Open

With 3. d4 White opens the center at once and offers the d-pawn for exchange. It is the 2...Nc6 form of the Open Sicilian, classified as ECO B32. Black is under some pressure to respond at once. If White is allowed to push d4-d5, the pawn gains space and drives the c6-knight from its natural post, so Black usually trades the c-pawn immediately.

The capture 3...cxd4 is played in over nine games out of ten. The alternatives score noticeably worse for Black. 3...e6, the Franco-Sicilian Variation, adds control of d5 but does not actually prevent the advance. 3...d6 is rarer still. 3...Nxd4 is legal but dubious, because 4. Nxd4 cxd4 5. Qxd4 centralizes White's queen and makes White's attacking task easier.

After 3...cxd4 4. Nxd4 the usual Open Sicilian balance appears. White has free lines for every piece, while Black has two central pawns against one. Developing the queen's knight before committing the d- or e-pawn keeps several systems open. 4...e5 is the Löwenthal, which gains time against the d4-knight at the cost of a hole on d5.

4...e6 is the Taimanov Variation, which can also arise from 2...e6. Black keeps the piece setup flexible and hopes to put the dark-squared bishop on b4 or c5. White can rule this out with 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4, a Maróczy Bind structure Karpov favored. After 6...Nf6 7. N1c3 a6 8. Na3 b6 it becomes a Hedgehog. The more common modern choice is 5. Nc3. Then 5...d6 usually transposes to the Scheveningen and 5...Nf6 gives the Four Knights Variation, while 5...Qc7 and 5...a6 keep the play independent.

Black can also fianchetto the king's bishop, entering the Accelerated Dragon. There White's c2-c4, setting up the Maróczy Bind, is often regarded as the most testing approach.

The position is among the more frequently reached named openings in online play. Results are close to even, with a very low share of draws. The engine judges the position roughly balanced, and its top moves all lead into the main 3...cxd4 complex. Play in most branches is heavily theoretical and tactical, and a misstep in the move order is often punished.