The Lean and Mean O’Kelly Sicilian (for casual players)

A Casual Player’s Guide to a Cunning Sicilian

Are you frustrated with the time it takes to learn an opening? Perhaps you’re particularly put off by the Sicilian Defense and its reputation as being overly theoretical.

In just under 100 lines, you can pick up one of the most exciting variations of the Sicilian. The Lean and Mean O’Kelly Sicilian (for casual players) is ideal for the busy player who wants a practical and dynamic Sicilian.

The O’Kelly Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6) is only played in 2.3% of games by Black, giving you the surprise advantage from the get-go.

That’s just the beginning of why this course is a great repertoire to fight against 1.e4.

By learning the O’Kelly, you’re not going for drawish and overly cautious lines… you get a dynamic, explosive, and fun Sicilian that will have you fighting for the full point. The lines aren’t gimmicky either; they’re objectively solid and practical, even against strong players!

This course differentiates itself from other Sicilian courses by taking the practical route and showing you lines you’re likely to face at the club level and how to play against them.

It doesn’t stop there. You’ll also get a look at some of the most theoretically critical lines in case you come across a super-booked-up opponent.

What you get inside:

📓 Maximize your learning with an efficient course structure – a dedicated puzzle chapter, a chapter on typical themes and ideas, one on each major variation, plus a model games chapter

📓 Neutralize the most common Open Sicilian themes – with the early …a6. White won’t be able to play Nb5 and Bb5

📓 Fight anti-Sicilians with ease – the flexibility of 2..a6 makes it an effective weapon against the Closed Sicilian, the Smith-Morra Gambit, the Bowdler Attack, and others

📓 Learn thematic ideas and sensible plans – that work across several setups and swerve theory-heavy replies such as the Rossolimo

Tested by the author with the casual player in mind

This is Benner’s second course tailored specifically for the casual player, after The Relentless Reti. That course was a smash hit due to the low amount of memorization required but robust lines, and he’s applied the same course-making expertise to this course.

His idea is to give players below 1600 a practical course that will serve them against the lines they are most likely to face, yet that may accompany them after gaining several hundred rating points.

He has put it all into practice too, having made it his main repertoire against 1. e4 for months. He was even able to beat many 2300s and some titled players, and he analyzes these games in the model games section.