Sicilian Defense: Drazic Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
792,453 games: White 50.8% / Draw 3.9% / Black 45.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 244,799245K | ||
| 133,402133K | ||
| 122,868123K | ||
| 76,86777K | ||
| 57,86358K | ||
| 41,58542K | ||
| 31,30531K | ||
| 21,26621K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.88 White is better
Best play: 4. d5 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. dxe6 Bxe6 7. Ng5 Nc6 8. Nxe6 fxe6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 49% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 246K | |
| 1400–1799 | 742K | |
| 1800–2199 | 373K | |
| 2200 and up | 17K | |
| Masters, over the board | 84 |
Master games
- Miton, K. – Drazic, S.
- Zhang, P. – Wang, C.
- Cheparinov, I. – Paunovic, D.
- Korneev, O. – Paunovic, D.
- Delchev, A. – Drazic, S.
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: Drazic Variation (ECO B40, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 a6 (3 moves).
In 792,453 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.8%, Black 45.3% and 3.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. d5, in 31% 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: Drazic Variation
4. c4 scores best for White: 55.6%, with White winning 53.6% and Black 42.4% of 42K games. The most played, 4. d5, scores 54.2% in 245K games, and 4. dxc5 scores lowest: 49.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. d5.
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: Drazic Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.029% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.038%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.038% | 13,444 |
| 2017 | 0.036% | 19,630 |
| 2018 | 0.032% | 24,983 |
| 2019 | 0.031% | 38,665 |
| 2020 | 0.03% | 88,480 |
| 2021 | 0.032% | 123,829 |
| 2022 | 0.032% | 119,478 |
| 2023 | 0.03% | 114,306 |
| 2024 | 0.03% | 106,570 |
| 2025 | 0.029% | 99,487 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.027% | 29,864 |
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: Drazic Variation (B40)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-drazic-variation