Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Maróczy Bind, Breyer Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
144,703 games: White 44.0% / Draw 9.2% / Black 46.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 107,913108K | ||
| 33,55534K | ||
| 1,9631,963 | ||
| 321321 | ||
| 262262 | ||
| 172172 | ||
| 142142 | ||
| 5757 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 7, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.61 White is slightly better
Best play: 8. Qxg4 Nxd4 9. Qd1 Ne6 10. Rc1 b6 11. b4 Bxc3+ 12. Rxc3 a5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Maróczy Bind, Breyer Variation (ECO B39, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Maróczy Bind, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nc3 Ng4 (7 moves).
In 144,703 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.0%, Black 46.8% and 9.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. Qxg4, in 75% of those games.
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How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Maróczy Bind, Breyer Variation
The most played answer, 8. Qxg4, also scores best for White: 52.5%, with White winning 48.3% and Black 43.2% of 108K games. Of the main answers, 8. Nxc6 scores lowest: 37.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 8. Qxg4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Maróczy Bind, Breyer Variation (B39)”. Lichess data as of 7 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-accelerated-dragon-maroczy-bind-breyer-variation