Closed, Botvinnik Defense, with Nge2

This line of the Closed Sicilian pairs White's kingside fianchetto and the knight on e2, which leaves the f-pawn free to advance, with Black's Botvinnik setup after 6...e5. The pawns on c5, d6 and e5 clamp the d4-square and give Black a firm hold on the dark squares. The most common reply is 7. O-O, ahead of 7. Be3 and 7. h3, while engines also rate 7. Nd5 highly. The position is roughly balanced, and Black scores slightly better in Lichess games.