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Sicilian Defense · As White · updated October 2026

Play against the Sicilian like Oleksandr Bortnyk

A repertoire against the Sicilian built from 126 of Oleksandr Bortnyk's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Oleksandr Bortnyk chose most often. Where Oleksandr 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 Oleksandr Bortnyk or Chess.com.

  • Oleksandr Bortnyk was #44 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,202) and scored 64% against opponents averaging 3,038 in these games.
  • You play Oleksandr Bortnyk's own move in 34 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#44

Chess.com

Rating

3,202

Games

126

in this opening

Score

64%

in these games

Opponents

3,038

average rating

More about Oleksandr 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 · 7% at top level

    2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.cxd4 d6 7.Bc4 Nb6 8.Bb5

  2. Line 2 · 7% at top level

    2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nf3 d6 6.cxd4 Nc6 7.Bc4 Nb6 8.Bb5 Bd7 9.Nc3

  3. Line 3 · 6% at top level

    2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nc6 5.Be3 cxd4 6.cxd4

  4. Line 4 · 6% at top level

    2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nf3 e6 6.cxd4 b6 7.Bc4 Ba6 8.Bxd5

  5. Line 5 · 5% at top level

    2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Be3 e6 6.Nf3 cxd4 7.cxd4

  6. Line 6 · 5% at top level

    2.c3 e6 3.d4

  7. Line 7 · 4% at top level

    2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Nf6 4.Qa4+ Nbd7 5.Qb3 Nb6 6.Bb5+ Bd7 7.c4

  8. Line 8 · 4% at top level

    2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nf3 e6 6.cxd4 d6 7.Bc4 Be7 8.O-O

  9. Line 9 · 4% at top level

    2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nf3 e6 6.cxd4 d6 7.Bc4 Nc6 8.O-O Be7 9.Qe2 O-O 10.Rd1 b6 11.Qe4

  10. Line 10 · 4% at top level

    2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Be3 cxd4 6.cxd4 e5 7.Nc3

  11. Line 11 · 4% at top level

    2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Be3 cxd4 6.cxd4 e6 7.Nc3 Bb4 8.Nf3 O-O 9.Bd3

  12. Line 12 · 4% at top level

    2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Be3 cxd4 6.cxd4 e6 7.Nc3 Qd6 8.Rc1

  13. Line 13 · 4% at top level

    2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Be3 cxd4 6.cxd4 e6 7.Nc3 Qd8 8.Nf3

  14. Line 14 · 3% at top level

    2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 g6 5.Be3 cxd4 6.cxd4 Bg7 7.Nf3

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

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

The most common line at top level: 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.cxd4 d6 7.Bc4 Nb6 8.Bb5.

  1. 2.c3 Your move · Oleksandr Bortnyk's games Oleksandr Bortnyk played 2.c3 in 92 games, scoring 65%.
  2. 2…Nf6 Reply · Oleksandr Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 2…Nf6. At top level, this comes up about 41% of the time.
  3. 3.e5 Your move · Oleksandr Bortnyk's games Oleksandr Bortnyk played 3.e5 in 38 games, scoring 61%.
  4. 3…Nd5 Reply · Oleksandr Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 3…Nd5.
  5. 4.d4 Your move · Oleksandr Bortnyk's games Oleksandr Bortnyk played 4.d4 in 35 games, scoring 66%.
  6. 4…cxd4 Reply · Oleksandr Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 4…cxd4.
  7. 5.Nf3 Your move · Oleksandr Bortnyk's games Oleksandr Bortnyk played 5.Nf3 in 24 games, scoring 71%.
  8. 5…Nc6 Reply · Oleksandr Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 5…Nc6. At top level, this comes up about 9% of the time.
  9. 6.cxd4 Your move · Oleksandr Bortnyk's games Oleksandr Bortnyk played 6.cxd4 in 5 games, scoring 90%.
  10. 6…d6 Reply · Oleksandr Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 6…d6.
  11. 7.Bc4 Your move · Oleksandr Bortnyk's games Oleksandr Bortnyk played 7.Bc4 in 8 games, scoring 69%.
  12. 7…Nb6 Reply · Oleksandr Bortnyk's games A common reply here is 7…Nb6. At top level, this comes up about 7% of the time.
  13. 8.Bb5 Your move · Oleksandr Bortnyk's games Oleksandr Bortnyk played 8.Bb5 in 6 games, scoring 58%.

Questions about this course

How does Oleksandr Bortnyk play against the Sicilian?
After 1.e4 c5, Oleksandr Bortnyk's most common line is 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.cxd4 d6 7.Bc4 Nb6 8.Bb5. At top level it comes up about 7% of the time.
Is this Oleksandr Bortnyk's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Oleksandr Bortnyk's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Sicilian course based on?
126 of Oleksandr Bortnyk's Chess.com blitz games in the Sicilian Defense as White, against opponents with an average rating of 3,038. Oleksandr Bortnyk scored 64% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
14 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 Oleksandr Bortnyk?
GM Oleksandr Bortnyk was ranked number 44 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,202 when this course was built.