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Sicilian Defense · As White · updated October 2026

Play against the Sicilian like Mykola Bortnyk

A repertoire against the Sicilian built from 391 of Mykola Bortnyk's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Mykola Bortnyk chose most often. Where Mykola Bortnyk 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 Mykola Bortnyk or Chess.com.

  • Mykola Bortnyk was #29 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,226) and scored 52% against opponents averaging 3,073 in these games.
  • You play Mykola Bortnyk'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

#29

Chess.com

Rating

3,226

Games

391

in this opening

Score

52%

in these games

Opponents

3,073

average rating

More about Mykola Bortnyk

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 13 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 8% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.b4 Nxb4 4.c3 Nc6 5.d4 cxd4 6.cxd4 e6 7.Bd3 Nf6 8.O-O

  2. Line 2 · 8% at top level

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

  3. Line 3 · 7% at top level

    2.Nf3 g6 3.c3 d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.d4 Bg7 6.dxc5 Qxc5 7.Be3 Qc7 8.Na3 a6 9.Qb3

  4. Line 4 · 7% at top level

    2.Nf3 g6 3.c3 d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.d4 Bg7 6.dxc5 Qxd1+ 7.Kxd1 Nf6 8.Be3

  5. Line 5 · 6% at top level

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

  6. Line 6 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nc3 e6 5.Ne4 f5 6.Nc3 Nb4 7.a3 N4c6 8.b4

  7. Line 7 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 a6 3.c3 e6 4.d4 d5 5.exd5 exd5 6.Bd3 c4 7.Bc2 Bd6 8.O-O Ne7 9.b3 cxb3 10.axb3 O-O 11.Ne5

  8. Line 8 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5

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

Mykola Bortnyk's main line against the Sicilian, move by move

The most common line at top level: 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.b4 Nxb4 4.c3 Nc6 5.d4 cxd4 6.cxd4 e6 7.Bd3 Nf6 8.O-O.

  1. 2.Nf3 Your move · Mykola Bortnyk's games Mykola Bortnyk played 2.Nf3 in 182 games, scoring 53%.
  2. 2…Nc6 Reply · Mykola Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 2…Nc6. At top level, this comes up about 25% of the time.
  3. 3.b4 Your move · Mykola Bortnyk's games Mykola Bortnyk played 3.b4 in 28 games, scoring 54%. A quick Stockfish check prefers 3.Bb5 here (−0.8).
  4. 3…Nxb4 Reply · Mykola Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 3…Nxb4. At top level, this comes up about 15% of the time.
  5. 4.c3 Your move · Mykola Bortnyk's games Mykola Bortnyk played 4.c3 in 17 games, scoring 47%.
  6. 4…Nc6 Reply · Mykola Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 4…Nc6.
  7. 5.d4 Your move · Mykola Bortnyk's games Mykola Bortnyk played 5.d4 in 17 games, scoring 47%.
  8. 5…cxd4 Reply · Mykola Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 5…cxd4.
  9. 6.cxd4 Your move · Mykola Bortnyk's games Mykola Bortnyk played 6.cxd4 in 17 games, scoring 47%.
  10. 6…e6 Reply · Mykola Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 6…e6. At top level, this comes up about 13% of the time.
  11. 7.Bd3 Your move · Mykola Bortnyk's games Mykola Bortnyk played 7.Bd3 in 11 games, scoring 55%.
  12. 7…Nf6 Reply · Mykola Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 7…Nf6. At top level, this comes up about 8% of the time.
  13. 8.O-O Your move · Mykola Bortnyk's games Mykola Bortnyk played 8.O-O in 7 games, scoring 57%.

Questions about this course

How does Mykola Bortnyk play against the Sicilian?
After 1.e4 c5, Mykola Bortnyk's most common line is 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.b4 Nxb4 4.c3 Nc6 5.d4 cxd4 6.cxd4 e6 7.Bd3 Nf6 8.O-O. At top level it comes up about 8% of the time.
Is this Mykola Bortnyk's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Mykola Bortnyk's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Sicilian course based on?
391 of Mykola Bortnyk's Chess.com blitz games in the Sicilian Defense as White, against opponents with an average rating of 3,073. Mykola Bortnyk scored 52% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
8 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 Mykola Bortnyk 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 Mykola Bortnyk?
IM Mykola Bortnyk was ranked number 29 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,226 when this course was built.