Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Anti-Alapin Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
198,064 games: White 46.4% / Draw 6.4% / Black 47.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 99,17399K | ||
| 41,49041K | ||
| 29,23329K | ||
| 13,07313K | ||
| 8,1578,157 | ||
| 3,2233,223 | ||
| 1,0611,061 | ||
| 907907 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.40 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. Bb5+ Nbd7 5. d4 a6 6. Be2 Nxd5 7. Nf3 cxd4 8. O-O N5f6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 49% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 52% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 3,213 | |
| 1400–1799 | 30K | |
| 1800–2199 | 124K | |
| 2200 and up | 52K | |
| Masters, over the board | 352 |
Master games
- Grandelius, N. – Carlsen, M.
- Mamedov, R. – Saric, I.
- Howell, D. – Brkic, A.
- Naroditsky, D. – Narayanan, S.
- Aravindh, C. V. – Yuffa, D.
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: Alapin Variation, Anti-Alapin Gambit (ECO B22, Semi-Open Games) is a gambit in the Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Nf6 (3 moves).
In 198,064 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.4%, Black 47.2% and 6.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. d4, in 50% of those games.
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: Alapin Variation, Anti-Alapin Gambit
4. Bb5+ scores best for White: 53.9%, with White winning 50.4% and Black 42.6% of 13K games. The most played, 4. d4, scores 50.1% in 99K games, and 4. c4 scores lowest: 46.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. Bb5+.
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
Popularity by year
The Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Anti-Alapin Gambit is played more than twice as often as in 2016: 0.011% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0051%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0051% | 1,834 |
| 2017 | 0.0065% | 3,592 |
| 2018 | 0.0071% | 5,594 |
| 2019 | 0.0057% | 7,160 |
| 2020 | 0.0052% | 15,363 |
| 2021 | 0.0051% | 19,813 |
| 2022 | 0.0058% | 21,664 |
| 2023 | 0.0084% | 31,436 |
| 2024 | 0.0097% | 34,918 |
| 2025 | 0.011% | 39,123 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.012% | 13,280 |
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. “Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Anti-Alapin Gambit (B22)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-alapin-variation-anti-alapin-gambit