Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack 9…Bd7 10. O-O-O
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Statistics from Lichess
442,073 games: White 47.2% / Draw 5.1% / Black 47.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Old Line | 242,829243K | |
| 49,24749K | ||
| 43,66644K | ||
| Chinese Dragon | 40,38840K | |
| 31,85332K | ||
| 8,3238,323 | ||
| 5,7295,729 | ||
| 5,5265,526 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.49 White is slightly better
Best play: 10... Rc8 11. Nxc6 Bxc6 12. Bb3 b5 13. Bxa7 b4 14. Nd5 Nxd5 15. exd5
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 52% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 59% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 4,852 | |
| 1400–1799 | 52K | |
| 1800–2199 | 281K | |
| 2200 and up | 121K | |
| Masters, over the board | 3,604 |
Master games
- Ivanchuk, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Topalov, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Kasparov, G.
- Carlsen, M. – Radjabov, T.
- Fedoseev, V. – Nakamura, 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, Yugoslav Attack (ECO B78, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, 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 10. O-O-O (10 moves).
In 442,073 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.2%, Black 47.7% and 5.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 10…Rc8, in 55% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Old Line and Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Chinese Dragon. In all, 4 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 10. O-O-O
10…Rb8 (Chinese Dragon) scores best for Black: 54.1%, with Black winning 51.6% and White 43.4% of 40K games. The most played, 10…Rc8, scores 51.0% in 243K games, and 10…a6 scores lowest: 39.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 10…Rc8.
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: 0.012% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.021% (its peak: 0.026% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.021% | 7,603 |
| 2017 | 0.025% | 13,552 |
| 2018 | 0.026% | 20,652 |
| 2019 | 0.022% | 27,830 |
| 2020 | 0.026% | 75,795 |
| 2021 | 0.02% | 76,283 |
| 2022 | 0.016% | 58,891 |
| 2023 | 0.014% | 52,498 |
| 2024 | 0.013% | 47,503 |
| 2025 | 0.012% | 42,064 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.012% | 13,061 |
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)
All 4 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack (B78)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-dragon-variation-yugoslav-attack-4