Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation, Exchange Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
696,728 games: White 45.2% / Draw 5.8% / Black 49.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 682,478682K | ||
| 12,72213K | ||
| 582582 | ||
| 534534 | ||
| 131131 | ||
| 7272 | ||
| 6464 | ||
| 5858 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.27 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... bxc6 7. e5 Nd5 8. Ne4 Bb7 9. Be2 c5 10. O-O Qc7 11. Nd6+
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 White: White scores 46% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up and 60% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 46K | |
| 1400–1799 | 227K | |
| 1800–2199 | 392K | |
| 2200 and up | 159K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,996 |
Master games
- Firouzja, A. – Rapport, R.
- Caruana, F. – Rapport, R.
- Aronian, L. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Dominguez Perez, L.
- So, W. – Mamedyarov, 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: Four Knights Variation, Exchange Variation (ECO B45, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Nxc6 (6 moves).
In 696,728 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.2%, Black 49.0% and 5.8% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…bxc6, in 98% of those games.
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Popularity by year
The Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation, Exchange Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.031% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.018%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.018% | 6,496 |
| 2017 | 0.022% | 12,248 |
| 2018 | 0.025% | 19,301 |
| 2019 | 0.026% | 32,284 |
| 2020 | 0.027% | 78,323 |
| 2021 | 0.024% | 94,407 |
| 2022 | 0.024% | 91,386 |
| 2023 | 0.027% | 103,220 |
| 2024 | 0.03% | 105,847 |
| 2025 | 0.031% | 106,629 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.032% | 34,699 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation, Exchange Variation (B45)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-four-knights-variation-exchange-variation