Sicilian Defense: Closed 5…d6 6. f4
Also known as Closed Sicilian
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Statistics from Lichess
213,332 games: White 49.0% / Draw 6.4% / Black 44.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 80,37780K | ||
| 76,04976K | ||
| Botvinnik Defense, with f4 | 21,12221K | |
| 9,2709,270 | ||
| 5,6415,641 | ||
| 4,9144,914 | ||
| 3,8073,807 | ||
| 3,4583,458 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.17 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... e6 7. Nf3 Nge7 8. O-O O-O 9. Qe2 b6 10. Bd2 Rb8 11. a4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1,271 | |
| 1400–1799 | 22K | |
| 1800–2199 | 121K | |
| 2200 and up | 75K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,698 |
Master games
- Short, N. D. – Kasparov, G.
- Rapport, R. – Sarana, A.
- Mamedov, R. – Ponomariov, R.
- Nakamura, H. – Sasikiran, K.
- Polgar, J. – Kramnik, 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 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 6. f4 (6 moves).
In 213,332 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.0%, Black 44.6% and 6.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…e6, in 38% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Sicilian Defense: Closed, Botvinnik Defense, with f4. 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 6. f4
The most played answer, 6…e6, also scores best for Black: 49.2%, with Black winning 45.5% and White 47.1% of 80K games. Of the main answers, 6…e5 scores lowest: 46.1%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…e6.
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 2020 at 0.011% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.0077% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0084% | 3,017 |
| 2017 | 0.0084% | 4,639 |
| 2018 | 0.0095% | 7,492 |
| 2019 | 0.011% | 13,597 |
| 2020 | 0.011% | 32,713 |
| 2021 | 0.0083% | 32,521 |
| 2022 | 0.0071% | 26,789 |
| 2023 | 0.0073% | 27,277 |
| 2024 | 0.0073% | 26,044 |
| 2025 | 0.0077% | 26,602 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0081% | 8,930 |
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)
All 2 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Closed (B25)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-closed-7