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Sicilian Defense · As White · updated October 2026

Play against the Sicilian like Ian Nepomniachtchi

A repertoire against the Sicilian built from 307 of Ian Nepomniachtchi's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Ian Nepomniachtchi chose most often. Where Ian Nepomniachtchi 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 Ian Nepomniachtchi or Chess.com.

  • Ian Nepomniachtchi was #30 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,225) and scored 75% against opponents averaging 2,979 in these games.
  • You play Ian Nepomniachtchi's own move in 40 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#30

Chess.com

Rating

3,225

Games

307

in this opening

Score

75%

in these games

Opponents

2,979

average rating

More about Ian Nepomniachtchi

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 21 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 9% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.O-O O-O 9.Qd3 Be6 10.Rd1 Nbd7 11.Nd5 Bxd5 12.exd5

  2. Line 2 · 7% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bc4

  3. Line 3 · 6% at top level

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

  4. Line 4 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.e5 Nd5 8.Ne4 Qc7 9.f4

  5. Line 5 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Qd3

  6. Line 6 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bg7 5.c4

  7. Line 7 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.O-O Bg7 5.Re1 Nf6 6.e5 Nd5 7.Nc3 Nc7 8.Bxc6 dxc6 9.h3 O-O 10.d3

  8. Line 8 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.O-O Bg7 5.Re1 e5 6.b4 Nxb4 7.c3 Nc6 8.d4

  9. Line 9 · 4% at top level

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

  10. Line 10 · 4% at top level

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

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

Ian Nepomniachtchi'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.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.O-O O-O 9.Qd3 Be6 10.Rd1 Nbd7 11.Nd5 Bxd5 12.exd5.

  1. 2.Nf3 Your move · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games Ian Nepomniachtchi played 2.Nf3 in 277 games, scoring 75%.
  2. 2…d6 Reply · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games A common reply here is 2…d6. At top level, this comes up about 41% of the time.
  3. 3.d4 Your move · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games Ian Nepomniachtchi played 3.d4 in 104 games, scoring 76%.
  4. 3…cxd4 Reply · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games A common reply here is 3…cxd4. At top level, this comes up about 40% of the time.
  5. 4.Nxd4 Your move · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games Ian Nepomniachtchi played 4.Nxd4 in 101 games, scoring 76%.
  6. 4…Nf6 Reply · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games A common reply here is 4…Nf6. At top level, this comes up about 40% of the time.
  7. 5.Nc3 Your move · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games Ian Nepomniachtchi played 5.Nc3 in 73 games, scoring 77%.
  8. 5…a6 Reply · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games A common reply here is 5…a6. At top level, this comes up about 26% of the time.
  9. 6.Be2 Your move · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games Ian Nepomniachtchi played 6.Be2 in 32 games, scoring 77%.
  10. 6…e5 Reply · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games A common reply here is 6…e5. At top level, this comes up about 25% of the time.
  11. 7.Nb3 Your move · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games Ian Nepomniachtchi played 7.Nb3 in 30 games, scoring 75%.
  12. 7…Be7 Reply · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games A common reply here is 7…Be7. At top level, this comes up about 20% of the time.
  13. 8.O-O Your move · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games Ian Nepomniachtchi played 8.O-O in 23 games, scoring 78%.
  14. 8…O-O Reply · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games A common reply here is 8…O-O. At top level, this comes up about 15% of the time.
  15. 9.Qd3 Your move · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games Ian Nepomniachtchi played 9.Qd3 in 16 games, scoring 75%.
  16. 9…Be6 Reply · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games A common reply here is 9…Be6. At top level, this comes up about 11% of the time.
  17. 10.Rd1 Your move · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games Ian Nepomniachtchi played 10.Rd1 in 11 games, scoring 73%.
  18. 10…Nbd7 Reply · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games A common reply here is 10…Nbd7. At top level, this comes up about 10% of the time.
  19. 11.Nd5 Your move · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games Ian Nepomniachtchi played 11.Nd5 in 10 games, scoring 75%.
  20. 11…Bxd5 Reply · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games A common reply here is 11…Bxd5. At top level, this comes up about 9% of the time.
  21. 12.exd5 Your move · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games Ian Nepomniachtchi played 12.exd5 in 9 games, scoring 72%.

Questions about this course

How does Ian Nepomniachtchi play against the Sicilian?
After 1.e4 c5, Ian Nepomniachtchi's most common line is 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.O-O O-O 9.Qd3 Be6 10.Rd1 Nbd7 11.Nd5 Bxd5 12.exd5. At top level it comes up about 9% of the time.
Is this Ian Nepomniachtchi's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Ian Nepomniachtchi's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Sicilian course based on?
307 of Ian Nepomniachtchi's Chess.com blitz games in the Sicilian Defense as White, against opponents with an average rating of 2,979. Ian Nepomniachtchi scored 75% 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 Ian Nepomniachtchi?
GM Ian Nepomniachtchi was ranked number 30 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,225 when this course was built.