Sicilian Defense · As White · updated October 2026
Play against the Sicilian like Ihor Samunenkov
A repertoire against the Sicilian built from 199 of Ihor Samunenkov's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Ihor Samunenkov chose most often. Where Ihor Samunenkov has fewer than 3 games, the course takes the other top-50 players' most played move, then Stockfish's. Learn a line on the board, then each position comes back in a short daily review until it sticks.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by Ihor Samunenkov or Chess.com.
- Ihor Samunenkov was #38 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,209) and scored 70% against opponents averaging 2,947 in these games.
- You play Ihor Samunenkov's own move in 33 of 40 positions.
- The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.
Train lines
Learn a new line move by move. Lines due for review go to your daily review first.
Free · first 5 lines need no account
Blitz rank
#38
Chess.com
Rating
3,209
Games
199
in this opening
Score
70%
in these games
Opponents
2,947
average rating
Lines to learn
- Next
Line 1 · 7% at top level
2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.O-O Nc6 6.c3
- New
Line 2 · 7% at top level
2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.O-O Bg7 5.c3 Nf6 6.Re1 O-O 7.d4 d5 8.e5 Ne4 9.Bxc6 bxc6 10.Be3
- New
Line 3 · 6% at top level
2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O e6 6.c4
- New
Line 4 · 6% at top level
2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.Ba4 a6 5.c4
- New
Line 5 · 6% at top level
2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3
- New
Line 6 · 5% at top level
2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Nxd7 5.O-O Ngf6 6.Re1
- New
Line 7 · 5% at top level
2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Be3 Qb6 6.Na3 Qa5+ 7.Bd2 Qd8 8.Nb3 Be7 9.Bd3
- New
Line 8 · 5% at top level
2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.Bd3
- New
Line 9 · 5% at top level
2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Ndb5
- New
Line 10 · 4% at top level
2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.O-O Nf6 6.Re1 Nc6 7.c3 e6 8.d4 cxd4 9.cxd4 d5 10.e5 Ne4 11.a3 Be7 12.Nbd2
Ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. Learned lines join your daily review.
Ihor Samunenkov's main line against the Sicilian, move by move
The most common line at top level: 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.O-O Nc6 6.c3.
- 2.Nf3 Your move · Ihor Samunenkov's games Ihor Samunenkov played 2.Nf3 in 140 games, scoring 72%.
- 2…d6 Reply · Ihor Samunenkov's games A common reply here is 2…d6. At top level, this comes up about 44% of the time.
- 3.Bb5+ Your move · Ihor Samunenkov's games Ihor Samunenkov played 3.Bb5+ in 32 games, scoring 81%.
- 3…Bd7 Reply · Ihor Samunenkov's games A common reply here is 3…Bd7. At top level, this comes up about 24% of the time.
- 4.Bxd7+ Your move · Ihor Samunenkov's games Ihor Samunenkov played 4.Bxd7+ in 10 games, scoring 80%.
- 4…Qxd7 Reply · Ihor Samunenkov's games A common reply here is 4…Qxd7. At top level, this comes up about 16% of the time.
- 5.O-O Your move · Ihor Samunenkov's games Ihor Samunenkov played 5.O-O in 7 games, scoring 86%.
- 5…Nc6 Reply · Ihor Samunenkov's games A common reply here is 5…Nc6. At top level, this comes up about 7% of the time.
- 6.c3 Your move · Ihor Samunenkov's games Ihor Samunenkov played 6.c3 in 3 games, scoring 100%.
Questions about this course
- How does Ihor Samunenkov play against the Sicilian?
- After 1.e4 c5, Ihor Samunenkov's most common line is 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.O-O Nc6 6.c3. At top level it comes up about 7% of the time.
- Is this Ihor Samunenkov's course?
- No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Ihor Samunenkov's public Chess.com blitz games.
- What is this Sicilian course based on?
- 199 of Ihor Samunenkov's Chess.com blitz games in the Sicilian Defense as White, against opponents with an average rating of 2,947. Ihor Samunenkov scored 70% in them.
- How many lines does the course have?
- 10 lines covering 40 positions, ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. The first 5 lines need no account; saving your progress with an email unlocks the rest, free.
- Who is Ihor Samunenkov?
- GM Ihor Samunenkov was ranked number 38 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,209 when this course was built.