Sicilian Defense: Boleslavsky Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
166,132 games: White 44.5% / Draw 6.6% / Black 48.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Sicilian Defense: Boleslavsky Variation | 94,32294K | |
| 27,15027K | ||
| 22,06322K | ||
| Sicilian Defense: Boleslavsky Variation, Louma Variation | 17,72218K | |
| 4,2604,260 | ||
| 271271 | ||
| 219219 | ||
| 2222 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.19 The position is about equal
Best play: 7. Nf3 h6 8. O-O Be7 9. Re1 O-O 10. Bc4 a6 11. Nd5 Nxd5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Sicilian Defense: Boleslavsky Variation (ECO B58, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Classical Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be2 e5 (6 moves).
In 166,132 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.5%, Black 48.8% and 6.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Nb3, in 57% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Boleslavsky Variation
7. Nf3 scores best for White: 49.4%, with White winning 45.7% and Black 46.8% of 27K games. The most played, 7. Nb3, scores 47.7% in 94K games, and 7. Nxc6 scores lowest: 46.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7. 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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Boleslavsky Variation (B58)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-boleslavsky-variation