Sicilian Defense: Closed
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3
What Is The Closed?
2.Nc3 refuses the Open Sicilian. White leaves the d-pawn home, so the centre stays closed and plans decide the game, not theory. The knight covers d5, so an immediate ...d5 costs Black time, and the usual setup is ...Nc6 and ...g6, aiming the bishop at your queenside.
From there the game is a race on opposite wings. White plays f4, Nf3 and d3, then f5 with Qe1-h4 in the Grand Prix Attack, or g3 and Bg2 in the fianchetto. Black expands with ...Rb8, ...b5 and ...b4, hunting the c3 knight and the e4 pawn. Whoever's storm arrives first wins, so every tempo spent defending your own wing is a tempo your attack loses. Treat this as a quiet sideline and you lose before move twenty.
How Do You Play Against The Sicilian Defense: Closed?
You are Black here, and 46% reply 2...Nc6. The Closed Sicilian sidesteps every line of Open Sicilian theory: White plays g3, Bg2, d3 and f4, builds slowly, and aims at your king without opening a single file for you.
Your counterplay is on the other wing, and it has to start before White's kingside attack does. Push ...b5 and ...b4 to hit the knight on c3, take space with ...Rb8, and remember your position has no weaknesses to defend, so you can afford to be the one committing pawns. Sitting and waiting for f4 to f5 is how these games are lost. White scores 50% to 47% over 8,752 games, a smaller edge than the Open Sicilian returns.
What Do Players Choose At The Decision Point?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nf3 | 50% | 45,591 | |
| Nc3 | 11% | 10,245 | |
| d4 | 9% | 8,277 | |
| Bc4 | 9% | 8,119 |
How Does Play Continue From Here?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nc6 | 46% | 4,732 | |
| e6 | 22% | 2,255 | |
| d6 | 21% | 2,128 | |
| g6 | 5% | 563 |
The Named Lines Of The Closed
| Line | Moves |
|---|---|
| Traditional | 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 |
| Grob Attack | 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g4 |
| Fianchetto Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 |
| Chameleon Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nge2 |
| Korchnoi Defense | 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.g3 d5 |
| Anti-Sveshnikov Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 |
| Portland Attack | 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.d3 g6 4.g4 |
| Carlsen Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qd2 |
| Anti-Sveshnikov Variation, with d6 | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Bc4 Be7 5.d3 d6 |
| Anti-Sveshnikov Variation, with Nf6 | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Bc4 Be7 5.d3 Nf6 |
| Botvinnik Defense, with f4 | 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 e5 |
| Botvinnik Defense, with Nge2 | 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Nge2 e5 |
| Anti-Sveshnikov Variation, Kharlov-Kramnik Line | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Bc4 Be7 5.d3 d6 6.Nd2 Bg5 |
| Smyslov Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 e6 6.Be3 Nd4 7.Nce2 |
| Botvinnik Defense, Edge Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 e5 7.Nh3 Nge7 |