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Sicilian Defense · As White · updated October 2026

Play against the Sicilian like Rudik Makarian

A repertoire against the Sicilian built from 54 of Rudik Makarian's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Rudik Makarian chose most often. Where Rudik Makarian 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 Rudik Makarian or Chess.com.

  • Rudik Makarian was #35 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,217) and scored 66% against opponents averaging 3,027 in these games.
  • You play Rudik Makarian's own move in 18 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#35

Chess.com

Rating

3,217

Games

54

in this opening

Score

66%

in these games

Opponents

3,027

average rating

More about Rudik Makarian

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 5 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 11% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.d3

  2. Line 2 · 8% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 Nc6 4.d3 d5 5.Qe2

  3. Line 3 · 6% at top level

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

  4. Line 4 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qe2 Be7 8.h4 h6 9.Bd2 b5 10.a3

  5. Line 5 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qe2 Be7 8.h4 h6 9.Bd2 e5 10.Nf5

  6. Line 6 · 6% 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 e6 13.b3

  7. Line 7 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 Nc6 4.d3 Nf6 5.Bg2 d5 6.Qe2 Be7 7.O-O O-O 8.e5

  8. Line 8 · 4% 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 Rfe8 13.Ne5

  9. Line 9 · 4% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e5 4.O-O

  10. Line 10 · 3% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qe2 Be7 8.h4 Nbd7 9.g4

  11. Line 11 · 3% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qe2 Be7 8.h4 Qc7 9.g4

  12. Line 12 · 3% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qe2 Be7 8.h4 h6 9.Bd2 Qb6 10.Nb3

  13. Line 13 · 3% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qe2 Nbd7 8.f4

  14. Line 14 · 3% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qe2 Qa5 8.f4

  15. Line 15 · 3% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qe2 h6 8.Bxf6

  16. Line 16 · 3% at top level

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

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

Rudik Makarian's main line against the Sicilian, move by move

The most common line at top level: 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.d3.

  1. 2.Nf3 Your move · Rudik Makarian's games Rudik Makarian played 2.Nf3 in 53 games, scoring 65%.
  2. 2…e6 Reply · Rudik Makarian's games A common reply here is 2…e6. At top level, this comes up about 32% of the time.
  3. 3.g3 Your move · Rudik Makarian's games Rudik Makarian played 3.g3 in 12 games, scoring 71%.
  4. 3…d5 Reply · Rudik Makarian's games A common reply here is 3…d5. At top level, this comes up about 11% of the time.
  5. 4.d3 Your move · Rudik Makarian's games Rudik Makarian played 4.d3 in 4 games, scoring 75%.

Questions about this course

How does Rudik Makarian play against the Sicilian?
After 1.e4 c5, Rudik Makarian's most common line is 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.d3. At top level it comes up about 11% of the time.
Is this Rudik Makarian's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Rudik Makarian's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Sicilian course based on?
54 of Rudik Makarian's Chess.com blitz games in the Sicilian Defense as White, against opponents with an average rating of 3,027. Rudik Makarian scored 66% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
16 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 Rudik Makarian?
GM Rudik Makarian was ranked number 35 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,217 when this course was built.