The Nimzowitsch Sicilian: Dreev's Underestimated Answer to 1.e4
Aron Nimzowitsch built a whole way of playing on one unsettling idea: invite your opponent to advance, then turn that advance into a weakness. The Sicilian line that carries his name follows exactly this logic. After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6, Black provokes 3.e5 and then goes to work against it with ...e6 and ...d6.
In The Underrated Nimzowitsch Sicilian - Complete Repertoire for Black, GM Alexey Dreev presents this as one of the most underestimated answers to 1.e4 — a line he calls a personal favorite. He has trusted it in his own games against Caruana and Matlakov, and the course is written in his first-person voice, with GM Pier Luigi Basso as co-author.
Why this repertoire is different
The appeal of 2...Nf6 is that it sidesteps the enormous theory of the Open Sicilian while keeping Black's play principled. White is nudged into committing the center early, and from there the positions repeat familiar structures rather than forcing you to memorize move orders.
Dreev's stated goal is a complete, low-maintenance repertoire you can play with confidence against anyone. Alongside the theory, he focuses on the typical pawn structures, the recurring plans, and the handful of key moves that actually need remembering — understanding over memorization.
Map of variations
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6
3.e5 Nd5 4.Nc3 e6 5.Nxd5 exd5 6.d4 Nc6 → Chapter 8
- 5.Ne4 → Chapter 9
- 4.c4 Nc7 → Chapter 4
- 4.d4 → Chapter 5
- 4.g3 and other sidelines → Chapter 6
- 4.c3, transposing to the Alapin → Chapter 7
3.Nc3 d5
- 4.Bb5+ → Chapter 1
- 4.e5 → Chapter 2
- 4.exd5 Nxd5 → Chapter 3
The two branches cover everything White can reasonably try. The push 3.e5 is the most common and critical test, met by 3...Nd5 and the fight around 4.Nc3; the alternative 3.Nc3 is answered by the immediate 3...d5, striking in the center before White settles.
What's included
- 9 Chapters
- 20 test positions
- Memory Booster
- To Go version of every chapter
- Video instruction
- Multilingual PGN availability (English, German, French, Spanish)
For players who want to look at the wider Anti-Sicilian landscape — the second-move alternatives White reaches for instead of the Open Sicilian — there is a dedicated treatment in Jobava vs the Anti-Sicilians.
Add the Nimzowitsch Sicilian to your arsenal and meet 1.e4 with a provocative, sound line your opponents rarely prepare for — and one that two strong grandmasters trust at the board.
INTRODUCTION BY GM ALEXEY DREEV
SAMPLE CHAPTER
SAMPLE VIDEO