3 Check Opening Ideas For Black In the French Sicilian: Part 6 (4. Be2)

 Plans and ideas:

• Play Nd4 to threaten Nxf3+. If your opponent takes on d4 then they will no longer have a Knight on f3 defending h4, g5 and h2. These squares can then be targeted by your Queen. 
• Play d3 as a pawn sacrifice to disrupt White's development and to clear the g1-a7 diagonal for your Bishop.
• Look for opportunities to sacrifice your Queen on h2.
• Very often White will make a weakening pawn move in front of their King such as h3 or g3 and when this happens you can try to target these weaknesses with your Kingside pawns and pry open lines of attack.

Where to put your pieces?

• The Queenside Knight goes to d4.
• The dark squared Bishop usually goes to c5 but sometimes goes to d6.
• The Queen usually goes to h4 but should go to c7 instead if White's Bishop is still on e2.
• The Kingside Knight usually goes to f6 but can sometimes go to e7 or h6 as well.
• The light squared Bishop goes on the long diagonal (b7 or c6).
•  The Kingside Rook is often used on the h-file. If not then it should just go where it's useful.
• The Queenside Rook is sometimes used on the c-file.
• The King often stays in the center but can castle Kingside or Queenside if needed.