Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack 9. Bc4 Bd7
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Statistics from Lichess
610,897 games: White 47.4% / Draw 5.2% / Black 47.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| B78 | 413,806414K | |
| Main Line | 75,22075K | |
| 68,76869K | ||
| 27,60728K | ||
| 10,17410K | ||
| 5,4775,477 | ||
| 2,8132,813 | ||
| 2,3752,375 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.46 White is slightly better
Best play: 10. O-O-O Rc8 11. Nxc6 Bxc6 12. Bb3 a5 13. a4 Qe8 14. Qe2 Nd7
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 better this line does for Black: Black scores 47% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up and 41% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 4,978 | |
| 1400–1799 | 64K | |
| 1800–2199 | 377K | |
| 2200 and up | 183K | |
| Masters, over the board | 5,394 |
Master games
- Karjakin, S. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
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, Yugoslav Attack (ECO B77, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Main Line, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. Bc4 Bd7 (9 moves).
In 610,897 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.4%, Black 47.3% and 5.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 10. O-O-O, in 68% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played is Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Main Line. In all, 7 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 9…Bd7
10. h4 scores best for White: 53.8%, with White winning 51.2% and Black 43.5% of 69K games. The most played answer, 10. O-O-O, scores lowest: 49.5% in 414K games. Stockfish's first choice is 10. O-O-O.
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: 0.017% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.03% (its peak: 0.036% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.03% | 10,633 |
| 2017 | 0.034% | 18,528 |
| 2018 | 0.036% | 28,617 |
| 2019 | 0.031% | 38,519 |
| 2020 | 0.036% | 105,518 |
| 2021 | 0.027% | 105,047 |
| 2022 | 0.022% | 81,376 |
| 2023 | 0.019% | 72,021 |
| 2024 | 0.018% | 66,214 |
| 2025 | 0.017% | 58,107 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.016% | 17,777 |
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, Yugoslav Attack (B77)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-dragon-variation-yugoslav-attack-3