The Killer Löwenthal Sicilian by GM Simon Williams 02 Dec 2024

Stun Your Opponents With This 19th Century Sicilian

Take up an ancient but deadly Sicilian variation with GM Simon Williams and IM Richard Palliser’s Killer Löwenthal Sicilian.

The Löwenthal Sicilian is a rare opening that’ll take your opponents out of theory early and into unfamiliar territory.

Our starting position offers White a tempting check on d6, but we’ll be well-prepared to handle the resulting complications.

The repertoire begins with the moves 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 a6!?

The starting position of the Löwenthal Sicilian

This is the first Grandmaster repertoire on this quirky opening – and who better to present it than the king of wild openings, GM Simon Williams himself? It’s a variation that fits his style perfectly – aggressive, complex and custom-built to let your creative side shine.

Chaos reigns!

And although there are sure to be moments of madness and crazy positions ahead, you can rest assured that the chaos is controlled. IM Richard Palliser works tirelessly to make sure each variation stands up to theory and doesn’t require unnecessary risks. You’ll be well-equipped to judge the level of risk you want to take and decide when you need to bail out to a safe position.

In this line, White is the only one in danger

The Quickstarter Guide covers the 30 most important variations, allowing you to build a mini-repertoire that you can start playing immediately. The full course is a compact 300 variations, which is manageable for a Sicilian repertoire. You won’t be drowned in theory but you’ll gain enough knowledge to be extremely comfortable with the opening.

You’ll also pick up some crucial positional ideas that will be useful for playing other openings. The Löwenthal works particularly well as an alternative to the Sveshnikov or Kalashnikov, with many ideas overlapping because of the similar structures.

You’ll learn 6 instructive concepts that will deepen your understanding of these positions – and make you a better chess player overall.

The d5 push is a critical idea in many Sicilians

GM Simon Williams (the Ginger GM) is one of the most popular chess educators. He regularly streams and creates content for his YouTube channel, along with being one of the most prolific Chessable authors. His infectious enthusiasm and love for chess has inspired thousands of players to take up his favorite openings – especially if you like pushing Harry the h-pawn!

IM Richard Palliser regularly teams up with Simon to help provide the theory side of their courses. One of the most respected opening theoreticians in England, Richard has written several books on his own and is the editor of CHESS, the UK’s biggest chess magazine.