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Sicilian Defense · As White · updated October 2026

Play against the Sicilian like Vladislav Artemiev

A repertoire against the Sicilian built from 46 of Vladislav Artemiev's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Vladislav Artemiev chose most often. Where Vladislav Artemiev 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 Vladislav Artemiev or Chess.com.

  • Vladislav Artemiev was #19 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,259) and scored 79% against opponents averaging 2,662 in these games.
  • You play Vladislav Artemiev's own move in 9 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#19

Chess.com

Rating

3,259

Games

46

in this opening

Score

79%

in these games

Opponents

2,662

average rating

More about Vladislav Artemiev

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 7 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 11% at top level

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

  2. Line 2 · 8% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.O-O e5 7.Nf5 a6 8.Bd3

  3. Line 3 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Nxd7 5.O-O Ngf6 6.Re1

  4. Line 4 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.O-O Nc6 6.c3 d5 7.e5

  5. Line 5 · 5% at top level

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

  6. Line 6 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 a6 6.Bd3 Ngf6 7.c4

  7. Line 7 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.O-O Bg7 5.Re1 e5 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.a4

  8. Line 8 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g5 4.Nxg5 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nd4 6.e5

  9. Line 9 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g5 4.Nxg5 Nf6 5.Nc3 Rg8 6.d3 h6 7.Nf3 Rxg2 8.e5

  10. Line 10 · 4% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.O-O Nge7 5.Re1 a6 6.Bf1 d5 7.exd5 Nxd5 8.d4

  11. Line 11 · 4% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.O-O Nf6 6.Re1 Nc6 7.c3 e6 8.d4 cxd4 9.cxd4 d5 10.e5

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

Vladislav Artemiev's main line against the Sicilian, move by move

The most common line at top level: 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3.

  1. 2.Nf3 Your move · Vladislav Artemiev's games Vladislav Artemiev played 2.Nf3 in 38 games, scoring 83%.
  2. 2…e6 Reply · Vladislav Artemiev's games A common reply here is 2…e6. At top level, this comes up about 18% of the time.
  3. 3.d4 Your move · Vladislav Artemiev's games Vladislav Artemiev played 3.d4 in 7 games, scoring 100%.
  4. 3…cxd4 Reply · Vladislav Artemiev's games A common reply here is 3…cxd4.
  5. 4.Nxd4 Your move · Vladislav Artemiev's games Vladislav Artemiev played 4.Nxd4 in 7 games, scoring 100%.
  6. 4…a6 Reply · Vladislav Artemiev's games A common reply here is 4…a6. At top level, this comes up about 11% of the time.
  7. 5.Bd3 Your move · Vladislav Artemiev's games Vladislav Artemiev played 5.Bd3 in 3 games, scoring 100%.

Questions about this course

How does Vladislav Artemiev play against the Sicilian?
After 1.e4 c5, Vladislav Artemiev's most common line is 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3. At top level it comes up about 11% of the time.
Is this Vladislav Artemiev's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Vladislav Artemiev's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Sicilian course based on?
46 of Vladislav Artemiev's Chess.com blitz games in the Sicilian Defense as White, against opponents with an average rating of 2,662. Vladislav Artemiev scored 79% 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.
Who is Vladislav Artemiev?
GM Vladislav Artemiev was ranked number 19 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,259 when this course was built.