Sicilian Defense: Closed 2. Nc3 e6
Also known as Closed Sicilian
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Statistics from Lichess
7,391,008 games: White 48.2% / Draw 4.8% / Black 47.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,060,2012.1M | ||
| 1,961,7562M | ||
| 1,230,5721.2M | ||
| 817,787818K | ||
| 403,032403K | ||
| 297,009297K | ||
| 284,719285K | ||
| 83,07983K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.35 White is slightly better
Best play: 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Be2 b5
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 worse this line does for Black: Black scores 52% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 50% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.2M | |
| 1400–1799 | 3.3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 4.4M | |
| 2200 and up | 949K | |
| Masters, over the board | 6,760 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Aronian, L. – Caruana, F.
- Aronian, L. – Caruana, F.
- Aronian, L. – Caruana, F.
- Morozevich, A. – Anand, V.
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: Closed (ECO B23, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Closed, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 (2 moves).
In 7,391,008 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.2%, Black 47.0% and 4.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. f4, in 28% of those games.
It continues into one named variation. In all, 2 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 2…e6
3. g3 scores best for White: 53.7%, with White winning 50.9% and Black 43.5% of 1.2M games. The most played, 3. f4, scores 50.6% in 2.1M games, and 3. d3 scores lowest: 49.0%. Stockfish's first choice is 3. 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
This line has stayed between 0.26% and 0.3% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.3% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.26% | 94,211 |
| 2017 | 0.28% | 154,472 |
| 2018 | 0.3% | 237,306 |
| 2019 | 0.29% | 364,756 |
| 2020 | 0.29% | 836,305 |
| 2021 | 0.27% | 1,058,253 |
| 2022 | 0.27% | 1,020,569 |
| 2023 | 0.28% | 1,062,940 |
| 2024 | 0.29% | 1,054,676 |
| 2025 | 0.3% | 1,045,838 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.31% | 338,248 |
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)
Transpositions
All 2 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Closed (B23)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-closed-2