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Sicilian Defense · As White · updated October 2026

Play against the Sicilian like Pranesh M

A repertoire against the Sicilian built from 197 of Pranesh M's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Pranesh M chose most often. Where Pranesh M 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 Pranesh M or Chess.com.

  • Pranesh M was #23 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,239) and scored 53% against opponents averaging 3,068 in these games.
  • You play Pranesh M's own move in 38 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#23

Chess.com

Rating

3,239

Games

197

in this opening

Score

53%

in these games

Opponents

3,068

average rating

More about Pranesh M

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 23 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 17% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Nc3 g6 8.O-O Bg7 9.f4 O-O 10.Qe1 Ba6 11.Kh1 Bxd3 12.cxd3 Qb6 13.f5

  2. Line 2 · 13% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6 6.N1c3 a6 7.Na3 Be6 8.Nc4 Rb8 9.Ne3 Nf6 10.Bd3 Be7 11.O-O O-O 12.Ned5 b5 13.Nxe7+ Qxe7 14.Bg5 h6 15.Bh4 g5 16.Bg3

  3. Line 3 · 9% at top level

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

  4. Line 4 · 8% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Bd3 g6 6.O-O Bg7 7.c4 O-O 8.Nc3

  5. Line 5 · 8% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nxc6

  6. Line 6 · 8% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Bc5 6.Nb3

  7. Line 7 · 7% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.O-O cxd4 6.Nxd4

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

Pranesh M'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.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Nc3 g6 8.O-O Bg7 9.f4 O-O 10.Qe1 Ba6 11.Kh1 Bxd3 12.cxd3 Qb6 13.f5.

  1. 2.Nf3 Your move · Pranesh M's games Pranesh M played 2.Nf3 in 147 games, scoring 52%.
  2. 2…d6 Reply · Pranesh M's games A common reply here is 2…d6. At top level, this comes up about 40% of the time.
  3. 3.d4 Your move · Pranesh M's games Pranesh M played 3.d4 in 30 games, scoring 45%.
  4. 3…cxd4 Reply · Pranesh M's games A common reply here is 3…cxd4.
  5. 4.Nxd4 Your move · Pranesh M's games Pranesh M played 4.Nxd4 in 28 games, scoring 46%.
  6. 4…Nf6 Reply · Pranesh M's games A common reply here is 4…Nf6. At top level, this comes up about 37% of the time.
  7. 5.Bd3 Your move · Pranesh M's games Pranesh M played 5.Bd3 in 18 games, scoring 36%.
  8. 5…Nc6 Reply · Pranesh M's games A common reply here is 5…Nc6. At top level, this comes up about 17% of the time.
  9. 6.Nxc6 Your move · Pranesh M's games Pranesh M played 6.Nxc6 in 7 games, scoring 36%.
  10. 6…bxc6 Reply · Pranesh M's games A common reply here is 6…bxc6.
  11. 7.Nc3 Your move · Pranesh M's games Pranesh M played 7.Nc3 in 4 games, scoring 13%.
  12. 7…g6 Reply · Pranesh M's games A common reply here is 7…g6.
  13. 8.O-O Your move · Pranesh M's games Pranesh M played 8.O-O in 4 games, scoring 13%.
  14. 8…Bg7 Reply · Pranesh M's games A common reply here is 8…Bg7.
  15. 9.f4 Your move · Pranesh M's games Pranesh M played 9.f4 in 4 games, scoring 13%.
  16. 9…O-O Reply · Pranesh M's games A common reply here is 9…O-O.
  17. 10.Qe1 Your move · Pranesh M's games Pranesh M played 10.Qe1 in 3 games, scoring 0%.
  18. 10…Ba6 Reply · Pranesh M's games A common reply here is 10…Ba6.
  19. 11.Kh1 Your move · Pranesh M's games Pranesh M played 11.Kh1 in 3 games, scoring 0%.
  20. 11…Bxd3 Reply · Pranesh M's games A common reply here is 11…Bxd3.
  21. 12.cxd3 Your move · Pranesh M's games Pranesh M played 12.cxd3 in 3 games, scoring 0%.
  22. 12…Qb6 Reply · Pranesh M's games A common reply here is 12…Qb6.
  23. 13.f5 Your move · Pranesh M's games Pranesh M played 13.f5 in 2 games, scoring 0%.

Questions about this course

How does Pranesh M play against the Sicilian?
After 1.e4 c5, Pranesh M's most common line is 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Nc3 g6 8.O-O Bg7 9.f4 O-O 10.Qe1 Ba6 11.Kh1 Bxd3 12.cxd3 Qb6 13.f5. At top level it comes up about 17% of the time.
Is this Pranesh M's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Pranesh M's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Sicilian course based on?
197 of Pranesh M's Chess.com blitz games in the Sicilian Defense as White, against opponents with an average rating of 3,068. Pranesh M scored 53% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
7 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.
Does Pranesh M always play the best move?
The course follows the moves from the games. In 1 position a quick Stockfish check prefers another move by 0.7 pawns or more, and the course marks it.
Who is Pranesh M?
GM Pranesh M was ranked number 23 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,239 when this course was built.