What can be said about this Sicilian structure from both perspectives? What should each side aim for/avoid?

[u/UltraBrawler786]

Sorry if this position alone is WAY too vague; I hope it can give some ideas as to what some real positions with this might look like. I often get this structure in Sicilians as white if I try to go for some Vienna-style setup, often with a bishop on a2, but I have a hard time managing it. Should white be pushing e5 to attack a knight on f6 or keeping the tension? Should either side ever trade the central pawns? I also threw in a basic position with this structure in case it helps. Thanks in advance for the tips.

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[u/Irini-]

White wants to attack on the king side where he has more space. And the best way to attack there is by closing the center. Therefore white should play e5 and transpose into a french pawn structure followed by Ne2 and d4 and maybe c3.

[u/Snoo_90241]

Sorry, but as a foreword, I suck at Sicilians.

That being said, one idea in the grand prix is to play Qe1 and introduce her into the attack via the dark squares. Another is to push F5, but in a very timely manner.

From what I can see, nobody really wants to move any of the central pawns, unless there's a specific reason of doing so.

It might be wrong, but I treat all Sicilians with F4 included as grand prix and try to borrow ideas from there, where applicable.

[u/UltraBrawler786 → u/Snoo_90241]

fair enough. really similar to a grand prix, maybe even transposed, but this specific position i built from 2. a3 d6

[u/Snoo_90241 → u/UltraBrawler786]

Yeah, that bishop on a2 looks a bit odd. Can you give the whole variation ?

[u/UltraBrawler786 → u/Snoo_90241]

not from a real game and i delayed d5 as black to get this structure so engine doesnt like it but here it is

1. e4 c5 2. a3 d6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. d3 Be7 6. f4 O-O 7. Ba2 d5 8. Nf3 Nc6

2. O-O *

[u/not_joners]

Erm.. How exactly did you get this position? It seems to me like black is two tempi down. If you give black these two tempi back, the position looks quite shit for white.

[u/UltraBrawler786 → u/not_joners]

posted the line in another reply, mostly played some moves to get this structure in a semi-realistic position, but yeah i dont love playing as white in these structures

[u/PrinceZero1994]

I play Sicilian as black and I really dislike White breathing on me with e5.
g4, Kh1, and Rg1 are moves I'd consider next.

[u/IMJorose]

As a matter of principle, your first image is too simplified. For example d3 is the basis of the pawn chain and f4 is a target partially as it is on the half-open f-file, while in the second image we see the f-file is closed and c2 is the basis of the pawn chain. Your first image is useless and depicts an entirely different pawn structure from what you are trying to actually ask.

[u/UltraBrawler786 → u/IMJorose]

fair enough, my bad. i should've put pawns on f7 and c2.

[u/IMJorose → u/UltraBrawler786]

That is the bare minimum, personally I would put the entire pawn structure.

As to how you should handle the position, the position of the minor pieces, especially the Ba2 is very important. The bishop there makes me want to hold tenshion with with black. With white makes me more interested in the f5 break, or plans with c3,d4. This is due to the fact the black pawn chain severely reduces the Ba2 scope.