Sicilian: Accelerated Fianchetto & 6.Be3 Nf6
Sicilian: Accelerated Fianchetto
Definition
The Accelerated Fianchetto is a variation of the Sicilian Defence in which Black develops the king’s-bishop to g7 without first playing …d6. The key idea is to “accelerate” the set-up of the Dragon by saving a tempo on …d6 so that the thematic central break …d5 can come in one move.
Typical move order
One of the most common sequences is:
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7
(Black can also insert …Nf6 before …g6, but the essence is an early …g6 without …d6.)
After 6. Be3 or 6. c4 White often aims for the Maróczy Bind (c4 + e4) to restrict …d5.
Strategic ideas
- Central strike …d5. Because the d-pawn is still on d7, Black dreams of freeing the position with …d5 in one go, saving a tempo compared to the classical Dragon (…d6–d5).
- Kingside pressure. The bishop on g7 eyes e5, d4 and the long diagonal. After castling, …Rc8 and …Qa5 often create crossfire against c3 and c4.
- Flexible pawn structure. The omission of …d6 keeps the dark-squared bishop and the queen’s-knight flexible but makes the position more sensitive to a well-timed e4–e5 break by White.
Main White approaches
- Maróczy Bind: 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 (or 6. c4) followed by c2–c4. White clamps down on …d5 but must live with a space-gaining yet static structure.
- Open Sicilian without c4: 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be2 or 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Be2, leading to more tactical positions reminiscent of the Dragon.
Historical & theoretical notes
- The line was popularised in the 1960s by Yugoslav grandmasters such as Ljubojević and Gligorić.
- Its ECO classification is B40–B44.
- Although once a rare bird, the variation has become a mainstream system for players who like the Dragon but wish to avoid the razor-sharp Yugoslav Attack (because White’s early f3, Qd2, Bh6 plans lose bite when Black can hit the centre with …d5).
Illustrative game
Kasparov – Anand, Tilburg 1991, shows how quickly Black’s counterplay can erupt once …d5 succeeds.
Interesting facts
- The term “Accelerated” literally means “a tempo faster than the Dragon.” In the classical Dragon Black plays …d6 on move 3 or 4; here it is postponed or never played.
- Magnus Carlsen used the line as Black to good effect against Levon Aronian in Wijk aan Zee 2012, demonstrating its viability at the elite level.
Modern Defense
Definition
The Modern Defense (also called the Robatsch Defense) is a hypermodern opening in which Black allows White to occupy the centre with pawns before striking back with pawn breaks and piece pressure. It starts with 1…g6 against virtually any first move by White, followed by …Bg7 and …d6 or …c5.
Characteristic ideas
- Hypermodern philosophy: Contest the centre from a distance rather than occupying it immediately.
- Flexible set-up: Black can adopt Pirc-like structures with …Nf6 and …d6 or steer into the Gurgenidze System with …c6 and …d5.
- Key pawn breaks: …c5, …e5 or …d5, depending on White’s set-up.
Main variations
- 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 – Classical line, sometimes transposing to the Pirc after …Nf6.
- 1. d4 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. e4 – The Averbakh System, where White builds a broad centre.
- Anti-Modern systems: White can play the 150-Attack (Be3, Qd2, h4 – h5) or quick f4 to launch a kingside pawn-storm.
Historical notes
The opening gained prominence in the 1950s through Austrian IM Karl Robatsch, whose flexible handling of the fianchetto inspired the name “Robatsch Defense.” Top-level practitioners have included Bent Larsen, Tiger Hillarp Persson and, in recent years, Richard Rapport.
Illustrative game
Larsen – Uhlmann, Havana 1965, is a model example of White’s 150-Attack meeting a resilient Modern set-up.
Interesting snippets
- Because it can be played against virtually any first move, some club players use the Modern as a universal weapon to avoid opening theory overload.
- The defence epitomises the “New Ideas” revolution of the 20th century: occupy the centre with pieces, undermine with pawns later—hence the name Modern.
Sicilian: Modern Variation, 6.Be3 Nf6
Definition
The move-sequence 6.Be3 Nf6 refers to a branch of the Sicilian Defence (ECO B50–B52) in which Black develops the king’s-knight only after an early …e6, avoiding both the Najdorf (…a6) and the Classical (…Nc6 with …d6) set-ups. A representative move order is:
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be3 Nf6
Here White’s bishop on e3 eyes the sensitive d4-square and prepares the English-Attack structure (f3, Qd2, O-O-O), while Black adopts a flexible scheme aiming for …Be7, …O-O and the central breaks …d5 or …e5.
Strategic features
- Delayed …Nf6: By postponing …Nf6 until move 6, Black keeps the option of …Nge7 in some lines and avoids early e4–e5 kicks by White.
- Colour-complex battle: White’s light-squared bishop and Black’s dark-squared bishop often determine the course of middlegame plans (f2–f4 vs …d6–d5).
- Flexible centre: Black has not committed the queen’s-knight pawn to …a6, so …b5 is still possible or Black can strike centrally with …d5 in one move if circumstances permit.
Main continuations after 6…Nf6
- 7. Be2 – Quiet development, transposing to Scheveningen-type structures.
- 7. f3 – Beginning of the English-Attack plan (Qd2, O-O-O, g4), often met by 7…Be7 8.Qd2 O-O 9.O-O-O d5!.
- 7. g4!? – The Keres-style pawn-storm, immediately questioning Black’s knight.
Historical & theoretical pointers
- This line first gained theoretical weight in the 1980s when players sought alternatives to the heavily-analysed Najdorf.
- In the early 2000s, Vishy Anand, Peter Leko and Alexei Shirov used this set-up as Black to sidestep Yugoslav-type analyses.
Notable game excerpt
Shirov – Anand, Wijk aan Zee 2003, illustrates Black’s dynamic …e5 break undermining White’s central presence.
Curiosities
- Because neither side has “nailed down” their pawn storms yet, the position after 6…Nf6 is one of the most transpositional in the entire Sicilian complex; it can morph into a Scheveningen, Paulsen, Taimanov or even Najdorf structure depending on the next few moves.
- Modern computer engines show that the immediate 7.g4 may be objectively sound, reviving an idea that was considered too risky during the pre-engine era.