Table Of ContentThe Chameleon Variation
Confronting the Sicilian on Your Own Terms
by Carsten Hansen
ISBN: 978-1-941270-86-8 (print)
ISBN: 978-1-941270-87-5 (eBook)
© Copyright 2017
Carsten Hansen
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Table of Contents
Foreword by Andy Soltis
Chapter 1
Ideas
Chapter 2
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nge2 e5
4…b5
4…g6
4…Nce7
4…Nge7
Chapter 3
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nge2 Nf6 4.g3 d5
5…Nxd5
6…e6
6…Nc7
6…Nxc3
6…Be6
6…Nf6
5…Nd4!?
6.Bg2 Bg4 7.h3
6.Nxd4 cxd4 7.Nb5
Chapter 4
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nge2 e6 4.g3 Nf6
Chapter 5
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nge2 e6 4.g3 d5
Chapter 6
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nge2 Nd4
4.d3
4.Nxd4 cxd4
5.Nb5!?
5.Ne2
Chapter 7
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nge2 a6 4 g3 b5 with 6.0-0
6…b4
6…Nf6
7…d6
7…d5
Chapter 8
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nge2 a6 4.g3 b5 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.d4
6…b4
6…cxd4
Chapter 9
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nge2 d5
Chapter 10
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3 Nge2 e5
Chapter 11
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3 Nge2 e6 4 d4 d5!? and 3…Nf6 4 d4 d5?!
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nge2 e6 4.d4 d5
6.dxc5
6.Be3
6…c4
6…cxd4
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nge2 Nf6 4.d4 d5?!
Chapter 12
Transpositions to the Open Dragon
2…Nc6 3.Nge2 g6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Bg7 6.Nde2 Nf6 7.g3
7…b6
7…b5
2…d6 3.Nge2 Nf6 4.g3 Nc6 5.Bg2 g6 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Bd7 8.Nde2
2…Nc6 3.Nge2 Nf6 4.g3 d6 5.d4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 g6 7.Nde2
2…Nc6 3.Nge2 g6 4.g3 Bg7 5.Bg2 d6 6.0-0 Nf6 7.d4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Nxd4 9.Qxd4 0-0
Chapter 13
Transpositions to the Najdorf Sicilian
Chapter 14
Transpositions to the Classical Sicilian
Chapter 15
Ideas in the Closed Sicilian with Nge2
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nge2 g6 4.g3 Bg7 5.Bg2 d6 6.d3
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nge2 Nf6 4.g3 g6 5.Bg2 Bg7 6.0-0 0-0 7.d3 d6 8.h3 Rb8 9.f4
9…Bd7
9…Nd7
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.Nge2 Nf6 4.g3 Nc6 5.Bg2 g6 6.0-0 Bg7 7.Nd5
eBook List
Foreword
In 1982, the late Ken Smith’s publishing house Chess Digest published the first edition of
my small monograph Beating the Sicilian, The Chameleon Variation. It was well received
and a second edition came out in 1990. It proposed a very flexible way for White to
handle the Sicilian Defense using the move order 1.e4, 2.Nc3 and 3.Nge2. It kept most of
White’s options open and allowed White the possibility of luring Black into unfamiliar
territory.
I was certainly not the first person to play 3.Nge2 in the Sicilian, and I did not play it to
create opening theory. I did it to avoid theory. I had found it increasingly difficult to keep
up to date with the latest nuances and changes in the main Sicilian lines, such as the
Najdorf, Taimanov, Kan and Dragon, or even the rarer lines like the Kalashnikov. When I
first analyzed 3.Nge2, I was concerned about Black’s attempts at refutation, such as 2…
Nf6 3.Nge2 Nf6 4.g3 d5 5.exd5 Nd4. But, not to worry.
With a 3.Nge2 move order, I could get to a perfectly playable middlegame in which I
could expect to know as much about it as my opponent. Of course, there were some
Sicilian main lines that I was happy to visit. So, for example, after 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6
3.Nge2 Nf6, I would reply 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 and get to play a Sozin (5…d6).
When Bobby Fischer adopted the Chameleon, he took the same approach. On 3…e6, he
would transpose into a main line with 4.d4. Curiously, Bobby played 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nge2 d6
4.h3 in one of his last tournaments. Fischer also used the 2.Ne2 Nf6 3.Nbc3 move order in
his 1992 rematch with Boris Spassky – himself an occasional Chameolonist – to play an
Open Sicilian.
So, I initially looked upon 3.Nge2 as a kind of ruse. But I also began to appreciate it as a
trap. It got my opponents thinking at move three, no small trick in the over-analyzed, over-
memorized Sicilian. After I had been playing it for a few years, I was surprised by how
many players, even some masters, didn’t understand White’s third move. They saw 2.Nc3
and thought “Closed Sicilian.” They mentally ruled out an Open Sicilian. So I won quick
games that went 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nge2 e6 4.g3 g6? 5.d4! cxd4 6.Nxd4 Bg7? 7.Ndb5.
Back in the 1970s, we believed that 2…d6 and 3…e5 (or 2…Nc6 and 3…e5) had to favor
White after 4.Nd5 and 5.Nec3 and Bc4. After all, one central square was superior to the
others and White owned it. But one square isn’t all that important. Fischer used the
Chameleon in his rematch with Spassky, but avoided Bc4 in favor of g2-g3 and Bg2.
Why the name? Chess Digest had issued my previous pamphlets with titles like 1.b4. He
wanted something memorable. For subsequent pamphlets I suggested names like Nimzo-
Larsen Attack (for 1.b3) and Baltic Defense (for 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5). How the name stuck
and won acceptance – and how 2.Nc3/3.Nge2 grew into a worthwhile chapter of opening
theory – continues to surprise me.
And now, the journey of the Chameleon continues in this thorough, comprehensive update
by well-known author Carsten Hansen.
Andy Soltis
New York City
September 2017
Chapter 1
Ideas
In this short chapter, we will take an introductory look at some of the ideas behind White’s
opening play in the Chameleon Variation of the Sicilian.
The Sicilian jungle is vast. Unless you have a massive amount of time on your hands, it is
an exhausting task to keep a sharp opening repertoire together against Black’s numerous
possibilities. It does not mean that it is impossible, nor does it mean that you shouldn’t do
it. But for the average player with an average amount of time available for chess studies, it
is important to pick the right battles. This is where our weapon comes in handy.
1. e4 c5
The normal Open Sicilians arise after 2.Nf3 and then, after most replies from Black, White
will then play 3.d4. Many of the variations are incredibly theory-heavy. For instance, not
long ago I wrote a monograph on the Sicilian Dragon (which arises after 2…d6 3.d4 cxd4
4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6). I filled 463 pages in a small font. Even then, I had to make a lot of
concessions and cut the coverage of some variations down to the bare minimum. We will
visit a transposition to the Dragon in chapter 14. But the Dragon is not even the biggest
line. The English Attack of the Scheveningen (2…d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6
6.Be3 followed by f2-f3 and Qd2) or the Najdorf Sicilian 2…d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6
5.Nc3 a6), where the theory in many lines stretches well beyond move 20, can be fear-
inducing.
So, how can White limit Black’s options, at least a bit? Well, for starters you can avoid the
Open Sicilian. There are many ways of doing this. White can play 3.Bb5(+) if Black plays
either 2…Nc6 or 2…d6. The Alapin Sicilian, 2.c3, is also a popular choice. Similarly, the
Closed Sicilian, 2.Nc3 followed by 3.g3, or the Grand Prix Attack, 2.Nc3 followed by
3.f4, are commonly seen choices. In addition, White has many other minor lines. If Black
has a well-considered repertoire, then he or she will also have made some decisions about
what to do against most of these anti-Sicilians. Would you be interested in possibly
tricking Black into playing something he would otherwise not be inclined to play? That’s
where the Chameleon is useful!
2.Nc3
White apparently invites either the Closed Sicilian or the Grand Prix Attack or the
somewhat curious 2…Nc6 3.Bb5!? which has also found its supporters.
The normal response to the Closed Sicilian is 2…Nc6 and now the main lines arise after
3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 and here White typically plays either 6.Be3 or 6.f4 although
several other options are available for White, including 6.Nge2 which is a move you will
become more familiar with in the last chapter of this book.
The problem for Black, however, is that after 2…Nc6, White can consider reentering the
Open Sicilian with 3.Nf3 followed by 4.d4. That move order will have tricked Najdorf
players out of the opportunity to play their favorite opening. Similarly, Dragon players
will be forced to play lines with …Nc6, which is not ideal in all lines of the Dragon.
Black, however, can answer 3.Nf3 with 3…e5, thus preventing White from reaching the
Open Sicilian. This line has been strongly advocated by Sveshnikov and others to punish
White. Theoretically, Black is doing fine in that variation. The key is that the weakened
d5-square is difficult to exploit.
Now White has another trick up his sleeve:
3.Nge2!?
This is the Chameleon Variation.
If Black now plays 3…e5, then White has some additional options available. For instance,
4.Nd5 d6 5.Nec3 followed by 6.Bc4, e.g.,
