Grand Prix Attack

Strategic Summary & Main Idea

The Grand Prix Attack meets the Sicilian with 2.Nc3 and 3.f4: White gives up opening the centre with d4 and prepares f5 and a direct attack on Black's king, with the bishop on c4 or b5 and the queen heading to e1 and h4. The measurement is unfavourable from move three: −0.16 after 3.f4, the same number as the Sicilian entry, and the 2.f4 move order measures −0.01. What the entry shows is where the attack holds and where it collapses. The bishop on b5 against ...Nd4 keeps near equality (−0.03); the 6.f5 push, the typical plan, costs four tenths; and in the most natural follow-up to the sacrifice, 8.Bb5 takes the position to −2.31.

The pawn structure this opening produces

The Grand Prix builds an attacking structure, not a central one. With pawns on e4 and f4 and the d-pawn still on d2 or d3, White does not contest d4 with pawns: the plan is the f5 push, which opens the f-file for the rook and hits Black's g6 or e6 pawn. Black answers with the Closed Sicilian structure — ...g6, ...Bg7, ...e6 and ...Nge7 — in which the g7 bishop aims at the centre and the e7 knight controls f5 and d5. Black's break is ...d5, which attacks e4 and exploits the fact that White's d-pawn does not support the centre. When White plays f5 early and Black captures, the f-file opens, but the e4 pawn is left alone and the c4 bishop is exposed to the ...d5 push; that is the sequence in which the attack turns most against White. With the bishop on b5 instead of c4, White trades the c6 knight after ...Nd4 and plays a more stable position, with d3 and castling.

Main Variations of the Grand Prix Attack

Evaluations measured by us with Stockfish 19, depth 22, on 15/09/2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Grand Prix Attack good against the Sicilian?

Not by the measurement: −0.16 after 3.f4, with Black slightly better from move three. The Grand Prix works as a practical weapon, because the kingside attack demands accurate defence, but it gives no advantage. The g3 version, recorded in the Closed Sicilian entry, measures −0.80.

What is the best way to play the Grand Prix as White?

With 5.Bb5 against Black's fianchetto, which measures −0.03 after 5...Nd4 6.O-O Nxb5 7.Nxb5 d6 8.d3. The bishop on c4 with the f5 push measures −0.10 in its best version and collapses to −2.31 if White brings the bishop to b5 at the wrong moment.

Why does the f5 push cost so much?

Because it opens the position before White is ready. After 5.Bc4 e6 6.f5, the position measures −0.78, against −0.35 before the move: the e4 pawn loses support, the c4 bishop is exposed to ...d5 and Black gains the g-file or the centre, depending on the capture. The push pays when it comes after castling and d3.

Guides on this opening

• The Sicilian Defense for intermediate players: strategic plans and the tactics that decide games
• The Four Knights Sicilian: the main line, the check that fails and the test the engine prefers

Common Mistakes & Where Most Amateurs Go Wrong

• 01 Bringing the bishop to b5 with 8.Bb5?? after 5.Bc4 e6 6.f5 exf5 7.exf5 d5. The bishop abandons the defence of f5 and the pawn falls to 8...Bxf5, with Black better developed and White's king exposed: the position goes from −0.34 to −2.31. The line: 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bc4 e6 6.f5 exf5 7.exf5 d5 8.Bb5 −2.31
• 02 Pushing 7.e5? after 5.Bc4 e6 6.O-O Nge7. The pawn advances without d4's support, and 7...d6 hits the chain at its base, with the g7 bishop aiming at e5: −0.71, against −0.34 before the move. The line: 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bc4 e6 6.O-O Nge7 7.e5 d6 −0.71
• 03 Breaking with 3...d5? before developing. The centre opens with Black's king still on e8 and White takes on d5 with tempo: +0.84. The line: 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 d5 +0.84