Sicilian Defense: Closed, Chameleon Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
450,092 games: White 51.6% / Draw 5.6% / Black 42.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 147,896148K | ||
| 101,818102K | ||
| 72,61973K | ||
| 54,30054K | ||
| 53,65954K | ||
| 11,29211K | ||
| 3,7753,775 | ||
| 1,7781,778 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.22 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... Nd4 4. d3 e5 5. Nd5 Ne7 6. Nec3 d6 7. g3 h5 8. h3
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 better this line does for White: White scores 49% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up and 55% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 20K | |
| 1400–1799 | 109K | |
| 1800–2199 | 276K | |
| 2200 and up | 99K | |
| Masters, over the board | 4,335 |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Caruana, F.
- Kasparov, G. – Kramnik, V.
- Kasparov, G. – Kramnik, V.
- Kasparov, G. – Kramnik, V.
- Kasparov, G. – 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, Chameleon Variation (ECO B23, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Closed, Traditional, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nge2 (3 moves).
In 450,092 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.6%, Black 42.8% and 5.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…g6, in 33% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Closed, Chameleon Variation
The most played answer, 3…g6, also scores best for Black: 46.9%, with Black winning 43.9% and White 50.2% of 148K games. Of the main answers, 3…e5 scores lowest: 44.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 3…Nd4.
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
The Sicilian Defense: Closed, Chameleon Variation dipped to 0.015% of Lichess games in 2021 and has recovered since: 0.018% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.016% | 5,601 |
| 2017 | 0.018% | 9,701 |
| 2018 | 0.017% | 13,427 |
| 2019 | 0.018% | 22,740 |
| 2020 | 0.018% | 51,599 |
| 2021 | 0.015% | 59,475 |
| 2022 | 0.017% | 62,370 |
| 2023 | 0.019% | 72,304 |
| 2024 | 0.018% | 63,928 |
| 2025 | 0.018% | 61,701 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.018% | 20,046 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Closed, Chameleon Variation (B23)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-closed-chameleon-variation