3.e5? in Sicilian?

I was wondering why 3.e5 is not played against the Sicilian, e.g. after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6/d6/e6 3.e5. Anyone willing to explain the positional implications?

Because it gives up the d5 square and accomplishes nothing.

Originally posted by badivan1
I was wondering why 3.e5 is not played against the Sicilian, e.g. after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6/d6/e6 3.e5. Anyone willing to explain the positional implications?

1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 d6
3. d4 e5?
4. dxe5, dxe5
5. Qxd8+, Kxd8
6. Nxe5

or
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. d4 e5?
4. dxe5, Nxe5
5. Qxd8+, Kxd8
6. Nxe5

Edit: it's not positional, it just loses material.

Originally posted by zebano
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 d6
3. d4 e5?
4. dxe5, dxe5
5. Qxd8+, Kxd8
6. Nxe5

or
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. d4 e5?
4. dxe5, Nxe5
5. Qxd8+, Kxd8
6. Nxe5

Edit: it's not positional, it just loses material.

white, not black, moves 3.e5

Originally posted by badivan1
I was wondering why 3.e5 is not played against the Sicilian, e.g. after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6/d6/e6 3.e5. Anyone willing to explain the positional implications?

It is played when black plays 2..Nf6, ie. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e5..

Originally posted by Regicidal
white, not black, moves 3.e5

ahh that makes more sense. I was thinking of an accelerated najdorf.

There's an obscure line with e5 in the Bb5 sicilian,moscow variation:

1.e4,c5 2.Nf3,d6 3.Bb5+,Nc6 4.e5?,Bd7 5.exd6,e6 6.Bxc6,Bxc6 7.Ne5,Qxd6 8.Nxc6,Qxc6 9.0-0,Nf6 =+

This has also been tried:
1.e4,c5 2.Nf3,d6 3.e5?,dxe5 4.Nxe5,Nf6 Eikelboom - Van Delft,07-20-2000
Black won 😉

it seems to me that the following will happen positionally: White will have more space, but the pawn will be extremely over stretched this early on. Black would probably play Nc6 quickly, preventing a quick d4, all the while trying to work on that lonely e pawn. Because the knight is on f3, the f pawn cant help.

Random, unanalyzed though: If white played 2. e5, then 3.f4, 4. Nf3, then things might be different, but I haven't put any thought into it, so don't flame me.

In the March 2005 issue of Chess Life, the subject of GM Susan Polgar's column Opening Secrets is the line 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5. Her conclusion was that Black can equalize with proper play, but that some natural looking (but incorrect) lines could put Black in some difficulties.