What are all the Sicilian Defense variations?

Plese do not post anything that has nothing to do with the Sicilian Defense.

You can post:

• a variation of the Sicilian,
• your thoughts on that varition (such as how its worked out for you)
•  moves that define it from other varitions.

Possibly helpful: Starting Out: The Sicilian, 2nd Edition by John Emms (2009)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627122350/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen123.pdf

In the Sicilian Defense, the many variations and sub variations is a cause of discouragment for players such as myself. when I do play it, however, I play the Scheveningen Variation, with pawns on e6 and d6. I absolutely loathe to play e5 and create a Boleslavsky Hole on d5, so instead I strive to strike out with d5 as. soon as the opportunity arises.

Acceralleted Dragon!

I am determined to get proficient at the Sicilian. I've heard all the Nay-Sayers and detractors etc, but you know what?...If you don't learn it  you never will!

The Open Sicilians can be categorized into 3 main types:

• 1. e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4. Usually, Black exchanges his c-pawn for White's center pawn, plays ...Nf6 to try get White to block his c-pawn with Nc3 and goes for one of the openings below:
  
  • The Dragon with 5...g6. Black plans to fianchetto his bishop and go for some queenside play. The DSB is absolutely crucial and losing it can be fatal even if you win material
  • The Najdorf with 5...a6. Black plans for either 4...e6 or 4...e5 and create some queenside counterplay with the a-pawn, b-pawn and the semi-open c-file. Some variations of the Najdorf make the Dragon look mild (e.g poisoned pawn variation).
  • The Classical with 5...Nc6. The idea is simply to create queenside counterplay in general.
  • The Scheveningen with 5...e6. The idea is also to create queenside counterplay as well, but Black has also prepared more for ...d5 which is also a thing you can strive for (...d5 is usually an equalizing move for Black). However, this move also has a drawback - White can play g4 instantly (the Keres attack) and expand on the kingside.
• 1. e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4. Usually, Black exchanges his c-pawn for White's center pawn and goes for one of the openings below:
  • The Taimanov with 4...Nc6. Black's idea is to play ...Qc7, ...a6, ...Nf6 and develop the DSB to b4 where it pins/attacks the knight or just to e2, maybe castling, and aiming for some queenside counterplay or maybe ...d5 first. However, the DSB is crucial in these lines as well.
  • The Kan with 4...a6. It's similar to the Taimanov.
• 1. e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4. Usually, Black exchanges his c-pawn for White's center pawn and goes for one of the openings below:
  
  • The Sveshnikov with 4...Nf6 5.Nc3 e5. Although Black has a backward d-pawn and a weak d5 square, Black gets dynamic compensation. The mainline goes 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 (threatening a fork with ...b4) 9.Bxf6 gxf6 (if ...Qxf6, 10.Nd5 gains a tempo on the queen). At this point, Black has positional weaknesses, but he gets a developed queenside minority attack, a foothold in the center, and the bishop pair.
  • The Kalashnikov with 4...e5. This is like a Sveshnikov, but this is considered inferior to the Sveshnikov as White can play a Maroczy bind (gripping on to d5) with c4 at some point.
• General points:
  • Black should go for ...d5 when it is tactically sound and doesn't leave Black with an isolated d-pawn. This pawn break usually opens up the center and gives Black counterplay in the center. If White just pushes forward, Black has a foothold in the center without getting many positional weaknesses.
  • Black should also go for queenside counterplay. Besides using the semi-open c-file, Black can also aim for ...b4, kicking the knight and putting more pressure on the e4 pawn.

The key alternatives for White to the standard Sicilian, where White insanely offers up his d-Pawn for Black's c-Pawn (1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 then 3 d4?), are:

1. the c3 (Alapin) Sicilian: 1 e4 c5 2 c3 where Black usually plays 2...Nf6 or 2...d5.

2 the Closed Sicilian: 1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 usually followed by 3 g3 4 Bg2 5 d3 often followed by f4.

3 the Grand Prix Attack vs the Sicilian (originally called the Larsen-Santasiere Variation): 1 e4 c5 2 f4.

"... I started to play some lines with Bb5 ..." - GM John Nunn (giving examples from around 2002 with 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5)

As White, my main weapon against the Sicilian is the Wing gambit with 2.b4, and as Black, both Sveshnikov and Dragon are to my taste. Not long ago I began working on the so-called "Dragadorf", a mixture of the Najdorf and Dragon, a6 followed by g6, not being too quick about castling as long as possible, trying not to show the target of attack for White. As for blitz games, the Dragadorf looks a kind of surprise, especially for those who stick to the theoretical lines and are used to make automatically the first 10-15 moves

Paulsen sicilian

The Prins Sicilian is a great surprise weapon for white to destroy Najdorf players. Black is only better if he knows the 16 moves of theory which (at least on lower levels) will be rare since it is played so little.

1. e4 c5  2. Nf3 d6  3. d4 cxd4  4. Nxd4 Nf6  5. f3! - the Prins variation starting position

The goal is to get a quick Maroczy bind set up and cramp black's development. If black does not play 5. ...e5, then push c4 right away. If he does, then move the knight and aim for a yugoslav type of setup (can castle either way depending on black's moves). [goal setup: Nc3, Be2, Be3, Qd2, O-O-O or O-O]

If black knows all the best moves, again, he will be slightly better. I like playing this this because I have trouble keeping up with all the Main Sicilian Theory (at least currently - while I'm learning).
  

The Sicilian is a thick crust pizza, usually cut in squares or rectangles!

mengarini sicilian

See here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Defence 

pretty amazing

 No O’Kelly players?

Play sicilian najdorf