Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Belezky Line
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Statistics from Lichess
913,291 games: White 53.0% / Draw 5.0% / Black 42.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 680,778681K | ||
| 132,710133K | ||
| 28,68029K | ||
| 26,68027K | ||
| 15,59516K | ||
| 9,2959,295 | ||
| 8,1568,156 | ||
| 3,2003,200 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.38 White is slightly better
Best play: 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bd4 Bxd4
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 41% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 40% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 12K | |
| 1400–1799 | 227K | |
| 1800–2199 | 599K | |
| 2200 and up | 137K | |
| Masters, over the board | 5,269 |
Master games
- Karjakin, S. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Ivanchuk, 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, Belezky Line (ECO B75, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Early Deviations, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 (7 moves).
In 913,291 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.0%, Black 42.0% and 5.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. Qd2, in 75% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Modern Line and Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Czerniak Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Belezky Line
The most played answer, 8. Qd2, also scores best for White: 56.4%, with White winning 53.9% and Black 41.1% of 681K games. Of the main answers, 8. Bc4 scores lowest: 54.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 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
The Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Belezky Line has lost ground since 2016: 0.029% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.036% (its peak: 0.047% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.036% | 12,903 |
| 2017 | 0.042% | 22,937 |
| 2018 | 0.047% | 36,937 |
| 2019 | 0.044% | 54,374 |
| 2020 | 0.045% | 133,216 |
| 2021 | 0.038% | 148,264 |
| 2022 | 0.034% | 128,218 |
| 2023 | 0.032% | 121,883 |
| 2024 | 0.03% | 108,769 |
| 2025 | 0.029% | 100,218 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.028% | 31,192 |
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, Belezky Line (B75)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-dragon-variation-yugoslav-attack-belezky-line