Sicilian: Alapin, 2...Nf6, 5.cxd4 d6

Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, 2…Nf6 Line with 5.cxd4 d6

Definition

This opening arises after the moves 1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.d4 cxd4 5.cxd4 d6. It is a branch of the Sicilian Defense known as the Alapin Variation (named after the Russian theoretician Semyon Alapin). Black immediately challenges the pawn center with 2…Nf6 instead of the more classical 2…d5, aiming to provoke the advance e4–e5 and then undermine White’s d- and e-pawns with …d6 and …d5 later on.

Move Order

1. e4  c5
2. c3  Nf6  (the key alternative to 2…d5)
3. e5  Nd5
4. d4  cxd4
5. cxd4  d6

A very common continuation is 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Nc3, when Black must decide between …e6 (Scheveningen-style), …g6 (transposing to a Dragon-like set-up without the open c-file), or the immediate central break …dxe5.

Main Ideas & Strategic Themes

• Black’s central counterplay: The early …Nf6 and …Nd5 lure the e-pawn forward, creating a target on e5. After …d6, Black will often strike back with …Nc6 and …dxe5 or …g6 + …Bg7, pressuring d4 and e5 simultaneously.
• White’s space advantage: White enjoys extra central space, a mobile pawn duo (d4–e5), and rapid piece development. Plans often include Nc3, Nf3, Bc4, 0-0, and sometimes Qb3 or Qe2 to support the center.
• Pawn structure: If Black achieves …dxe5 dxe5, the resulting isolated d-pawn for White can become a long-term weakness. Conversely, if White maintains the pawn chain e5–d4, Black’s knights lack good central squares.
• Flexibility: Both sides can transpose into structures resembling the French, Caro-Kann Advance, or even a reversed Maroczy Bind, making knowledge of plans more important than rote memorization.

Critical Lines

After 5…d6 the two most frequently seen branches are:

• 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Nc3 (Main Line)
  7…e6 8.Bd3 Be7 9.0-0 0-0 leads to rich middlegames in which Black targets d4 while White eyes the kingside.
• 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Bc4
  White opts for rapid piece activity. After 7…Nb6 8.Bb3, play often resembles a French Tarrasch with colors reversed.

Historical & Theoretical Significance

The 2…Nf6 Alapin enjoyed a surge of popularity in the 1990s when players like Gata Kamsky and Peter Svidler used it as a surprise weapon against established e4 specialists. Modern engines confirm Black’s structural ideas, so the line remains an important antidote to 2.c3 at both grandmaster and club level.

Illustrative Game

Anand – Svidler, Wijk aan Zee 1999

The game demonstrates both sides’ thematic plans: White advances on the kingside while Black undermines the center and activates pieces. Anand eventually converted his spatial advantage, but not without dynamic counterplay from Svidler.

Interesting Facts & Anecdotes

• Semyon Alapin invented dozens of opening ideas, yet this 2.c3 line is the only one that still consistently appears in elite practice bearing his name.
• Because the structure after 3.e5 Nd5 can resemble an Advance French (with colors reversed), French-defense aficionados sometimes feel at home playing Black here.
• Magnus Carlsen used the 2…Nf6 variation against Ian Nepomniachtchi in online blitz, steering the game into a middlegame resembling a King’s Indian.