Sicilian Defense: Closed 5. d3 d6
Also known as Closed Sicilian
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Statistics from Lichess
641,537 games: White 49.7% / Draw 6.1% / Black 44.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| B26 | 273,962274K | |
| 188,930189K | ||
| 114,968115K | ||
| 19,95120K | ||
| 12,41012K | ||
| 12,07812K | ||
| 6,5396,539 | ||
| 4,7064,706 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 6. Nge2 e5 7. Nd5 Nge7 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bf6 O-O 10. Bxg7 Kxg7
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 51% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 54% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 5,764 | |
| 1400–1799 | 64K | |
| 1800–2199 | 367K | |
| 2200 and up | 226K | |
| Masters, over the board | 6,484 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Wojtaszek, R.
- Short, N. D. – Kasparov, G.
- Adams, M. – Kasparov, G.
- Short, N. D. – Kasparov, G.
- Short, N. – Nakamura, H.
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 B25, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Closed, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. d3 d6 (5 moves).
In 641,537 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.7%, Black 44.2% and 6.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Be3, in 43% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played is Sicilian Defense: Closed, Botvinnik Defense, with Nge2. In all, 5 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 5…d6
The most played answer, 6. Be3, also scores best for White: 54.0%, with White winning 51.0% and Black 43.1% of 274K games. Of the main answers, 6. Nge2 scores lowest: 51.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 6. Nge2.
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 peaked in 2020 at 0.034% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.022% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.025% | 9,014 |
| 2017 | 0.027% | 14,754 |
| 2018 | 0.03% | 23,315 |
| 2019 | 0.032% | 39,574 |
| 2020 | 0.034% | 100,295 |
| 2021 | 0.025% | 97,537 |
| 2022 | 0.022% | 84,006 |
| 2023 | 0.022% | 82,997 |
| 2024 | 0.021% | 76,431 |
| 2025 | 0.022% | 77,257 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.024% | 25,977 |
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 (3)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Closed (B25)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-closed-6