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Topic: Sicilian : Alapins variation - Help anyone?
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The past few months i have been taking to the ruy lopez, but like i have posted before, i kept running into sicilian trouble. Since then i have been exploring anti sicilian openings that i can transpose into from the ruy lopez. I was looking through a few books hen i had discovered the alapins variation, which seems to be down my alley for temperment and style of development. Before i devote to much of my time and money into resources for this opening i wanted to get feedback on the pros and cons of this opening, through other players perspective. Anything that anyone can tell me from their own experience is more then welcome and apreciatedin this matter.
Thanx a Million ,
Ryan Wilson
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There is a long and pretty forced variation for if you want to skip the middlegame and go straight into the endgame. I don't think there's anything that offers more than equality in the Alapin, if you want to win just play the Open Sicilian.
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Well, the opening looked interesting, but i am not comfortable enough with my end game the depend on it to win me games. I will just have to devote a few hours here and there into the open variations. Like the dragon and the ficher-sozin atk, all of those lines. Thank you very much for the reply, you have saved me many countless hours and games playing a line that doesnt suit my temperment. 
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I think I would disagree a little with azaris' post. At the club player level the c3 Sicilian is perfectly viable. Ryan, all you should be looking for from any opening is a playable middlegame with a type of position you feel comfortable with (That is largely what GM Nakamura was doing when he played 1. e4 e5 2. Qh5!?) The c3 Sicilian will certainly give you that. And at club level you don't have to worry much about opponents reeling off a long string of theory. Although, with correspondence chess that can and does happen.
I'll refer to you to a new book by Sam Collins (an Irish IM) titled "An Attacking Repertoire for White." Collins advocates the c3 Sicilian and has a very engaging style. I'm sure there are wholes in the book (as there are in all of these comprehensive repertoire books) but it still might be very worth your while to pick it up.
One last thought on the open Sicilian: Bent Larsen wondered many years ago why white should give up his d pawn for black's c pawn. A very good question, indeed.
Good luck.
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Of course the Alapin is viable at any level - I have a few draws against stronger players here with 2.a3!?, so the Alapin must be even better. My point was that the Alapin does not give Black an immediate tactical do-or-die situation (unlike many open Sicilians), and therefore is more suited to players who like a slow middlegame and then grind down their opponents in the endgame. The line I gave is quite OK for White provided he likes an endgame with dynamic chances.
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Fair enough but are the middlegames from the Alapin really slow? The positions tend to be rather open.
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