Open Sicilian for White - Part 2: The Pragmatic Repertoire
When IM Kushager Krishnater set out to create the second installment of his Open Sicilian repertoire, he made a deliberate choice: avoid the mainline theoretical highways where preparation battles are won and lost at move 25. Instead, his approach treats the Sicilian as a strategic battleground where understanding trumps memorization.
Against both 2...e6 and 2...Nc6, Krishnater recommends lines that are fresh, relatively unexplored, and designed to steer opponents away from their home preparation. The philosophy is consistent throughout: choose the move that creates normal Sicilian structures rather than entering forcing variations that reward the player with the stronger engine.
What Makes This Course Unique
Part 2 targets Black's most popular second moves — 2...e6 and 2...Nc6 — covering everything from the Taimanov and Kan to the Four Knights, Sveshnikov, and Kalashnikov. What distinguishes Krishnater's repertoire is its deliberate sidestep of mainstream theoretical battles.
Against the Taimanov with 5...Qc7, he advocates the sharp 6.Ncb5, pressing for concrete advantage before Black completes development. In the Four Knights after 5.Nc3 Nc6, White plays the modest 6.a3, stepping out of the forcing theoretical lines and aiming for standard Sicilian middlegames where positional understanding matters more than move-order tricks.
The Sveshnikov receives special attention. Krishnater takes 7.Nd5 into the critical 10.c5 line — concrete, double-edged, and heavily analyzed since the 2018 Carlsen-Caruana match — while offering 9.a4 against Dubov's risky 8...Ne7. Against the Kalashnikov, 6.c4 secures space advantage and targets the d6 weakness.
Course Structure
The course delivers a complete repertoire across 11 chapters:
Against 2...e6:
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4
- 4...Nf6 5.Nc3 Bb4 → Chapter 1: Pin Variation (objectively dubious despite recent GM experiments)
- 4...Nc6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bd3 → Chapter 2: Taimanov move order
- 4...Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Ncb5 Qb8 7.Bd3 a6 (and other alternatives to 7...Nf6) → Chapter 3
- 4...Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Ncb5 Qb8 7.Bd3 Nf6 → Chapter 4: Main line
- 4...a6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Qc2 → Chapter 5: Kan Variation with rare 7.Qc2
- 4...Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.a3 Qc7 (Black aims for ...d5) → Chapter 6
- 4...Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.a3 Be7 → Chapter 7: Four Knights main line
Against 2...Nc6:
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4
- 4...Qb6 → Chapter 8: Grivas Variation (artificial and refutable without deep theory)
- 4...e5 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 → Chapter 9: Kalashnikov
- 4...Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Nd5 Nxd5 8.exd5 Ne7 9.a4 a6 10.Nc3 → Chapter 10: Sveshnikov sideline
- 4...Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Nd5 Nxd5 8.exd5 Nb8 9.c4 Be7 10.c5 → Chapter 11: Sveshnikov main line
Course Features:
- 20 test positions
- Memory Booster
- To Go Version of every chapter
- Video instruction
- Multilingual PGN availability (English, German, French, Spanish)
This course builds on the foundation established in Open Sicilian for White - Part 1 by the same author, completing a comprehensive repertoire against Black's most critical responses.
Complete Your Open Sicilian Arsenal
If you're looking for a pragmatic White repertoire against the Open Sicilian that prioritizes fresh ideas over theoretical trenches, IM Krishnater's approach offers exactly that. Part 2 completes the picture with solid, practical recommendations against 2...e6 and 2...Nc6 — systems that strong players rely on to avoid your preparation. Learn the lines, understand the ideas, and bring your opponents into positions where chess skill decides the outcome.
INTRODUCTION BY GM KUSHAGER KRISHNATER
SAMPLE CHAPTER
SAMPLE VIDEO