Sicilian Grand Prix: 2...Nc6 3.Nf3 g6

Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack (2…Nc6 3.Nf3 g6 variation)

Definition

The Grand Prix Attack is an aggressive anti-Sicilian setup that usually begins 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 followed by an early f2–f4. In the specific branch 2…Nc6 3.Nf3 g6, Black immediately adopts a Dragon-style kingside fianchetto. The move-order is therefore:

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 g6

• “Grand Prix” refers to a series of English weekend tournaments in the 1970s sponsored by The Sunday Times; the opening became a fashionable weapon there.
• The line is catalogued in modern opening manuals as B23 in ECO (Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings).

Typical Usage & Plans

• For White
  • Play f2–f4 (often on move 4) to seize space and prepare a kingside attack.
  • Develop the dark-squared bishop to b5 (pinning …Nc6) or c4 (eyeing f7).
  • Castle kingside or, in sharper lines, delay castling and launch g2–g4.
• For Black
  • Counter in the centre with …d5 or …e6, undermining White’s pawn wedge.
  • Use the fianchetto bishop on g7 to increase pressure on the long diagonal.
  • Maintain flexibility: transpose to a classical Closed Sicilian or pure Dragon structures.

Strategic and Historical Significance

The Grand Prix enjoyed a boom in the 1980s-1990s when it was adopted by British attacking specialists such as Julian Hodgson, Joe Gallagher and Mark Hebden. The 2…Nc6 3.Nf3 g6 move-order was Black’s chief antidote, steering play away from the direct 3.f4 lines (after 2…d6) into positions that Sicilian Dragon players already knew well.

Modern engines rate the variation as dynamically balanced, yet it remains popular at club level because:

• White’s plans are straightforward and can lead to quick attacks.
• Black obtains a sound structure and clear counterplay targets.

Illustrative Example

The following model game shows the main ideas for both sides:

Position after 17.O-O-O: White has extended in the centre with f3 & Be3 and is ready for a rook-lift via h1–g1; Black has broken with …d5, opening lines for the g7-bishop. Both kings are castled on opposite wings, so pawn storms are imminent.

Famous Games

• Julian Hodgson – John Nunn, London 1984: Hodgson’s thematic 4.Bb5 and 9.f5 sacrifice stunned the elite grandmaster.
• Gawain Jones – Francisco Vallejo Pons, European Club Cup 2011: modern illustration of opposite-wing attacks in this exact line.
• Kasparov (sim.) – Vikulov, Moscow 1976: a youthful Kasparov used the Grand Prix structure for a crushing mating attack.

Interesting Facts & Anecdotes

• The “Grand Prix” name has nothing to do with Formula 1 racing—early adopters simply kept winning the prize money in The Sunday Times Grand Prix circuit.
• IM Gary Lane once dubbed the 3.Nf3 g6 variation “the Anti-Hodgson antidote,” because it cut down on Julian Hodgson’s devastating f2–f4 attacks.
• Many 1.e4 players choose this line as an “easy-to-learn” alternative to the labyrinthine Open Sicilian; meanwhile, Dragon aficionados see it as a comfortable transposition.