Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Retreat Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
755,048 games: White 43.4% / Draw 5.0% / Black 51.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 548,093548K | ||
| 67,32167K | ||
| 56,71457K | ||
| 39,46039K | ||
| 17,39817K | ||
| 15,44515K | ||
| 3,5243,524 | ||
| 2,8792,879 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.09 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... Bb4 7. Bc4 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 d6 9. O-O O-O 10. Qd3 Re8 11. Rd1
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 48% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 212K | |
| 1400–1799 | 607K | |
| 1800–2199 | 386K | |
| 2200 and up | 25K | |
| Masters, over the board | 60 |
Master games
- Bosch, J. – Ikonnikov, V.
- Bosch, J. – Rogers, I.
- Meijers, V. – Schmittdiel, E.
- Zaitsev, I. A. – Ivanov, V. L.
- Bosch, J. – Nijboer, 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 27, 2026
Overview
Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Retreat Variation (ECO B33, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Nf3 (6 moves).
In 755,048 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 43.4%, Black 51.6% and 5.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Bb4, in 73% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Retreat Variation
The most played answer, 6…Bb4, also scores best for Black: 55.6%, with Black winning 53.1% and White 41.9% of 548K games. Of the main answers, 6…Be7 scores lowest: 50.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…Bb4.
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: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Retreat Variation peaked in 2020 at 0.038% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.024% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.028% | 9,971 |
| 2017 | 0.03% | 16,256 |
| 2018 | 0.03% | 23,770 |
| 2019 | 0.036% | 45,438 |
| 2020 | 0.038% | 111,497 |
| 2021 | 0.033% | 129,309 |
| 2022 | 0.029% | 107,951 |
| 2023 | 0.027% | 101,090 |
| 2024 | 0.025% | 89,973 |
| 2025 | 0.024% | 83,081 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.024% | 26,308 |
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: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Retreat Variation (B33)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-lasker-pelikan-variation-retreat-variation