B32

Sicilian Defense: Godiva Variation

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Statistics from Lichess

762,230 games: White 46.0% / Draw 4.5% / Black 49.5%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
	313,039313K
	259,022259K
	86,88487K
	42,78343K
	22,99023K
	17,31817K
	12,90913K
	3,6073,607

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 22, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.53 White is slightly better

Best play: 5. Nb3 e6 6. Bd3 Nf6 7. Nc3 a6 8. Be3 Qc7 9. f4 b5

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 54% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 52% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

Players	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400	41K
1400–1799	377K
1800–2199	414K
2200 and up	91K
Masters, over the board	3,777

Master games

Anand, V. – Kramnik, V. ½–½, 2001
Anand, V. – Kramnik, V. 1–0, 2001
Carlsen, M. – Gelfand, B. 1–0, 2020
Karjakin, S. – Nepomniachtchi, I. ½–½, 2017
Adams, M. – Morozevich, A. ½–½, 2000

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: Godiva Variation (ECO B32, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Open, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qb6 (4 moves).

In 762,230 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.0%, Black 49.5% and 4.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Nxc6, in 41% of those games.

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Description

How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Godiva Variation

5. Nb3 scores best for White: 52.2%, with White winning 49.9% and Black 45.4% of 259K games. The most played, 5. Nxc6, scores 49.0% in 313K games, and 5. Be3 scores lowest: 34.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. Nb3.

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: Godiva Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.023% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.032% (its peak: 0.04% in 2019).

0.032%0.023%0.04%

Numbers by year

Year	Share of games	Games
2016	0.032%	11,457
2017	0.034%	18,757
2018	0.037%	28,881
2019	0.04%	49,658
2020	0.037%	108,427
2021	0.032%	124,010
2022	0.03%	114,485
2023	0.027%	101,046
2024	0.024%	87,483
2025	0.023%	80,444
2026 (Jan–Apr)	0.023%	25,752

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: Godiva Variation (B32)”. Lichess data as of 22 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-godiva-variation