King's Indian Attack: Sicilian Variation 7…O-O 8. Re1
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Statistics from Lichess
302,395 games: White 52.7% / Draw 5.6% / Black 41.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 72,63773K | ||
| 54,84955K | ||
| 45,42245K | ||
| 32,43032K | ||
| 26,17126K | ||
| 20,55121K | ||
| 11,62312K | ||
| 10,90711K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 9, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 8... b5 9. e5 Nd7 10. Nf1 a5 11. h4 a4 12. a3 b4 13. N1h2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 55% under 1400, 56% at 2200 and up and 59% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2,647 | |
| 1400–1799 | 29K | |
| 1800–2199 | 164K | |
| 2200 and up | 116K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,081 |
Master games
- Giri, A. – So, W.
- Giri, A. – So, W.
- Giri, A. – Nakamura, H.
- Topalov, V. – Caruana, F.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – So, W.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
King's Indian Attack: Sicilian Variation (ECO A08, Flank Openings) is a chess opening that starts 1. e4 e6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. Ngf3 c5 5. g3 Nc6 6. Bg2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Re1.
In 302,395 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.7%, Black 41.7% and 5.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…b5, in 24% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 8. Re1
8…Qc7 scores best for Black: 47.4%, with Black winning 44.7% and White 49.8% of 32K games. The most played, 8…b5, scores 47.3% in 73K games, and 8…Re8 scores lowest: 42.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 8…b5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
This line peaked in 2018 at 0.017% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.011% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0098% | 3,503 |
| 2017 | 0.013% | 7,379 |
| 2018 | 0.017% | 13,108 |
| 2019 | 0.014% | 17,183 |
| 2020 | 0.015% | 42,702 |
| 2021 | 0.011% | 43,713 |
| 2022 | 0.011% | 40,747 |
| 2023 | 0.011% | 39,909 |
| 2024 | 0.011% | 37,835 |
| 2025 | 0.011% | 38,789 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.012% | 12,961 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Indian Attack: Sicilian Variation (A08)”. Lichess data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-attack-sicilian-variation-4