Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Modern Line
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Statistics from Lichess
1,194,999 games: White 50.8% / Draw 5.6% / Black 43.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 421,515422K | ||
| 263,386263K | ||
| 217,682218K | ||
| 130,215130K | ||
| 35,92136K | ||
| 31,88632K | ||
| 26,43526K | ||
| 16,21716K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.49 White is slightly better
Best play: 9... d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bd4 Bxd4 13. Qxd4 Qb6 14. Na4
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 61% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up and 61% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 11K | |
| 1400–1799 | 212K | |
| 1800–2199 | 766K | |
| 2200 and up | 261K | |
| Masters, over the board | 5,442 |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Nakamura, H.
- Anand, V. – Nakamura, H.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Nakamura, H.
- Leko, P. – Radjabov, T.
- 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, Modern Line (ECO B76, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Belezky Line, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O (9 moves).
In 1,194,999 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.8%, Black 43.6% and 5.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…d5, in 35% of those games.
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, Modern Line
The most played answer, 9…d5, also scores best for Black: 52.3%, with Black winning 49.0% and White 44.5% of 422K games. Of the main answers, 9…a6 scores lowest: 36.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 9…d5.
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
The Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Modern Line peaked in 2018 at 0.059% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.042% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.045% | 16,026 |
| 2017 | 0.05% | 27,606 |
| 2018 | 0.059% | 46,712 |
| 2019 | 0.054% | 67,712 |
| 2020 | 0.057% | 167,478 |
| 2021 | 0.047% | 183,796 |
| 2022 | 0.044% | 166,327 |
| 2023 | 0.042% | 159,223 |
| 2024 | 0.042% | 151,744 |
| 2025 | 0.042% | 144,417 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.041% | 44,960 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Modern Line (B76)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-dragon-variation-yugoslav-attack-modern-line