Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
575,937 games: White 46.9% / Draw 6.0% / Black 47.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 555,564556K | ||
| 10,07010K | ||
| 7,9017,901 | ||
| 742742 | ||
| 554554 | ||
| 524524 | ||
| 260260 | ||
| 106106 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.18 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... Bg7 7. Be3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. O-O-O Ng4 10. Bxg4 Bxg4 11. f3
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 50% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 52% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 13K | |
| 1400–1799 | 121K | |
| 1800–2199 | 379K | |
| 2200 and up | 108K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,374 |
Master games
- Kramnik, V. – Aronian, L.
- Svidler, P. – Carlsen, M.
- Kamsky, G. – Carlsen, M.
- Grischuk, A. – Gashimov, V.
- Kramnik, V. – Mamedov, R.
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, Classical Variation (ECO B70, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be2 (6 moves).
In 575,937 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.9%, Black 47.2% and 6.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Bg7, in 96% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation, Battery Variation and Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation, Normal Line. In all, 5 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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Popularity by year
The Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.018% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.027% (its peak: 0.034% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.027% | 9,809 |
| 2017 | 0.032% | 17,420 |
| 2018 | 0.034% | 26,531 |
| 2019 | 0.029% | 35,928 |
| 2020 | 0.029% | 83,498 |
| 2021 | 0.024% | 92,749 |
| 2022 | 0.021% | 77,938 |
| 2023 | 0.019% | 72,895 |
| 2024 | 0.019% | 67,857 |
| 2025 | 0.018% | 62,482 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.017% | 19,033 |
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 (3)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation (B70)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-dragon-variation-classical-variation