Fianchetto Variation, Yugoslav Variation

The Yugoslav Variation (ECO E65) arises when Black meets the Fianchetto Variation with 6...c5 and White replies 7. Nc3. Rather than preparing ...e5, Black challenges d4 with the c-pawn, as in the Benoni, so that the g7-bishop gains force along the long diagonal. White's g2-bishop exerts similar pressure on the queenside, and the play tends to revolve around the two long diagonals and the files that open in the center. Engines consider the position roughly balanced, with 7...Na6 also among their suggestions.

Black's two main replies account for almost all games. The most frequent, 7...cxd4, releases the tension immediately and opens the c-file, leaving White with the c4-pawn as a spatial asset; White scores somewhat better after it. 7...Nc6 keeps the tension, and results there are close to even. White then chooses between two named lines. In the Advance Line, 8. d5, White gains space and drives the knight away, producing a Benoni-type structure in which Black looks for counterplay on the queenside. The Exchange Line, 8. dxc5 dxc5, leads to a symmetrical pawn structure with an open d-file and fewer imbalances. 7...Nbd7 is a rare alternative.