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Sicilian Defense · As White · updated October 2026

Play against the Sicilian like Andy Woodward

A repertoire against the Sicilian built from 84 of Andy Woodward's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Andy Woodward chose most often. Where Andy Woodward 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 Andy Woodward or Chess.com.

  • Andy Woodward was #37 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,216) and scored 71% against opponents averaging 3,046 in these games.
  • You play Andy Woodward's own move in 15 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#37

Chess.com

Rating

3,216

Games

84

in this opening

Score

71%

in these games

Opponents

3,046

average rating

More about Andy Woodward

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 11 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

  2. Line 2 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Bxe7 Nxe7 6.Qxd4 O-O 7.Nc3

  3. Line 3 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.Bc4 Qb6 8.Bb3 e6 9.Qd2 Be7 10.O-O-O Nc5 11.f3 Qc7 12.Kb1

  4. Line 4 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Bg5 Nf6 5.e5 h6 6.Bh4 g5 7.exf6 gxh4 8.Qxd4

  5. Line 5 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4

  6. Line 6 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e5 7.Nf5

  7. Line 7 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2

  8. Line 8 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 O-O 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.O-O-O d5 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Bh6

  9. Line 9 · 4% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.e5 d5 5.Bb5

  10. Line 10 · 4% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 e6 4.O-O

  11. Line 11 · 4% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 g6 4.c3 Nf6 5.e5 d5 6.Bb5 Nd7 7.d4

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

Andy Woodward'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.

  1. 2.Nf3 Your move · Andy Woodward's games Andy Woodward played 2.Nf3 in 60 games, scoring 74%.
  2. 2…d6 Reply · Andy Woodward's games A common reply here is 2…d6. At top level, this comes up about 52% of the time.
  3. 3.d4 Your move · Andy Woodward's games Andy Woodward played 3.d4 in 20 games, scoring 75%.
  4. 3…cxd4 Reply · Andy Woodward's games A common reply here is 3…cxd4.
  5. 4.Nxd4 Your move · Andy Woodward's games Andy Woodward played 4.Nxd4 in 15 games, scoring 87%.
  6. 4…Nf6 Reply · Andy Woodward's games A common reply here is 4…Nf6.
  7. 5.Nc3 Your move · Andy Woodward's games Andy Woodward played 5.Nc3 in 15 games, scoring 87%.
  8. 5…a6 Reply · Andy Woodward's games A common reply here is 5…a6. At top level, this comes up about 24% of the time.
  9. 6.Bg5 Your move · Andy Woodward's games Andy Woodward played 6.Bg5 in 5 games, scoring 100%.
  10. 6…e6 Reply · Andy Woodward's games A common reply here is 6…e6. At top level, this comes up about 10% of the time.
  11. 7.f4 Your move · Top-50 players Andy Woodward has too few games here, so this is the other top players' most played move.

Questions about this course

How does Andy Woodward play against the Sicilian?
After 1.e4 c5, Andy Woodward's most common line is 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4. At top level it comes up about 10% of the time.
Is this Andy Woodward's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Andy Woodward's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Sicilian course based on?
84 of Andy Woodward's Chess.com blitz games in the Sicilian Defense as White, against opponents with an average rating of 3,046. Andy Woodward scored 71% 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 Andy Woodward 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 Andy Woodward?
GM Andy Woodward was ranked number 37 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,216 when this course was built.