B22

Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation

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Statistics from Lichess

503,461 games: White 45.3% / Draw 7.8% / Black 46.9%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
	155,030155K
	91,53092K
	83,42683K
	47,84148K
	44,49044K
	32,41132K
	15,70216K
	8,8148,814

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.20 The position is about equal

Best play: 6. Na3 Nc6 7. Be3 cxd4 8. Nb5 Qd7 9. Nbxd4 Bd6 10. Bd3 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: Black scores 50% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 51% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

Players	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400	5,372
1400–1799	60K
1800–2199	299K
2200 and up	158K
Masters, over the board	5,698

Master games

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: Delayed Alapin Variation (ECO B22, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, with e6, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c3 d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. d4 Nf6 (5 moves).

In 503,461 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.3%, Black 46.9% and 7.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Be2, in 31% of those games.

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Description

How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation

6. Na3 scores best for White: 51.7%, with White winning 47.5% and Black 44.1% of 83K games. The most played, 6. Be2, scores 50.3% in 155K games, and 6. Bb5+ scores lowest: 43.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. Na3.

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

The Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.025% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.014%.

0.014%0.025%

Numbers by year

Year	Share of games	Games
2016	0.014%	4,972
2017	0.017%	9,298
2018	0.019%	14,883
2019	0.017%	20,691
2020	0.017%	50,538
2021	0.015%	60,569
2022	0.017%	62,166
2023	0.02%	76,021
2024	0.022%	80,306
2025	0.025%	85,864
2026 (Jan–Apr)	0.026%	28,339

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: Delayed Alapin Variation (B22)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-delayed-alapin-variation