Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation
Also known as Paulsen Variation
The Kan Variation (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6) is a flexible line of the Sicilian Defense, named after Ilya Kan and also called the Paulsen Variation after Louis Paulsen. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
7,246,468 games: White 44.8% / Draw 4.8% / Black 50.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Knight Variation | 3,771,0713.8M | |
| Maróczy Bind, Réti Variation | 1,276,0551.3M | |
| Modern Variation | 847,676848K | |
| 260,527261K | ||
| 238,897239K | ||
| 214,960215K | ||
| 166,101166K | ||
| 115,393115K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 11, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.36 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. Bd3 Bc5 6. Nb3 Ba7 7. Qe2 d6 8. Be3 Nf6 9. Nc3 O-O
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 Black: Black scores 54% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up and 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 173K | |
| 1400–1799 | 2M | |
| 1800–2199 | 4.6M | |
| 2200 and up | 1.2M | |
| Masters, over the board | 33K |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Anand, V.
- Carlsen, M. – Caruana, F.
- Kasparov, G. – Kramnik, V.
- Giri, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – 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 26, 2026
Description
The Kan Variation (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6) is a flexible line of the Sicilian Defense, named after Ilya Kan and also called the Paulsen Variation after Louis Paulsen. With 4...a6 Black stops Nb5 and prepares an eventual ...b5.
The idea
The ...b5 advance builds pressure on the queenside. Against 5.Nc3 Black usually controls e5 first, most often with the queen on c7, before developing the king's knight.
Main lines
- 5.Bd3, the Modern Variation, White's most popular move. After 5...Bc5 (Polugaevsky Variation) 6.Nb3 Black can retreat with 6...Be7, when 7.Qg4 makes Black's kingside awkward, or 6...Ba7.
- 5.c4, setting up a Maróczy Bind.
- 5.Nc3, the Knight Variation, the second most popular reply. Black usually avoids ...Nf6 for the moment, because e5 would leave a weakness on d6 and drive the knight away, and controls e5 first. The main Kan move is 5...Qc7; 5...Nc6 transposes to the Taimanov and 5...d6 to the Scheveningen. 5...b5, the Wing Attack, aims for ...b4 against the c3-knight or ...Bb7; White usually answers 6.Bd3.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Very flexible, with transpositions to the Taimanov and Scheveningen.
- Quick queenside expansion with ...b5.
Weaknesses
- White can set up a Maróczy Bind with 5.c4.
- In the 5.Bd3 Bc5 6.Nb3 Be7 line, 7.Qg4 makes Black's kingside awkward.
Who should play it
The Kan suits Black players who like flexible Sicilian set-ups with ...a6 and ...e6 and are ready to face the Maróczy Bind after 5.c4.
The numbers
On Lichess Black leads below 2200: 52.5% against 44.5% under 1400, 51.9% against 44.4% at 1400–1799 and 50.9% against 44.4% at 1800–2199. From 2200 up the results are close, 47.1% for Black against 46.6%. In about 33,000 master games White won 34.6%, Black 30.3%, and 35.1% were drawn.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation
5. c4 (Maróczy Bind, Réti Variation) scores best for White: 50.6%, with White winning 47.9% and Black 46.7% of 1.3M games. The most played answer, 5. Nc3, scores lowest: 46.0% in 3.8M games. Stockfish's first choice is 5. Bd3.
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: Kan Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.25% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.31% (its peak: 0.38% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.31% | 112,005 |
| 2017 | 0.35% | 193,536 |
| 2018 | 0.38% | 301,706 |
| 2019 | 0.36% | 442,929 |
| 2020 | 0.34% | 986,191 |
| 2021 | 0.28% | 1,080,053 |
| 2022 | 0.26% | 982,162 |
| 2023 | 0.25% | 958,043 |
| 2024 | 0.26% | 917,234 |
| 2025 | 0.25% | 875,358 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.25% | 276,483 |
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)
All 12 named lines that continue from here
- B43 Knight Variation 5 moves
- B41 Maróczy Bind, Réti Variation 5 moves
- B42 Modern Variation 5 moves
- B42 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Gipslis Variation 7 moves
- B41 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Maróczy Bind, Bronstein Variation 7 moves
- B41 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Maróczy Bind, Hedgehog Variation 5 moves
- B42 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Polugaevsky Variation 5 moves
- B42 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Swiss Cheese Variation 5 moves
- B43 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Wing Attack 5 moves
- B41 Bronstein Variation 8 moves
- B43 Christiansen's Dream 8 moves
- B43 Spraggett Attack 7 moves
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Sicilian Defence, version of 27 October 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation (B41)”. Lichess data as of 11 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-kan-variation