Caissa Codex
B58

Sicilian Defense: Boleslavsky Variation, Louma Variation

Chess diagram: Sicilian Defense: Boleslavsky Variation, Louma Variation after 7. Nxc6

Type a move and press Enter: e4, Nf3, O-O, or from and to squares like g1f3 (e7e8q to promote). The board is also played with the mouse.

Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.

Statistics from Lichess

17,747 games: White 43.3% / Draw 6.3% / Black 50.4%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
17,69318K
2828
1212
99
33
11
11

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.10 The position is about equal

Best play: 7... bxc6 8. O-O Be7 9. f4 O-O 10. Kh1 Nd7 11. Be3 exf4 12. Bxf4

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

Sicilian Defense: Boleslavsky Variation, Louma Variation (ECO B58, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Open, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nxc6 (7 moves).

In 17,747 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 43.3%, Black 50.4% and 6.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…bxc6, in 100% 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
What would you like to send?

Markdown supported (headings ###, bold, lists, links). Submissions are reviewed before publishing.

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nxc6, the position after Sicilian Defense: Open also goes on to:

Transpositions

This position is also reached from these lines, by another move order:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Boleslavsky Variation, Louma Variation (B58)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-boleslavsky-variation-louma-variation

https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-boleslavsky-variation-louma-variation