Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Modern Bc4 Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
1,320,317 games: White 47.3% / Draw 6.0% / Black 46.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 953,674954K | ||
| 194,554195K | ||
| Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Modern Bc4 Variation | 85,38785K | |
| 22,70323K | ||
| 15,40115K | ||
| 12,73013K | ||
| 10,17210K | ||
| 8,1778,177 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.27 The position is about equal
Best play: 7... O-O 8. Bb3 d5 9. exd5 Na5 10. Qf3 Nxb3 11. axb3 Bg4 12. Qg3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the better this line does for White: White scores 48% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 56% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 24K | |
| 1400–1799 | 257K | |
| 1800–2199 | 790K | |
| 2200 and up | 342K | |
| Masters, over the board | 7,369 |
Master games
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Morozevich, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Kasparov, G.
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
Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Modern Bc4 Variation (ECO B35, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Modern Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4 (7 moves).
In 1,320,317 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.3%, Black 46.7% and 6.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…O-O, in 72% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Modern Bc4 Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Modern Bc4 Variation
7…Qa5 scores best for Black: 52.3%, with Black winning 49.1% and White 44.4% of 195K games. The most played, 7…O-O, scores 49.8% in 954K games, and 7…d6 scores lowest: 47.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 7…O-O.
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
The Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Modern Bc4 Variation peaked in 2020 at 0.069% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.044% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.047% | 16,887 |
| 2017 | 0.058% | 31,697 |
| 2018 | 0.069% | 53,899 |
| 2019 | 0.064% | 80,237 |
| 2020 | 0.069% | 203,461 |
| 2021 | 0.055% | 213,936 |
| 2022 | 0.046% | 173,796 |
| 2023 | 0.044% | 165,134 |
| 2024 | 0.044% | 157,372 |
| 2025 | 0.044% | 154,102 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.046% | 50,608 |
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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Modern Bc4 Variation (B35)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-accelerated-dragon-modern-bc4-variation