Sicilian Defense · As White · updated October 2026
Play against the Sicilian like Ray Robson
A repertoire against the Sicilian built from 108 of Ray Robson's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Ray Robson chose most often. Where Ray Robson 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 Ray Robson or Chess.com.
- Ray Robson was #48 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,204) and scored 81% against opponents averaging 2,916 in these games.
- You play Ray Robson's own move in 29 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
#48
Chess.com
Rating
3,204
Games
108
in this opening
Score
81%
in these games
Opponents
2,916
average rating
Lines to learn
- Next
Line 1 · 12% at top level
2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3
- New
Line 2 · 9% at top level
2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Bc5 6.Nb3 Ba7 7.Nc3 Ne7 8.Bf4
- New
Line 3 · 8% at top level
2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.O-O Nge7 5.c3 a6 6.Ba4 c4 7.Bc2
- New
Line 4 · 7% at top level
2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d3 Qc7 6.O-O e5 7.Nbd2
- New
Line 5 · 6% at top level
2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.Qf3
- New
Line 6 · 6% at top level
2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e5 4.O-O Bd6 5.c3 a6 6.Ba4 b5 7.Bc2
- New
Line 7 · 6% at top level
2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.Bxc6
- New
Line 8 · 5% at top level
2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5
- New
Line 9 · 5% at top level
2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Bb5+
- New
Line 10 · 4% at top level
2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nc3
- New
Line 11 · 4% at top level
2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 O-O 8.Qd2
- New
Line 12 · 4% at top level
2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.O-O Nge7 5.c3 a6 6.Ba4 b5 7.Bc2
- New
Line 13 · 4% at top level
2.Nf3 g6 3.c3 Nf6 4.e5 Nd5 5.d4 cxd4 6.cxd4
Ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. Learned lines join your daily review.
Ray Robson's main line against the Sicilian, move by move
The most common line at top level: 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3.
- 2.Nf3 Your move · Ray Robson's games Ray Robson played 2.Nf3 in 90 games, scoring 83%.
- 2…d6 Reply · Ray Robson's games A common reply here is 2…d6. At top level, this comes up about 30% of the time.
- 3.d4 Your move · Ray Robson's games Ray Robson played 3.d4 in 13 games, scoring 85%.
- 3…cxd4 Reply · Ray Robson's games A common reply here is 3…cxd4.
- 4.Nxd4 Your move · Ray Robson's games Ray Robson played 4.Nxd4 in 13 games, scoring 85%.
- 4…Nf6 Reply · Ray Robson's games A common reply here is 4…Nf6.
- 5.Nc3 Your move · Ray Robson's games Ray Robson played 5.Nc3 in 13 games, scoring 85%.
- 5…a6 Reply · Ray Robson's games A common reply here is 5…a6. At top level, this comes up about 12% of the time.
- 6.Be3 Your move · Ray Robson's games Ray Robson played 6.Be3 in 3 games, scoring 33%.
Questions about this course
- How does Ray Robson play against the Sicilian?
- After 1.e4 c5, Ray Robson's most common line is 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3. At top level it comes up about 12% of the time.
- Is this Ray Robson's course?
- No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Ray Robson's public Chess.com blitz games.
- What is this Sicilian course based on?
- 108 of Ray Robson's Chess.com blitz games in the Sicilian Defense as White, against opponents with an average rating of 2,916. Ray Robson scored 81% in them.
- How many lines does the course have?
- 13 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 Ray Robson?
- GM Ray Robson was ranked number 48 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,204 when this course was built.