Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation, Normal Line
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
83,601 games: White 48.7% / Draw 6.3% / Black 45.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 30,58531K | ||
| 20,09020K | ||
| 15,13415K | ||
| Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation, Alekhine Line | 8,2688,268 | |
| 2,6652,665 | ||
| 2,1692,169 | ||
| 904904 | ||
| 586586 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 9... a6 10. a4 Be6 11. a5 Bxb3 12. cxb3 Nxa5 13. e5 Ne8 14. e6
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, Normal Line (ECO B74, 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. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Be3 Nc6 9. Nb3 (9 moves).
In 83,601 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.7%, Black 45.0% and 6.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…Be6, in 37% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation, Maróczy Line and Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation, Tartakower Line.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation, Normal Line
9…a5 (Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation, Alekhine Line) scores best for Black: 51.2%, with Black winning 48.0% and White 45.7% of 8,268 games. The most played, 9…Be6, scores 50.0% in 31K games, and 9…Bd7 scores lowest: 45.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 9…a6.
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
Variations (2)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation, Normal Line (B74)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-dragon-variation-classical-variation-normal-line