Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Wing Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
900,142 games: White 43.8% / Draw 4.5% / Black 51.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 314,115314K | ||
| 208,297208K | ||
| 147,576148K | ||
| 55,80456K | ||
| Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Wing Attack, Fianchetto Variation | 36,41836K | |
| 29,67330K | ||
| 28,62229K | ||
| 14,29714K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 11, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.38 White is slightly better
Best play: 6. Bd3 Bb7 7. O-O Nc6 8. Nxc6 Bxc6 9. Re1 Bd6 10. e5 Bc7
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 55% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 53% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 29K | |
| 1400–1799 | 311K | |
| 1800–2199 | 562K | |
| 2200 and up | 116K | |
| Masters, over the board | 3,942 |
Master games
- Firouzja, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Gashimov, V. – Nakamura, H.
- Svidler, P. – Kasparov, G.
- Nakamura, H. – Kamsky, G.
- Gashimov, V. – Svidler, P.
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: Kan Variation, Wing Attack (ECO B43, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Knight Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 b5 (5 moves).
In 900,142 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 43.8%, Black 51.7% and 4.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. a3, in 35% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Wing Attack, Spraggett Attack and Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Wing Attack, Christiansen's Dream.
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, Wing Attack
6. Bd3 scores best for White: 47.5%, with White winning 45.2% and Black 50.2% of 148K games. The most played answer, 6. a3, scores lowest: 45.0% in 314K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. 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, Wing Attack has stayed between 0.033% and 0.04% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.035% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.033% | 11,617 |
| 2017 | 0.038% | 20,765 |
| 2018 | 0.04% | 31,779 |
| 2019 | 0.037% | 45,571 |
| 2020 | 0.035% | 103,502 |
| 2021 | 0.033% | 128,421 |
| 2022 | 0.034% | 126,940 |
| 2023 | 0.035% | 130,715 |
| 2024 | 0.035% | 124,668 |
| 2025 | 0.035% | 122,623 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.035% | 37,958 |
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 (2)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Wing Attack (B43)”. Lichess data as of 11 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-kan-variation-wing-attack