Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation 7. Be2 Nc6
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Statistics from Lichess
480,678 games: White 49.7% / Draw 5.5% / Black 44.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation | 185,997186K | |
| Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation, Amsterdam Variation | 131,640132K | |
| 80,08980K | ||
| 14,44414K | ||
| 13,84214K | ||
| 11,88612K | ||
| 11,84012K | ||
| 10,34110K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.24 The position is about equal
Best play: 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O Ng4 10. Bxg4 Bxg4 11. f3 Be6 12. Nxe6 fxe6
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 47% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 53% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 8,489 | |
| 1400–1799 | 145K | |
| 1800–2199 | 324K | |
| 2200 and up | 46K | |
| Masters, over the board | 953 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Nakamura, H.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Anand, V.
- Harikrishna, P. – Erigaisi, A.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Jones, G.
- Timofeev, A. – Wang, H.
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, Classical Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. Be2 Nc6 (7 moves).
In 480,678 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.7%, Black 44.8% and 5.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. O-O, in 39% of those games.
It continues into one named variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 7…Nc6
8. f3 scores best for White: 54.1%, with White winning 51.5% and Black 43.3% of 80K games. The most played answer, 8. O-O, scores lowest: 50.9% in 186K games. Stockfish's first choice is 8. Qd2.
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
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.016% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.021% (its peak: 0.025% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.021% | 7,480 |
| 2017 | 0.024% | 12,974 |
| 2018 | 0.025% | 20,024 |
| 2019 | 0.024% | 30,152 |
| 2020 | 0.023% | 66,115 |
| 2021 | 0.02% | 77,618 |
| 2022 | 0.017% | 65,097 |
| 2023 | 0.016% | 61,736 |
| 2024 | 0.016% | 58,046 |
| 2025 | 0.016% | 55,067 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.016% | 17,754 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation (B72)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-dragon-variation-classical-variation-3