Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation 7…Nc6 8. Nb3
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
28,336 games: White 51.2% / Draw 5.2% / Black 43.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 21,26621K | ||
| 1,8201,820 | ||
| 1,7091,709 | ||
| 1,7051,705 | ||
| 690690 | ||
| 555555 | ||
| 119119 | ||
| 8989 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.13 The position is about equal
Best play: 8... Be6 9. Qd2 O-O 10. f3 a6 11. h4 d5 12. exd5 Bxd5 13. O-O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
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 8. Nb3 (8 moves).
In 28,336 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.2%, Black 43.6% and 5.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…O-O, in 75% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to answer 8. Nb3
8…Be6 scores best for Black: 49.2%, with Black winning 46.0% and White 47.6% of 1,705 games. The most played, 8…O-O, scores 46.3% in 21K games, and 8…Bd7 scores lowest: 42.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 8…Be6.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation (B72)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-dragon-variation-classical-variation-4