Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Sveshnikov Variation 10. Nd5 f5
Also known as Sveshnikov Sicilian
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Statistics from Lichess
189,852 games: White 53.4% / Draw 5.3% / Black 41.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 79,51580K | ||
| 30,01030K | ||
| 26,44926K | ||
| Peresypkin's Sacrifice | 20,84521K | |
| 14,03514K | ||
| 6,3776,377 | ||
| 4,2834,283 | ||
| 3,0063,006 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.03 The position is about equal
Best play: 11. c3 Bg7 12. exf5 Bxf5 13. Nc2 O-O 14. a4 Be6 15. g3 bxa4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 248 | |
| 1400–1799 | 7,058 | |
| 1800–2199 | 101K | |
| 2200 and up | 83K | |
| Masters, over the board | 7,664 |
Master games
- Kasparov, G. – Leko, P.
- Anand, V. – Kramnik, V.
- Anand, V. – Kramnik, V.
- Shirov, A. – Kasparov, G.
- Anand, V. – Kramnik, V.
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, Sveshnikov Variation (ECO B33, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Sveshnikov Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 (10 moves).
In 189,852 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.4%, Black 41.3% and 5.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 11. Bd3, in 42% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Sveshnikov Variation, Peresypkin's Sacrifice.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 10…f5
11. Bxb5 (Peresypkin's Sacrifice) scores best for White: 61.3%, with White winning 59.2% and Black 36.5% of 21K games. The most played, 11. Bd3, scores 55.2% in 80K games, and 11. exf5 scores lowest: 52.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 11. c3.
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
This line peaked in 2019 at 0.011% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.006% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0062% | 2,227 |
| 2017 | 0.007% | 3,877 |
| 2018 | 0.0085% | 6,667 |
| 2019 | 0.011% | 13,574 |
| 2020 | 0.011% | 31,281 |
| 2021 | 0.0074% | 29,107 |
| 2022 | 0.0068% | 25,454 |
| 2023 | 0.0067% | 25,142 |
| 2024 | 0.0061% | 21,863 |
| 2025 | 0.006% | 20,978 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0063% | 6,859 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Sveshnikov Variation (B33)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-lasker-pelikan-variation-sveshnikov-variation-2