Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation 6…Bg7 7. Be2
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Statistics from Lichess
564,322 games: White 47.3% / Draw 5.8% / Black 46.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 427,291427K | ||
| 93,08993K | ||
| 23,39423K | ||
| 7,7927,792 | ||
| 4,8564,856 | ||
| 2,6402,640 | ||
| 1,3101,310 | ||
| 869869 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.13 The position is about equal
Best play: 7... Nc6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bd4
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 White: White scores 54% 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 | 9,996 | |
| 1400–1799 | 132K | |
| 1800–2199 | 386K | |
| 2200 and up | 78K | |
| Masters, over the board | 795 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Nakamura, H.
- Karjakin, S. – Morozevich, A.
- Navara, D. – Erigaisi, A.
- Navara, D. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Shirov, A. – Topalov, 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 27, 2026
Overview
Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation (ECO B72, 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. Be3 Bg7 7. Be2 (7 moves).
In 564,322 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.3%, Black 46.9% and 5.8% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…O-O, in 76% of those games.
It continues into one named variation. 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 answer 7. Be2
7…Nc6 scores best for Black: 50.3%, with Black winning 47.3% and White 46.7% of 93K games. The most played answer, 7…O-O, scores lowest: 50.0% in 427K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 7…Nc6.
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
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.017% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.026% (its peak: 0.033% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.026% | 9,453 |
| 2017 | 0.031% | 17,005 |
| 2018 | 0.033% | 25,918 |
| 2019 | 0.028% | 35,169 |
| 2020 | 0.029% | 85,269 |
| 2021 | 0.024% | 94,364 |
| 2022 | 0.02% | 76,111 |
| 2023 | 0.019% | 70,421 |
| 2024 | 0.018% | 64,603 |
| 2025 | 0.017% | 58,820 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.016% | 17,916 |
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 2 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation (B72)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-dragon-variation-classical-variation-2