Sicilian Defense: Closed, Fianchetto Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
2,435,912 games: White 51.5% / Draw 5.6% / Black 42.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Sicilian Defense: Closed | 1,105,1021.1M | |
| 450,720451K | ||
| 382,389382K | ||
| 219,795220K | ||
| 171,122171K | ||
| 52,16452K | ||
| 16,68717K | ||
| 16,02116K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.04 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... g6 4. d3 d6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. Nge2 e5 7. Nd5 Nge7 8. O-O
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% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up and 46% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 70K | |
| 1400–1799 | 506K | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.6M | |
| 2200 and up | 511K | |
| Masters, over the board | 7,822 |
Master games
- Rapport, R. – Carlsen, M.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Wang Yue
- Short, N. – Nakamura, H.
- Adams, M. – 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 26, 2026
Overview
Sicilian Defense: Closed, Fianchetto Variation (ECO B24, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Closed, Traditional, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 (3 moves).
In 2,435,912 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.5%, Black 42.9% and 5.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…g6, in 45% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Sicilian Defense: Closed. In all, 9 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Closed, Fianchetto Variation
The most played answer, 3…g6 (Sicilian Defense: Closed), also scores best for Black: 47.5%, with Black winning 44.5% and White 49.4% of 1.1M games. Of the main answers, 3…d6 scores lowest: 43.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…g6.
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, Fianchetto Variation peaked in 2019 at 0.12% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.09% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.092% | 32,764 |
| 2017 | 0.1% | 55,474 |
| 2018 | 0.11% | 85,399 |
| 2019 | 0.12% | 148,313 |
| 2020 | 0.12% | 342,601 |
| 2021 | 0.092% | 360,808 |
| 2022 | 0.086% | 323,221 |
| 2023 | 0.087% | 325,570 |
| 2024 | 0.084% | 301,782 |
| 2025 | 0.09% | 313,366 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.096% | 105,438 |
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 9 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Closed, Fianchetto Variation (B24)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-closed-fianchetto-variation