B22

Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Smith-Morra Declined

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Statistics from Lichess

2,172,905 games: White 46.2% / Draw 6.4% / Black 47.4%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
	1,338,8291.3M
	539,342539K
	151,896152K
	112,653113K
	25,33925K
	1,9441,944
	945945
	536536

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 8, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.05 The position is about equal

Best play: 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. cxd4 d6 7. Bc4 Nb6 8. Bb5 dxe5 9. Nxe5 Bd7

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 53% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

Players	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400	26K
1400–1799	338K
1800–2199	1.3M
2200 and up	595K
Masters, over the board	9,752

Master games

Aronian, L. – Dominguez Perez, L. ½–½, 2022
Mamedyarov, S. – Giri, A. 0–1, 2020
Nakamura, H. – Vachier Lagrave, M. 1–0, 2023
Alekseev, E. – Grischuk, A. ½–½, 2014
Kamsky, G. – Grischuk, A. ½–½, 2008

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 26, 2026

Overview

Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Smith-Morra Declined (ECO B22, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. d4 cxd4 (4 moves).

In 2,172,905 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.2%, Black 47.4% and 6.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. cxd4, in 62% of those games.

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Description

How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Smith-Morra Declined

5. Nf3 scores best for White: 52.5%, with White winning 48.8% and Black 43.8% of 539K games. The most played answer, 5. cxd4, scores lowest: 47.8% in 1.3M games. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. Nf3.

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, Smith-Morra Declined has gained ground since 2016: 0.098% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.071%.

0.071%0.098%

Numbers by year

Year	Share of games	Games
2016	0.071%	25,485
2017	0.077%	42,169
2018	0.082%	64,149
2019	0.075%	93,250
2020	0.077%	224,506
2021	0.07%	275,773
2022	0.077%	290,963
2023	0.087%	329,025
2024	0.093%	333,740
2025	0.098%	340,438
2026 (Jan–Apr)	0.1%	113,490

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, Smith-Morra Declined (B22)”. Lichess data as of 8 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-alapin-variation-smith-morra-declined