Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6
What Is The Scheveningen Variation?
5...d6 builds the small centre. Pawns on d6 and e6 deny White's pieces c5, d5, e5 and f5, and Black concedes space in exchange for a position with no weakness to attack. White develops quickly and attacks on the kingside with f4 and f5, or with Be3, f3, Qd2 and long castling in the English Attack.
The immediate 6.g4, the Keres Attack, strikes before Black castles, and it is why 5...a6 first is the standard route into this structure. Against the quieter 6.Be2 you play ...a6, ...Qc7, ...Be7 and ...b5: your counterplay is the queenside and the ...d5 break, never passive defence. The game is decided by which attack arrives first.
How Do You Play Against The Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation?
The replies split evenly, 24% for 6.Bg5 and 24% for 6.Be3, because the small centre Black has built with pawns on d6 and e6 offers no obvious weakness to attack. It is compact, it is solid, and it concedes space deliberately.
A structure with no weakness has to be attacked by creating one, which is what the Keres Attack with 6.g4 is for. Pushing the g-pawn before developing the bishop looks crude, and it is the main reason the pure Scheveningen move order is rare in the first place. The English Attack with Be3, f3 and Qd2 is the calmer version of the same idea. Black scores 50% to 47% over 232 games, a thin sample by the standards of this section.
How Does Play Continue From Here?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bg5 | 24% | 68 | |
| Be3 | 24% | 68 | |
| Bd3 | 10% | 29 | |
| g4 | 8% | 24 |
The Named Lines Of The Scheveningen Variation
| Line | Moves |
|---|---|
| Fianchetto Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.g3 |
| Keres Attack | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.g4 |
| Matanovic Attack | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.f4 |
| Classical Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e6 7.O-O Qc7 |
| Vitolins Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bb5+ |
| Modern Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Be2 Be7 7.O-O O-O 8.f4 Nc6 9.Be3 Bd7 10.Nb3 |
| Delayed Keres Attack | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.g4 |
| English Attack, with f3 | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.f3 |
| English Attack, with Qd2 | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.Qd2 |
| Tal Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.f4 Nc6 7.Be3 Be7 8.Qf3 |
| Classical Variation, Paulsen Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be2 a6 7.O-O Nf6 8.Kh1 Be7 9.f4 d6 10.a4 |
| Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.g4 e5 8.Nf5 g6 9.g5 |
| Classical Main Line | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be2 a6 7.O-O Nf6 8.Be3 Be7 9.f4 d6 10.Qe1 O-O |