Sicilian, Scheveningen Variation
The flexible small centre: Kasparov's weapon of choice, elastic until the perfect ...b5, ...d5 or kingside fianchetto strike.
Sicilian, Scheveningen Variation is one of the most compelling entries in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings — and a line that repays every hour you sink into it.
After 5…e6 the position resolves into a fluid centre — one side has staked a central pawn the other must decide how to challenge, so the structure is still being negotiated, with the d-file half-open for White and the c-file half-open for Black.
The moves
After 5... e6 — Sicilian, Scheveningen Variation main line
Position breakdown
A factual read of the position after the main line — the files, the centre, the pawn structure and king safety that decide how the middlegame is played. These are computed from the actual board, not generic advice.
Files
Centre control
Fluid centre
The d4/d5/e4/e5 squares — who occupies the centre decides how open the game becomes.
Pawn skeleton
Pawns only — the structure that explains every open file and majority at a glance.
Material level
Queenside pawns 3–2
Kingside pawns 3–3
Development
2 knights active
Knight active
King safety
White king e1
Uncastled — take care
Black king e8
Uncastled — take care
Computed from the final position of the main line above — 10 plies, white to move.
Strategic ideas
Ideas for White
White aims for harmonious development, central control and well-timed pawn breaks.
Ideas for Black
Black targets the centre with counterplay, seizes outposts and strikes with the thematic pawn breaks.
Main variations (8)
Keres Attack
B81The Keres: g4 grabs the kingside at once — Black must counter with ...h6/...a6/...b5 speed.
English Attack
B80The main modern battleground:with racing pawn storms.
Scheveningen, 6.f4
B82The f4 wedge: big centre, Be3/Qd2 storms, and ...Qb6/...Nc6 counters to survive.
Classical Scheveningen
B84The classical tabiya: solid development versus Be3/Qd2 kingside plans.
Sozin Attack
B86The Sozin bishop hunts f7 immediately — direct, forcing, dangerous.
Sozin, Fischer Attack
B88Fischer's refined Bb3 retreat — keeping the f7 pressure while dodging ...b5 hits.
Scheveningen, 6.6.Be2 Setup
B83The positional Be2/O-O treatment — flexible plans before committing.
6.Nxc6
B80The Qd2 setup: castling long is coming, and the race begins immediately.
Plans & pawn structures
- 1White plays down the d-file — with no White pawn there, a rook lift and pawn lever turn this file into direct pressure on d7.
- 2Black's counterplay runs down the c-file: it is half-open for Black, so the rooks swing there to hit c2 while White is busy elsewhere.
- 3The centre is still fluid: decide early whether to lock it with a pawn advance or dissolve it with an exchange, because that choice picks the whole middlegame plan for you.
Typical middlegame structures
The main line leads to a fluid centre — one side has staked a central pawn the other must decide how to challenge, so the structure is still being negotiated. It leaves the d-file half-open for White, the c-file half-open for Black — that is where the rooks belong and where the middlegame is decided. On the pawns, Black holds a kingside pawn majority — the long-term trump to nurse into the endgame.
Traps & tactical motifs
Every sharp opening has its traps — study the forcing lines around the centre and the f7/f2 squares before playing this in rated games.
Watch the typical motifs: pins against the pinned piece, knight forks after the natural captures, and queen sorties to a2/g2-style squares.
How to Play Against the Sicilian, Scheveningen Variation
- Neutralise the c-file before Black owns it: challenge with your own rook, or close the file with a pawn so the opponent's main artery of play dries up.
- As White, strike at the fluid centre immediately with your own central pawn or piece pressure, before the opponent locks it into a shape that favours them.
Study plan & who it's for
Advanced material. Concrete move orders, deep tactical motifs and razor-thin theory mean this rewards Black players who are 1800+ and willing to do homework.
Play through the main line above until the piece setup feels natural.
Learn the two or three critical pawn breaks for both sides.
Drill one variation at a time — always connecting moves to plans.