{
  "pack_format_version": 3,
  "slug": "sicilian-rossolimo-moscow-black",
  "title": "The Sicilian Rossolimo & Moscow: Essentials (Black Repertoire)",
  "author_name": "Theo van Stratum",
  "version": 1,
  "description": "A Black repertoire against the early bishop sortie to b5 -- the Rossolimo Variation (2...Nc6 3.Bb5) and the Moscow Variation (2...d6 3.Bb5+) -- the most popular modern way White sidesteps the Open Sicilian without committing to 2.c3. Covers the fianchetto 3...g6 and the flexible 3...e6 against the Rossolimo, plus both main replies to the Moscow's check, 3...Bd7 (inviting an immediate trade) and 3...Nc6 (interposing the knight, which ends up completely pinned but costs nothing).",
  "content_types": [
    "lines"
  ],
  "price_cents": null,
  "lines": [
    {
      "name": "Sicilian Rossolimo/Moscow: Meeting 2...Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 (the Rossolimo Fianchetto)",
      "side": "black",
      "eco": "B31",
      "moves": [
        "e2e4",
        "c7c5",
        "g1f3",
        "b8c6",
        "f1b5",
        "g7g6",
        "b5c6",
        "d7c6",
        "e1g1",
        "f8g7",
        "f1e1",
        "e7e5",
        "d2d3",
        "g8e7",
        "b1d2",
        "e8g8",
        "d2c4",
        "d8c7",
        "c1e3",
        "b7b6"
      ],
      "annotations": {
        "5": {
          "note": "The modern main try against the Rossolimo: fighting for the long diagonal with the fianchetto rather than just accepting a slightly cramped position. This isn't met by check -- the knight on c6 blocks the diagonal to the king.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "7": {
          "note": "Recapturing toward the centre, accepting doubled pawns on c5 and c6 in exchange for the bishop pair -- a completely standard, well-regarded trade-off in this structure.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "9": {
          "note": "Completing the fianchetto.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "11": {
          "note": "Claiming central space immediately, since White's knight that traded off on c6 is no longer around to contest it.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "13": {
          "note": "Rerouting the knight rather than blocking its own fianchetto bishop with ...Nf6 -- flexible development that keeps options open for a later ...d5 or ...Nc8-d6 manoeuvre.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "17": {
          "note": "Necessary, not just useful: after White's knight landed on c4, the e5-pawn was attacked twice (by both of White's knights) and defended only once (by the bishop on g7) -- simply developing elsewhere would have dropped the pawn outright. The queen adds a second defender along the c7-e5 diagonal.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "19": {
          "note": "Shoring up c5, which is attacked once (by White's bishop on e3) and defended once (by this pawn) -- a fully balanced tension, not a weakness -- while also giving the bishop on c8 a future.",
          "format": "markdown"
        }
      },
      "variations": [
        {
          "branch_ply": 7,
          "moves": [
            "b7c6",
            "d2d3",
            "f8g7",
            "b1d2",
            "g8f6",
            "e1g1",
            "e8g8"
          ],
          "annotations": {
            "0": {
              "note": "Recapturing with the b-pawn instead of the d-pawn -- avoids the doubled c-pawns of the main line entirely, at the cost of a slightly looser queenside structure instead.",
              "format": "markdown"
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "Sicilian Rossolimo/Moscow: Meeting 2...Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 (the Rossolimo with ...e6)",
      "side": "black",
      "eco": "B30",
      "moves": [
        "e2e4",
        "c7c5",
        "g1f3",
        "b8c6",
        "f1b5",
        "e7e6",
        "e1g1",
        "g8e7",
        "f1e1",
        "a7a6",
        "b5c6",
        "e7c6",
        "d2d3",
        "d7d5",
        "b1d2",
        "f8e7",
        "c2c3",
        "e8g8",
        "d1e2",
        "d8c7"
      ],
      "annotations": {
        "5": {
          "note": "A flexible alternative to the fianchetto: simple development, keeping both ...d5 and ...f5 as future central breaks rather than committing to the long diagonal.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "7": {
          "note": "Developing the other knight to e7 rather than f6 for exactly that reason -- f6 stays free for a pawn.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "9": {
          "note": "Finally asking the question of the bishop. Up to now there was no rush, since the bishop wasn't doing anything concrete.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "11": {
          "note": "Recapturing with the knight -- material is level and the knight sits on a perfectly good square.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "13": {
          "note": "Striking in the centre now that the minor pieces are mostly settled. White's e4-pawn and this pawn now attack each other once each -- a balanced tension that can be resolved later.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "15": {
          "note": "Simple, solid development.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "17": {
          "note": "Preparing to meet a future d4 push with the pawn rather than letting it come for free.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "19": {
          "note": "Flexible development, keeping the rooks' options open on both the c- and d-files.",
          "format": "markdown"
        }
      },
      "variations": [
        {
          "branch_ply": 9,
          "moves": [
            "d7d5",
            "e4d5",
            "e7d5",
            "d2d4",
            "c5d4",
            "d1d4"
          ],
          "annotations": {
            "0": {
              "note": "Striking in the centre immediately instead of kicking the bishop with ...a6 first.",
              "format": "markdown"
            },
            "5": {
              "note": "White recaptures with the queen rather than the knight on f3, since the knight on c6 already attacks d4 and would otherwise just win it back -- the point being that Black's structure here is perfectly sound regardless of which way White chooses to recapture.",
              "format": "markdown"
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "Sicilian Rossolimo/Moscow: Meeting 2...d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 (the Moscow Trade)",
      "side": "black",
      "eco": "B51",
      "moves": [
        "e2e4",
        "c7c5",
        "g1f3",
        "d7d6",
        "f1b5",
        "c8d7",
        "b5d7",
        "d8d7",
        "e1g1",
        "g8f6",
        "f1e1",
        "b8c6",
        "c2c3",
        "e7e6",
        "d2d4",
        "c5d4",
        "c3d4",
        "f8e7",
        "b1d2",
        "e8g8"
      ],
      "annotations": {
        "3": {
          "note": "The Moscow Variation: because 2...d6 leaves c6 empty, 3.Bb5 really is check this time, with the diagonal running all the way through to the king on e8.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "5": {
          "note": "The simplest, most popular way to meet the check -- blocking with the bishop, since nothing else covers that diagonal.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "7": {
          "note": "Recapturing with the queen, the only legal recapture -- this does put the queen on a slightly awkward square that gets in the way of the other bishop's most natural development, but it costs no material and White gained nothing concrete from the trade either.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "9": {
          "note": "Developing naturally.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "11": {
          "note": "Completing development; the knight has no reason to avoid c6 here since White's bishop is long gone.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "13": {
          "note": "Simple, solid development, matching White's own set-up.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "15": {
          "note": "Striking back in the centre once development is mostly complete.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "17": {
          "note": "Recapturing toward the centre.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "19": {
          "note": "Completing development with a perfectly sound, comfortable position.",
          "format": "markdown"
        }
      },
      "variations": [
        {
          "branch_ply": 6,
          "moves": [
            "b5e2",
            "g8f6",
            "e1g1",
            "e7e6",
            "c2c3",
            "f8e7",
            "d2d4",
            "c5d4",
            "c3d4",
            "e8g8"
          ],
          "annotations": {
            "0": {
              "note": "If White keeps the bishop pair rather than trading, the bishop has to leave the b5-a4 diagonal entirely to escape -- Black's own bishop on d7 attacks all the way down to a4 as well as to b5, so simply shuffling along that same diagonal wouldn't actually dodge anything.",
              "format": "markdown"
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "Sicilian Rossolimo/Moscow: Meeting 2...d6 3.Bb5+ Nc6 (the Moscow with ...Nc6)",
      "side": "black",
      "eco": "B51",
      "moves": [
        "e2e4",
        "c7c5",
        "g1f3",
        "d7d6",
        "f1b5",
        "b8c6",
        "e1g1",
        "c8d7",
        "f1e1",
        "g8f6",
        "c2c3",
        "e7e6",
        "d2d4",
        "c5d4",
        "c3d4",
        "f8e7",
        "c1g5",
        "e8g8",
        "b1d2",
        "d8c7"
      ],
      "annotations": {
        "5": {
          "note": "Blocking the check with the knight instead of the bishop, keeping the bishop's development flexible. The knight is now completely pinned -- it has no legal move at all, since no knight move can ever stay on a diagonal.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "7": {
          "note": "Developing the bishop; this doesn't affect the pin on c6 one way or the other, and there's no rush to break it since nothing is actually attacking the knight yet.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "9": {
          "note": "Developing naturally.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "11": {
          "note": "Striking back in the centre.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "13": {
          "note": "Recapturing toward the centre with the pawn, the same idea as everywhere else in this repertoire.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "15": {
          "note": "Completing development.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "17": {
          "note": "Castling. The bishop that just arrived on g5 looks like it pins the knight on f6 to the queen on d8, but it doesn't actually -- Black's own bishop on e7 sits on that same diagonal and blocks it. The knight is simply attacked once and defended once, by that same bishop.",
          "format": "markdown"
        },
        "19": {
          "note": "Unpinning the knight on c6 for good and connecting the rooks. There was no hurry to do this since nothing was threatening the pinned knight, but it's a useful, flexible move regardless.",
          "format": "markdown"
        }
      },
      "variations": [
        {
          "branch_ply": 6,
          "moves": [
            "e1g1",
            "a7a6",
            "b5c6",
            "b7c6",
            "f1e1",
            "g8f6",
            "d2d3",
            "e7e6",
            "b1d2",
            "f8e7"
          ],
          "annotations": {
            "0": {
              "note": "Kicking the bishop immediately rather than developing first.",
              "format": "markdown"
            },
            "2": {
              "note": "White has no good retreat square here that both dodges this pawn and stays useful, so trading for the pinned knight is the simplest practical choice -- note it comes with check, since the king is still on e8. The resulting doubled c-pawns are a fair price for the bishop pair.",
              "format": "markdown"
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "woodpecker_sets": [],
  "endgame_positions": []
}