. 4The Alapin: 2.c32…d5 hits the centre at once. With White's pawn on c3, no knight can chase the queen from d5; after 3.e5, Black develops the light-squared bishop and attacks d4.
  5. 5The Closed Sicilian and the Grand PrixAgainst the Grand Prix with f4, strike with …d5 before White's pawns roll forward. Against the Closed with g3, develop calmly; and if White plays Nf3 and d4, the game is back in the Taimanov.
  6. 6The Smith-Morra Gambit and 2.d4Take the pawn and keep it. After 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3, the Taimanov set-up with …Nc6, …e6, …a6 and …Nge7 takes the sting out of White's attack.
  7. 7The Early Bishop: 2.Bc4…e6 blocks the bishop's view of f7; then …d5, or …a6 and …b5, gains time by attacking it.

Move index

Every line in the book, by the moves where it branches off. Click a title to go to the line; lines in Premium chapters are marked with a lock.

How this book was checked

Every move recommended for Black is within 0.3 pawns of Stockfish 18's first choice at depth 20. Every White reply played in at least 5% of club games is covered, checked against millions of Lichess blitz and rapid games between 1600 and 2000 rated players. Where several moves are equally sound, the book takes the one that scores best for Black at club level. Every mistake and trap shown is confirmed by the engine, and every number in a note comes from the engine, not from memory.