Key ideas
- The Yugoslav Attack, 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 O-O 8.Qd2 Nc6, is the critical test. White castles long and plays Bh6 and h4-h5 to swap off the g7 bishop and open the h-file, while Black races on the queenside.
- Inside the Yugoslav, 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.O-O-O is the classic main road; the bishop eyes f7 and Black hits it with ...Ne5-c4 or ...Rc8. 9.O-O-O at once allows 9...d5, a pawn offer that opens lines for Black's pieces, and 9.g4 is a third option.
- The Classical (6.Be2 with short castling) and the Fianchetto (6.g3) are more positional; Black castles, plays ...Nc6 and ...Be6 and is usually comfortable. The Levenfish, 6.f4, aims for an early e5 and is best met by 6...Nbd7, which covers that square.
- The g7 bishop is Black's most important piece, so White's Be3-h6 is a central aim. Black's typical attacking tools are the half-open c-file, a knight on c4 that hits the queen on d2 and bishop on e3, the pawn push ...b5 or ...a5-a4, and the exchange sacrifice ...Rxc3.
Plans for White
In the Yugoslav, the plan is easy to state: Bh6 to trade the bishop, h4-h5 to open the h-file, and Qh6 with mating threats on h7 once Black's defenders are gone. Speed matters more than material.
Plans for Black
Do not defend passively. Use the c-file, put a knight on c4, push the queenside pawns, and give up the exchange on c3 when it breaks open White's king. Keep the knight on f6, the main defender of h7.
Watch out
After 6.Be3, the active 6...Ng4? fails to 7.Bb5+. Black loses material in every line; after 7...Bd7 8.Qxg4 Bxb5 9.Ndxb5 White is a piece up.
For the wider picture, see the Sicilian Defense guide.