Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Knight Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
4,729,657 games: White 44.1% / Draw 4.6% / Black 51.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,615,7212.6M | ||
| Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Wing Attack | 890,939891K | |
| Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation | 525,237525K | |
| 201,923202K | ||
| 104,629105K | ||
| 100,953101K | ||
| 77,36577K | ||
| 70,58871K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 11, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.39 White is slightly better
Best play: 5... b5 6. Bd3 Bb7 7. O-O Nc6 8. Nxc6 Bxc6 9. Re1 Qb8 10. a4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 47% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 51% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 170K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.6M | |
| 1800–2199 | 3M | |
| 2200 and up | 630K | |
| Masters, over the board | 15K |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Caruana, F.
- Anand, V. – Caruana, F.
- Firouzja, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Grischuk, A. – Caruana, F.
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
Overview
Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Knight Variation (ECO B43, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 (5 moves).
In 4,729,657 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.1%, Black 51.4% and 4.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Qc7, in 55% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Wing Attack. In all, 3 named lines continue from it.
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: Kan Variation, Knight Variation
The most played answer, 5…Qc7, also scores best for Black: 55.4%, with Black winning 53.1% and White 42.3% of 2.6M games. Of the main answers, 5…Nc6 scores lowest: 50.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…b5.
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: Kan Variation, Knight Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.16% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.21% (its peak: 0.24% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.21% | 73,813 |
| 2017 | 0.22% | 122,230 |
| 2018 | 0.24% | 189,055 |
| 2019 | 0.23% | 281,030 |
| 2020 | 0.22% | 637,153 |
| 2021 | 0.18% | 715,341 |
| 2022 | 0.17% | 648,761 |
| 2023 | 0.17% | 637,866 |
| 2024 | 0.17% | 599,882 |
| 2025 | 0.16% | 567,575 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.16% | 179,230 |
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 (1)
Transpositions
All 3 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Knight Variation (B43)”. Lichess data as of 11 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-kan-variation-knight-variation