The Sicilian Defense, a chess opening that begins with the moves 1. e4 c5, is
one of the most popular and highest scoring Black responses to the King's Pawn
Opening - 1. e4. With 1... c5, Black asserts control over the critical d4 square
and launches an aggressive counter-attack to seize control of the center of the
chess board. By choosing to play the Sicilian Defense, Black is willing to offer
White both the initiative of the Kingside and an advantage in piece development
opportunities in exchange for an advanced Queenside pawn and a spatial advantage
that often lead to flank attacks.
Popular Variations of the Sicilian
Defense: Najdorf Sicilian, Schveshnikov Sicilian, Scheveningen
Sicilian
Practitioners of the Sicilian Defense: Bobby
Fischer, Garry Kasparov, Mikhail
Tal, Viswanathan
Anand, Boris
Gelfand and Alexei
Shirov
