Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Accelerated Dragon
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Statistics from Lichess
900,741 games: White 50.9% / Draw 4.6% / Black 44.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 541,882542K | ||
| 81,71182K | ||
| 75,10475K | ||
| 58,57759K | ||
| 31,69932K | ||
| 27,09927K | ||
| 24,07224K | ||
| 10,46310K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.42 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. Be3 Nf6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O d5
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 worse this line does for Black: Black scores 50% under 1400, 42% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 130K | |
| 1400–1799 | 579K | |
| 1800–2199 | 510K | |
| 2200 and up | 26K | |
| Masters, over the board | 66 |
Master games
- Shabalov, A. – Ivanov, I. V.
- Valerga, D. – Rodriguez Vila, A.
- Matei, C. – Werner, G.
- Glazman, M. – Korze, D. D.
- Zupe, M. – Cebalo, M.
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: Dragon Variation, Accelerated Dragon (ECO B54, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 (4 moves).
In 900,741 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.9%, Black 44.6% and 4.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Nc3, in 60% 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: Dragon Variation, Accelerated Dragon
5. c4 scores best for White: 55.8%, with White winning 53.1% and Black 41.6% of 82K games. The most played, 5. Nc3, scores 54.7% in 542K games, and 5. Bc4 scores lowest: 48.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. Be3.
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: Dragon Variation, Accelerated Dragon has lost ground since 2016: 0.027% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.038% (its peak: 0.044% in 2020).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.038% | 13,513 |
| 2017 | 0.039% | 21,666 |
| 2018 | 0.042% | 33,109 |
| 2019 | 0.043% | 53,318 |
| 2020 | 0.044% | 127,659 |
| 2021 | 0.04% | 155,279 |
| 2022 | 0.035% | 130,734 |
| 2023 | 0.032% | 119,488 |
| 2024 | 0.03% | 108,788 |
| 2025 | 0.027% | 95,062 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.026% | 28,984 |
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: Dragon Variation, Accelerated Dragon (B54)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-dragon-variation-accelerated-dragon