Nikita Sharma: Level 70 Chess Rival (2210 ELO)

Rook tier · Open-Game Specialist · plays the Sicilian Najdorf

How Nikita plays

Nikita loves open boards. At 41 her style is built around piece activity: open files, long diagonals and rooks that reach the seventh rank. The Najdorf gives her plenty of that. The half-open c-file belongs to her from the start, ...b5 and ...Bb7 add pressure on e4, and in ...e6 setups a well-timed ...d5 can blow the centre open.

She is at her best when the pawns start coming off and her pieces find open lines quickly. Positions where the centre is fixed and the play revolves around one or two squares give her less to work with, and she can become impatient, looking for a break that is not ready. Her pieces also tend to gravitate to active posts even at some structural cost, which can leave her with a backward pawn or a weak square to defend later. For White, the plan is to keep the centre stable, deny her ...d5, and make her pieces work against a fixed structure.

At 2210 ELO, Nikita plays at master strength. Outright blunders are rare, so you need a sound opening, a clear plan and accurate calculation in sharp moments. A draw against her is a good result; a win means you played a very good game.

Sicilian Najdorf: the line Nikita plays

Nikita plays the Sicilian Najdorf: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6. The book covers White's main tries, from the quiet 6.Be2 to the English Attack (6.Be3) and the sharp 6.Bg5. Expect ...e5 or ...e6, queenside play with ...b5, and a fight over the d5 square.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.O-O O-O 9.Be3 Be6

Learn it move by move: Sicilian Najdorf walkthrough

How to beat Nikita

  1. In ...e6 setups, keep the ...d5 break under control with a knight on c3, a well-protected e4 pawn and a bishop able to reach f3. Once ...d5 lands, the centre opens and her pieces come alive.
  2. In ...e5 structures, if a piece trade on d5 lets you recapture with the e-pawn, take it. The locked centre removes her open lines and turns the game into slow queenside pressure with c4 and c5.
  3. Trade her most active piece rather than chasing material. In open Sicilians her rook on the c-file and bishop on e6 do much of the work, and removing one often leaves the rest without purpose.
  4. In the 6.Be2 lines White's whole plan is the d5 square: trade the bishop that defends it (often with Bg5xf6) and land a knight there. If you want a sharper game, the English Attack (Be3, f3, Qd2, long castling, g4) is the classic way to race their queenside play.
  5. The book answers 1.e4, including anti-Sicilians like 2.Nc3 and 2.c3. Open 1.d4 and she is out of book from the start.

What beating Nikita teaches you

Nikita's games train you to restrict an active opponent, controlling her pawn breaks and closing lines so her pieces lose their energy.

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