Sicilian Defense, Sozin Attack

The defining feature of the Sozin Attack is Bc4. From c4, the bishop points at f7, a pawn initially defended only by Black's king. This does not create an immediate mating threat, but it forces Black to keep checking possible sacrifices, knight jumps, and line-opening ideas against that square.

White commonly brings the remaining pieces into play with Be3, Qe2 or Qf3, and f4, then chooses one of the two castling sides. The king's destination depends on Black's pawn arrangement. Queenside castling places White's king on c1 and supports a pawn attack against the side where Black's king usually stands, while kingside castling places the king on g1, reduces some risks, and can lead to a struggle focused more on d4, e4, d5, and e5.

Black usually responds with ...e6, ...Be7, and kingside castling, then seeks counterplay, meaning threats of Black's own, through ...d5, ...b5, or pressure on the center. The bishop on c4 is active, but an attack on it may force it to move again and let Black improve a piece at the same time. Its value therefore depends on whether it helps create threats before Black drives it away.

The name Sozin covers a family of positions with the bishop on c4 rather than one rigid sequence. The Velimirović Attack is a particularly aggressive continuation that adds Be3 and Qe2, usually with queenside castling in mind.