Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, with d6
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Statistics from Lichess
6,757,573 games: White 49.3% / Draw 5.1% / Black 45.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 3,874,3163.9M | ||
| 1,248,7151.2M | ||
| 373,475373K | ||
| 354,784355K | ||
| 347,514348K | ||
| Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Venice System, Steiner Line | 199,393199K | |
| 155,234155K | ||
| 87,90888K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.01 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... Nf6 4. Be2 g6 5. O-O Bg7 6. Bb5+ Nc6 7. d4 O-O 8. d5
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 53% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 52% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 701K | |
| 1400–1799 | 3.3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 4.1M | |
| 2200 and up | 586K | |
| Masters, over the board | 7,582 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Karjakin, S.
- Carlsen, M. – Wang, H.
- Adams, M. – Kasparov, G.
- Aronian, L. – Nakamura, H.
- Aronian, L. – Ding, L.
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: Delayed Alapin Variation, with d6 (ECO B50, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 (3 moves).
In 6,757,573 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.3%, Black 45.6% and 5.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Nf6, in 57% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, Basman-Palatnik Gambit. 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 play against the Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, with d6
The most played answer, 3…Nf6, also scores best for Black: 49.9%, with Black winning 47.3% and White 47.5% of 3.9M games. Of the main answers, 3…e5 scores lowest: 44.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…Nf6.
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: Delayed Alapin Variation, with d6 has stayed between 0.23% and 0.28% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.25% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.23% | 80,531 |
| 2017 | 0.26% | 144,504 |
| 2018 | 0.27% | 212,098 |
| 2019 | 0.25% | 317,816 |
| 2020 | 0.26% | 774,985 |
| 2021 | 0.28% | 1,079,034 |
| 2022 | 0.27% | 999,689 |
| 2023 | 0.26% | 996,272 |
| 2024 | 0.26% | 919,170 |
| 2025 | 0.25% | 867,988 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.24% | 265,188 |
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)
Transpositions
All 2 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, with d6 (B50)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-delayed-alapin-variation-with-d6