Maróczy bind
A pawn structure with White pawns on c4 and e4, restraining Black's central pawn breaks for the long term.
The Maróczy bind is one of the most enduring positional formations in chess. Named after the Hungarian master Géza Maróczy, the structure features White pawns on c4 and e4 — together they control d5 and prevent Black from ever playing …d5 as a freeing break. The bind takes its name precisely from this restraint: Black is bound, unable to free the position without major piece sacrifices.
The bind arises most often in the Accelerated Dragon and certain Sicilian Defense systems where Black has played …g6 without a corresponding …e5. White responds with c4 and Nc3, locking the structure. Black’s typical counterplay is on the queenside with …a6 and …b5, or on the kingside with the bishop on g7 and timing of …d5 as a tactical break.
Maróczy structures are slow positional games. White’s plan is restraint and patient improvement of pieces; Black’s plan is to find one of the few permitted breaks. Players who like restrictive positions love the Maróczy; players who prefer dynamic Sicilians avoid the move orders that allow it.
The Maróczy is the chess world’s most famous example of a bind — a structural pattern that limits the opponent’s plans for many moves at a time. Other binds exist (the English Botvinnik setup, the Hedgehog reversed), but the Maróczy remains the canonical example.