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Sicilian Defense · As White · updated October 2026

Play against the Sicilian like Andrey Esipenko

A repertoire against the Sicilian built from 185 of Andrey Esipenko's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Andrey Esipenko chose most often. Where Andrey Esipenko 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 Andrey Esipenko or Chess.com.

  • Andrey Esipenko was #26 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,230) and scored 71% against opponents averaging 2,905 in these games.
  • You play Andrey Esipenko's own move in 32 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#26

Chess.com

Rating

3,230

Games

185

in this opening

Score

71%

in these games

Opponents

2,905

average rating

More about Andrey Esipenko

Use arrow keys to navigate the board. Press Enter to select a piece, then use arrow keys and Enter to move. Press Escape to cancel a move.
Line 1 after 7 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 8% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.a3

  2. Line 2 · 7% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.g4 b5 8.Nxc6 Qxc6 9.a3

  3. Line 3 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qd3 g6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Be2 Nf6 8.O-O O-O 9.Nd5

  4. Line 4 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qd3 Nf6 6.Nc3 g6 7.Be2 Bg7 8.O-O

  5. Line 5 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 a6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Qd3

  6. Line 6 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Qd3 g6 7.Be2 Bg7 8.O-O O-O 9.Nd5 Bg4 10.c3

  7. Line 7 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Qd3 g6 7.Be2 Bg7 8.O-O O-O 9.Nd5 Nd7 10.c3

  8. Line 8 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.a3

  9. Line 9 · 4% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nc3 e6 5.Ne4

  10. Line 10 · 4% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.O-O

  11. Line 11 · 3% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.O-O Bg7 5.Re1 e5 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.d3 Qe7 8.a4 Nf6 9.Be3

  12. Line 12 · 3% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.Nc3 Qc7 5.O-O Nd4 6.Re1

Ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. Learned lines join your daily review.

Andrey Esipenko's main line against the Sicilian, move by move

The most common line at top level: 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.a3.

  1. 2.Nf3 Your move · Andrey Esipenko's games Andrey Esipenko played 2.Nf3 in 179 games, scoring 71%.
  2. 2…e6 Reply · Andrey Esipenko's games A common reply here is 2…e6. At top level, this comes up about 22% of the time.
  3. 3.d4 Your move · Andrey Esipenko's games Andrey Esipenko played 3.d4 in 22 games, scoring 61%.
  4. 3…cxd4 Reply · Andrey Esipenko's games A common reply here is 3…cxd4.
  5. 4.Nxd4 Your move · Andrey Esipenko's games Andrey Esipenko played 4.Nxd4 in 22 games, scoring 61%.
  6. 4…a6 Reply · Andrey Esipenko's games A common reply here is 4…a6. At top level, this comes up about 8% of the time.
  7. 5.a3 Your move · Andrey Esipenko's games Andrey Esipenko played 5.a3 in 4 games, scoring 63%.

Questions about this course

How does Andrey Esipenko play against the Sicilian?
After 1.e4 c5, Andrey Esipenko's most common line is 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.a3. At top level it comes up about 8% of the time.
Is this Andrey Esipenko's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Andrey Esipenko's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Sicilian course based on?
185 of Andrey Esipenko's Chess.com blitz games in the Sicilian Defense as White, against opponents with an average rating of 2,905. Andrey Esipenko scored 71% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
12 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 Andrey Esipenko?
GM Andrey Esipenko was ranked number 26 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,230 when this course was built.