Scheveningen and Dragon are both well-known systems, but are perhaps not quite as solid as the Najdorf and the Shveshnikov.
Sicilian Variations Tier List
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Ik it's all fine for us I'm just curious how theyd be classified into tiers based on top level practice
I normally play the dragon but I’ve been slowly changing to the najdorf.
llama45 wrote:
I mean... it's very different depending on your skill. For example, for 99.99% of all players the dragon is a fine variation... but for the top 10 players it's a fancy way to show off your 30 (or more!) moves of theory and black is escaping with a draw.
The Scheveningen has fallen out of favor, but in the past it was played regularly by Kasparov... meaning it's an extremely high quality opening that's good for 99.99% of us.
The Scheveningen has fallen out of fashion due to the Keres attack 6. g4! I personally do not like the dragon because the yugoslav attack just crushes you unless you know all the theory. Even then, you only get a drawn position. The Sicilian taimanov is the only other sicilian I can think is used at the top level.
Another out of curiosity post. I heard that the Najdorf and sveshnikov are supposed to be top tier but idk about the other s