Sicilian Defense

The Sicilian Defense, a chess opening that begins with the moves 1. e4 c5, is one of the most popular and highest scoring Black responses to the King's Pawn Opening - 1. e4. With 1... c5, Black asserts control over the critical d4 square and launches an aggressive counter-attack to seize control of the center of the chess board. By choosing to play the Sicilian Defense, Black is willing to offer White both the initiative of the Kingside and an advantage in piece development opportunities in exchange for an advanced Queenside pawn and a spatial advantage that often lead to flank attacks. 

Popular Variations of the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Sicilian, Schveshnikov Sicilian, Scheveningen Sicilian

Practitioners of the Sicilian Defense: Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov, Mikhail Tal,  Viswanathan Anand, Boris Gelfand and Alexei Shirov