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Sicilian Defense · As White · updated October 2026

Play against the Sicilian like Haowen Xue

A repertoire against the Sicilian built from 153 of Haowen Xue's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Haowen Xue chose most often. Where Haowen Xue 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 Haowen Xue or Chess.com.

  • Haowen Xue was #50 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,195) and scored 66% against opponents averaging 2,974 in these games.
  • You play Haowen Xue's own move in 39 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#50

Chess.com

Rating

3,195

Games

153

in this opening

Score

66%

in these games

Opponents

2,974

average rating

More about Haowen Xue

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 9 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 7% at top level

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

  2. Line 2 · 7% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.Qf3

  3. Line 3 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Bg7 8.O-O O-O 9.Bxd7 Bxd7 10.Qd3 a6 11.a4

  4. Line 4 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 g6 3.c3

  5. Line 5 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Qc7 7.a3

  6. Line 6 · 4% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d3 Bg7 6.h3 e5 7.Nc3

  7. Line 7 · 4% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Ba4

  8. Line 8 · 4% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.O-O Be7 7.d4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 O-O 9.Ba4

  9. Line 9 · 4% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.O-O Nge7 5.Re1 a6 6.Bxc6

  10. Line 10 · 4% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Bxd7+ Qxd7 7.d4 cxd4 8.Qxd4 Nc6 9.Qd3

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

Haowen Xue's main line against the Sicilian, move by move

The most common line at top level: 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.a3.

  1. 2.Nf3 Your move · Haowen Xue's games Haowen Xue played 2.Nf3 in 150 games, scoring 65%.
  2. 2…e6 Reply · Haowen Xue's games A common reply here is 2…e6. At top level, this comes up about 28% of the time.
  3. 3.d4 Your move · Haowen Xue's games Haowen Xue played 3.d4 in 29 games, scoring 59%.
  4. 3…cxd4 Reply · Haowen Xue's games A common reply here is 3…cxd4.
  5. 4.Nxd4 Your move · Haowen Xue's games Haowen Xue played 4.Nxd4 in 28 games, scoring 57%.
  6. 4…Nf6 Reply · Haowen Xue's games A common reply here is 4…Nf6. At top level, this comes up about 7% of the time.
  7. 5.Nc3 Your move · Haowen Xue's games Haowen Xue played 5.Nc3 in 5 games, scoring 60%.
  8. 5…Nc6 Reply · Haowen Xue's games A common reply here is 5…Nc6.
  9. 6.a3 Your move · Haowen Xue's games Haowen Xue played 6.a3 in 5 games, scoring 60%.

Questions about this course

How does Haowen Xue play against the Sicilian?
After 1.e4 c5, Haowen Xue's most common line is 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.a3. At top level it comes up about 7% of the time.
Is this Haowen Xue's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Haowen Xue's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Sicilian course based on?
153 of Haowen Xue's Chess.com blitz games in the Sicilian Defense as White, against opponents with an average rating of 2,974. Haowen Xue scored 66% 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 Haowen Xue?
GM Haowen Xue was ranked number 50 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,195 when this course was built.