Sicilian Defence — Closed
B25 · Played as white · Beginner · Sicilian
Refuse to open the centre and just attack on the kingside instead
The main line
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 Nf6 7.Nf3 O-O 8.O-O Rb8 9.h3 b5
Strategic ideas
- Keep the centre closed so Black's half-open c-file never gets a target
- Play the same setup against almost anything Black tries — Nc3, g3, Bg2, d3, f4
- Build the f4–f5 kingside advance while Black expands on the other wing
- Reroute the knight via e2 to g3 or f3 to add weight to the kingside
- Race Black's queenside play — whoever's attack lands first usually wins
Key themes
- Attack — White's entire plan is a kingside pawn storm with f4–f5 and pieces following behind
- Flexible — The setup is a system: White can play the same first six moves against most Black arrangements
- Space — The e4/f4 duo and the fianchettoed bishop stake out the kingside before the fight begins
Typical plans
White declines to trade on d4 at all, keeping the centre locked and turning the game into a race of wing attacks. Black plays down the queenside with …b5–b4 and pressure on c3; White plays f4–f5 and pushes pieces toward the black king. Because it's a system rather than a theoretical duel, White can learn one setup and use it forever — the understanding of the plan matters far more than the move order. The downside is that Black's counterplay is real and arrives quickly.
Move by move
- e4 — White claims the centre and opens lines for rapid development.
- c5 — Black answers asymmetrically, fighting for the centre without mirroring White.
- Nc3 — White develops and quietly declines the Open Sicilian — no d4 is coming, so Black's c-file will never hit a knight on c3 with tempo the way it does in the Open.
- Nc6 — Black develops naturally, controlling d4.
- g3 — White prepares the fianchetto, the backbone of the Closed setup.
- g6 — Black mirrors on the other side, heading for the same strong diagonal.
- Bg2 — White completes the fianchetto, aiming the bishop at the queenside.
- Bg7 — Black does the same, pointing the bishop at White's queenside.
- d3 — White supports e4 modestly, keeping the centre closed by choice.
- d6 — Black supports …e5 ideas and opens the c8-bishop's diagonal.
- f4 — White grabs kingside space and starts the plan: the f4–f5 advance is the whole point of the opening.
- Nf6 — Black develops and eyes the e4-pawn.
- Nf3 — White develops the last kingside piece, supporting the coming pawn storm.
- O-O — Black castles into what will shortly become the firing line.
- O-O — White castles too, connecting the rooks before committing to the attack.
- Rb8 — Black clears the b-file for the rook, preparing the queenside expansion.
- h3 — White takes g4 away from Black's pieces and prepares g4 in some lines.
- b5 — Black launches the queenside counterplay. Both sides now attack on opposite wings — the race is on, and it usually comes down to who gets there a move faster.