Sicilian Defense: Closed 2…e6 3. g3
Also known as Closed Sicilian
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Statistics from Lichess
1,233,466 games: White 50.9% / Draw 5.7% / Black 43.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 395,617396K | ||
| 332,103332K | ||
| Korchnoi Defense | 299,832300K | |
| 51,19551K | ||
| 43,48543K | ||
| 36,47636K | ||
| 32,24832K | ||
| 14,94615K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.14 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... Nc6 4. Nge2 d5 5. exd5 exd5 6. d4 Bg4 7. Bg2 Nxd4 8. h3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 52% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 46% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 28K | |
| 1400–1799 | 223K | |
| 1800–2199 | 796K | |
| 2200 and up | 274K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,534 |
Master games
- McShane, L. J. – Caruana, F.
- Jobava, B. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Sindarov, J. – Kramnik, V.
- Andreikin, D. – Rublevsky, S.
- Short, N. D. – Topalov, 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 27, 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 3. g3 (3 moves).
In 1,233,466 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.9%, Black 43.5% and 5.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Nc6, in 32% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Sicilian Defense: Closed, Korchnoi Defense.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 3. g3
3…d5 (Korchnoi Defense) scores best for Black: 47.5%, with Black winning 44.4% and White 49.3% of 300K games. The most played answer, 3…Nc6, scores lowest: 46.1% in 396K games. Stockfish's first choice is 3…Nc6.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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 peaked in 2018 at 0.06% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.046% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.049% | 17,549 |
| 2017 | 0.054% | 29,445 |
| 2018 | 0.06% | 47,299 |
| 2019 | 0.058% | 72,165 |
| 2020 | 0.057% | 165,946 |
| 2021 | 0.046% | 181,014 |
| 2022 | 0.044% | 166,291 |
| 2023 | 0.044% | 166,894 |
| 2024 | 0.044% | 156,618 |
| 2025 | 0.046% | 158,310 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.047% | 51,589 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Closed (B23)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-closed-3