Few games can boast of a more ancient origin than chess - they have been known since the 6th century AD. The Arab East, Asia, Byzantium, Europe, Africa - people of all countries and nationalities got acquainted with interest with the rules of the game, in which there are a lot of subtleties.
In chess, it is customary to distinguish between the opening - the beginning of the game, the middlegame - the middle and the endgame - the ending. At each stage, there are many options for the development and end of the game, and it is not human to calculate all the positions of the pieces on the board. And the more interesting the game is, the more uncertainty it has. Various openings even have their own names, for example, the Sicilian Defense.
Protection in honor of the Sicilian
A bit strange, but the first mention of the Sicilian defense is given in the book by no Sicilian at all. Back in 1497, a certain Luis Ramirez Lucena, a native of Spain and chess master, wrote the book "The Repetition of Love and the Art of Chess Game".
The Spaniards did not do much for chess, but it is the Spaniard who is responsible for the first-ever description of the Sicilian defense.
This work consists of two parts, the first of which has nothing to do with chess. But the second contains detailed rules of the game with an analysis of eleven openings, as well as a description of 150 problems collected by the author during his life.
It is noteworthy that this work is the first printed chess manual. The book was published in small edition and did not have a significant impact on the development of the game.
Italy - the land of the sun and strong players
It was only at the beginning of the seventeenth century that the strongest player, a brilliant representative of the Italian chess school, Joaquino Greco, was born. He was born in Calabria and received the corresponding nickname - Calabrian. Greco did a lot to popularize the game, touring the royal courts of Spain, England and France.
In addition, Gioachino was noted as the author of handwritten works on chess, where he commented on several hundred games. In particular, he analyzed such openings as the King's Gambit and the Italian game. In his game, he was distinguished by a strong pressure, the ability to sacrifice pieces for the sake of gaining time in order to mobilize forces and organize an attack on the enemy king.
In the last years of his life he was at the Madrid court of King Philip IV. It was in his honor that the opening was named - the Sicilian Defense. The role of the master is so enormous that the Chess Federation even instituted the Greco medal in his honor. By the way, our compatriot M. Botvinnik was among the first laureates.
The essence of protection
The classic opening starts as e2-e4 c7-c5. Further development is based on asymmetric positions, versatile castling, and acute tactical struggle.
The Sicilian Defense is for you if you prefer an assertive play style.
Usually, the Sicilian Defense is used by those players who prefer rapid development, are ready to make skillful sacrifices and quickly gain an advantage. Distinguish between open, half-open and closed Sicilian defense.
