Sicilian Accelerated Fianchetto: Modern (6.Be3)

Sicilian Defence – Accelerated Fianchetto

Definition

The Accelerated Fianchetto is a branch of the Sicilian Defence in which Black quickly develops the king’s-side bishop to g7 without first playing …d6. A representative move order is:

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7.

How it is used in play

• Black adopts a hyper-modern posture, attacking the centre from afar with …Bg7 and aiming for the liberating pawn break …d5 in one move (saving a tempo compared with the traditional Dragon, which must first play …d6).
• White decides between two main set-ups:
  • The Maróczy Bind (5. c4), clamping down on …d5.
  • The Open Sicilian paths beginning with 5. Nc3, allowing sharp tactical battles.

Strategic & historical notes

The idea of an early …g6 without …d6 appeared sporadically in the 19th century, but it did not become fully systematised until the 1950-60s. Grandmasters such as Bent Larsen and later Alexei Dreev and Peter Heine Nielsen made it a mainstay of elite practice. Modern engines confirm its soundness: against perfect play the line is considered roughly equal, yet it retains plenty of dynamic potential.

• Black’s king is often the safest of all Sicilians: the g7-bishop helps defend the dark squares and restrain White’s attacking chances.
• Because Black never blocks the c8-bishop with …d6, that piece may emerge actively via …Qb6 and …Bxd4 or …Bb7.

Illustrative miniature

The short game Karpov – Csom, Madrid 1973, began 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Bg7 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be3 Nf6?! 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. e5! and Black’s king side collapsed in only 25 moves.

Did you know?

World Champion Magnus Carlsen has used the Accelerated Fianchetto as a surprise weapon in rapid & blitz formats, trusting the structure’s solidity and the practical chances arising from an unbalanced pawn majority (c-pawn vs. e-pawn).

Modern Variation of the Accelerated Fianchetto

Definition

After 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7, the move 6. Be3 introduces the so-called Modern Variation. ECO codes B35-B39 cover its sub-lines.

Key ideas for each side

• White
  • Plays Qd2, 0-0-0 and h2-h4-h5 in “Yugoslav-style” attacks.
  • Maintains flexibility: the c-pawn can still go to c4 (transposing to a Maróczy Bind) or c3 (aiming for a solid centre).
• Black
  • Continues …Nf6, …0-0 and often …d7-d5 in one stroke.
  • If White castles long, Black counter-strikes on the queen side with …Qa5, …Rb8 and …b5.

Historical significance

The “Modern” label distinguished this scheme from older plans with Bc4 or Be2. The line gained popularity in the 1980s after several spectacular victories by Garry Kasparov, who demonstrated that quick pawn storms could succeed even without Black’s traditional Dragon pawn on d6.

Example position

Visualise a typical Modern Variation middlegame: White’s pieces point menacingly toward h6 and f7, while Black’s bishop on g7 slices through the long diagonal.

Fun fact

Computers initially disliked Black’s prospects here because the engines of the 1990s over-valued space; modern neural-network engines judge the line close to equality, highlighting the dynamic resources of Black’s pawn break …d5.

Line 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.e5 Ng8

Definition & move order

In the Modern Variation, Black often answers 6. Be3 with the natural 6…Nf6. White can then force structural concessions: 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. e5, pushing the knight back to the rather counter-intuitive square g8. The resulting position is the focus of ECO code B38.

Strategic themes

1. Pawn structure – Black accepts doubled c-pawns but gains the open b-file and the semi-open g-file after …Bg7.
2. Piece placement – The retreat …Ng8 looks ugly, yet the knight often reroutes to h6-f5 or e7-f5, challenging White’s centre.
3. Central tension – White enjoys a space edge with e5 and sometimes f4–f5; Black strives for the freeing break …d6 followed by …d5 or the immediate …Qa5 putting pressure on e5.

Typical continuation

9. Bd4 Nh6 10. Qd2 Nf5 11. O-O-O Nxd4 12. Qxd4 Qc7 with a dynamically balanced middlegame.

Famous encounters

• Vallejo-Pons vs. Radjabov, Wijk aan Zee 2007 – Black’s knights leapt from g8 to f5 and d4, eventually dominating the dark squares and securing a half-point in a tense 64-move draw.
• Caruana vs. Mamedyarov, London 2019 – A model counter-attack in which Black used the b-file and the g7-bishop to whip up threats against White’s castled queen side.

Example PGN viewer

Interesting tidbits

• The knight retreat to g8 violates the classical principle “a piece developed should not return to its home square,” yet in engine matches Black scores a healthy 48–50 %.
• Some analysts have nicknamed the manoeuvre the “boomerang knight” because it flies out, gets kicked back, and then returns stronger after …h6 or …f6.