Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian d3 – Your Guide as Black

With 3...g6, you signal a Kingside Fianchetto. Your dark-squared bishop will go to g7, where it eyes the long diagonal and pressures White's centre. This setup is flexible: you can follow up with ...Bg7, ...Nf6, and ...O-O, leaving White to decide how to develop. The engine evaluates the position at -0.16 — dead level for all practical purposes — so you have nothing to fear. You're not worse; you're simply in a fight where solid development and a good plan matter more than memorising sharp tactics. The drill below lets you practise this exact position from Black's side against an adapting engine, so you can build confidence before taking it to real games.

Stockfish's top recommendation here is 4.g3, continuing with Bg2 and Nf6 — essentially a King's Indian Attack setup for White. In practice this is less common (53,660 games) but scores 47.1% for White, the second-highest White score among the main moves. If White plays g3, you should continue ...Bg7, ...Nf6, and aim to complete development. Your pawn structure remains solid, and the position stays balanced. The engine sees no advantage for White, so trust your setup and play natural developing moves.

The statistics from a massive database of amateur and club-level games reveal a clear picture: Black scores 51.5% here, against 44.3% for White and only 4.1% draws. That's an excellent practical result for Black — better than many sharper Sicilian lines. The most common White replies are: - Be2 (125,390 games, White scores 45.7%) — a natural developing move. - Nc3 (87,003 games, White scores 42.4%) — aggressive but Black has done very well against it. - g3 (53,660 games, White scores 47.1%) — the engine's first choice but not dangerous. - Be3 (43,674 games, White scores 43.5%) — developing with a pin idea. - c3 (28,917 games, White scores 46.1%) — solid but passive. - Nbd2 (13,139 games, White scores 47.7%) — a flexible alternative. Notice that White's score never exceeds 47.7% against your setup. You are the one with the better practical odds.

Against 4.Be2 (the most frequent choice), simply continue your plan: ...Bg7, ...Nf6, and castle. White's bishop on e2 is modest and doesn't pressure you. Black scores a strong 54.3% after Be2 — that's your best-scoring scenario among the main lines. Against 4.Nc3, Black again scores well (57.6% for Black). White may try to play d4 later, but your pawn on c5 and bishop on g7 give you good counterplay. Just develop naturally: ...Bg7, ...Nf6, ...O-O. Against 4.g3, continue with ...Bg7 and ...Nf6. If White plays Bg2, your bishop on g7 is a mirror image — the game becomes a patient positional struggle where neither side has an edge. In all cases, stick to your setup. Don't rush. The engine and the stats agree: Black is doing just fine.