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Sicilian Defense · As White · updated October 2026

Play against the Sicilian like Sam Sevian

A repertoire against the Sicilian built from 254 of Sam Sevian's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Sam Sevian chose most often. Where Sam Sevian 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 Sam Sevian or Chess.com.

  • Sam Sevian was #24 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,234) and scored 76% against opponents averaging 2,978 in these games.
  • You play Sam Sevian's own move in 37 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#24

Chess.com

Rating

3,234

Games

254

in this opening

Score

76%

in these games

Opponents

2,978

average rating

More about Sam Sevian

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 15 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 10% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Nb3 Be7 9.Qf3

  2. Line 2 · 9% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d3

  3. Line 3 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3

  4. Line 4 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Bg5 Qa5+ 5.c3

  5. Line 5 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.f4 Qc7 8.Qf3 b5 9.Nd5

  6. Line 6 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.O-O Nge7 5.Re1 a6 6.Bf1

  7. Line 7 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 g6 3.c3 d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.d4 Bg7 6.Na3 cxd4 7.Nb5 Na6 8.Nbxd4 Nf6 9.Bb5+ Bd7 10.Bxa6 bxa6 11.O-O O-O 12.Re1

  8. Line 8 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Bg5 Nf6 5.e5 h6 6.Bh4

  9. Line 9 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3

  10. Line 10 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.O-O Bg7 5.Re1

  11. Line 11 · 4% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nc3 e6 5.Ne4 f5 6.Nc3

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

Sam Sevian'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.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Nb3 Be7 9.Qf3.

  1. 2.Nf3 Your move · Sam Sevian's games Sam Sevian played 2.Nf3 in 239 games, scoring 77%.
  2. 2…d6 Reply · Sam Sevian'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 · Sam Sevian's games Sam Sevian played 3.d4 in 70 games, scoring 79%.
  4. 3…cxd4 Reply · Sam Sevian's games A common reply here is 3…cxd4. At top level, this comes up about 39% of the time.
  5. 4.Nxd4 Your move · Sam Sevian's games Sam Sevian played 4.Nxd4 in 66 games, scoring 83%.
  6. 4…Nf6 Reply · Sam Sevian's games A common reply here is 4…Nf6. At top level, this comes up about 37% of the time.
  7. 5.Nc3 Your move · Sam Sevian's games Sam Sevian played 5.Nc3 in 41 games, scoring 84%.
  8. 5…a6 Reply · Sam Sevian's games A common reply here is 5…a6. At top level, this comes up about 28% of the time.
  9. 6.Bg5 Your move · Sam Sevian's games Sam Sevian played 6.Bg5 in 15 games, scoring 87%.
  10. 6…e6 Reply · Sam Sevian's games A common reply here is 6…e6. At top level, this comes up about 17% of the time.
  11. 7.f4 Your move · Sam Sevian's games Sam Sevian played 7.f4 in 7 games, scoring 86%.
  12. 7…Qb6 Reply · Sam Sevian's games A common reply here is 7…Qb6. At top level, this comes up about 10% of the time.
  13. 8.Nb3 Your move · Sam Sevian's games Sam Sevian played 8.Nb3 in 2 games, scoring 50%.
  14. 8…Be7 Reply · Top-50 players In the other top players' games, a common reply here is 8…Be7.
  15. 9.Qf3 Your move · Stockfish The games give no move to follow here, so this is Stockfish's choice.

Questions about this course

How does Sam Sevian play against the Sicilian?
After 1.e4 c5, Sam Sevian's most common line is 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Nb3 Be7 9.Qf3. At top level it comes up about 10% of the time.
Is this Sam Sevian's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Sam Sevian's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Sicilian course based on?
254 of Sam Sevian's Chess.com blitz games in the Sicilian Defense as White, against opponents with an average rating of 2,978. Sam Sevian scored 76% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
11 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 Sam Sevian 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 Sam Sevian?
GM Sam Sevian was ranked number 24 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,234 when this course was built.