The Magnus Sicilian – IM Christof Sielecki

Overview

Ever wanted to know how Magnus Carlsen fights for a win with Black against 1.e4? He usually opts for the Sicilian Defence to create a non-symmetrical position right on move one. If White opts for the mainline, the Open Sicilian with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 and d4 next, his regular weapon of choice is the Sveshnikov Variation.

This video series presents some of the World Champion’s best wins in the Sicilian. We’ll take a look at the mentioned Sveshnikov Variation, but also at popular earlier deviations like the Alapin (2.c3) or Rossolimo (2.Nf3 Nc5 3.Bb5) Variations.

Magnus shows how to handle these lines and is a perfect ‘model player’ to base your opening repertoire on. The Chessable course ‘Fight like Magnus: The Sicilian’ presents a full repertoire against 1.e4 based on the lines in this course. Click here to take a look.

About the Author:

Christof Sielecki is a German International Master. He started to play chess professionally in 1987 at the age of 13, then he earned the FM title, breaking 2300 Elo rating at the age of 21.

He was able to cross the 2400 Elo barrier and earn his first IM norm two years after becoming a Fide Master.

His victory at the Latschach Open in 2013 ahead of many strong GMs. In league chess, he won the Dutch Team Championships in the Netherlands with Voerendaal in 2012.

Course Goals

Provide an overview of key lines in the Sicilian and show how Magnus Carlsen succeeds in them. The Sicilian is a great opening to fight for a win, and studying the World Champion’s games is an excellent blueprint to start with.