Sicilian Defense: Löwenthal Variation
The Löwenthal Variation (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5) is a line of the Open Sicilian. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
10,510,381 games: White 48.4% / Draw 5.2% / Black 46.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 4,405,2634.4M | ||
| 3,192,2563.2M | ||
| 1,290,2471.3M | ||
| 994,946995K | ||
| 498,269498K | ||
| 64,30464K | ||
| 53,09253K | ||
| 2,1742,174 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 19, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.42 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 a6 7. N5c3 Nf6 8. Bd3 Be7 9. h3 O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 50% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 46% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 687K | |
| 1400–1799 | 4.9M | |
| 1800–2199 | 6.4M | |
| 2200 and up | 818K | |
| Masters, over the board | 9,255 |
Master games
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Nakamura, H.
- Carlsen, M. – Radjabov, T.
- So, W. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – 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
Description
The Löwenthal Variation (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5) is a line of the Open Sicilian. Black kicks the knight at once with ...e5, accepting a hole on d5 in return for time. After 4...e5 the best continuation is 5.Nb5, when Black has two main choices.
Origins
The variation was played by Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais in his 1834 matches against Alexander McDonnell. It takes its name from Johann Löwenthal, one of the strongest players of the mid-19th century, and has had bursts of popularity since, for example in the 1940s.
The idea
After 4...e5 5.Nb5 the knight eyes d6. In the Löwenthal proper, 5...a6, Black lets the knight in: 6.Nd6+ Bxd6 7.Qxd6 Qf6 (7...Qe7 is also possible). Black gives up the bishop pair to get a lead in development. White most often retreats the queen to d1; exchanging queens at once is uncommon.
Main lines
- 5.Nb5 a6, the Löwenthal Variation proper, with 6.Nd6+ Bxd6 7.Qxd6 Qf6. It declined once it was established that White keeps the advantage in several lines.
- 5.Nb5 d6, the Kalashnikov Variation, which Black players revived in the late 1980s and which is now much more popular. Its ideas are close to the Sveshnikov Variation: Black accepts a backward d-pawn and a weak d5-square in return for time spent chasing the knight.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Black gains time against White's knight and gets a lead in development.
Weaknesses
- In the 5...a6 line Black gives up the bishop pair, and White keeps the advantage in several lines.
- The d5-square and, in the Kalashnikov, the d6-pawn become long-term weaknesses.
Who should play it
4...e5 suits Black players who like dynamic, gambit-like Sicilian positions; today most of them choose 5...d6, the Kalashnikov, rather than 5...a6.
The numbers
On Lichess the results are close at every level: 48.5% for White against 47.8% under 1400, 48.6% against 47.2% at 1400–1799, 48.6% against 46.1% at 1800–2199 and 46.5% against 45.5% from 2200 up. In about 9,300 master games White won 33.0%, Black 24.9%, and 42.2% were drawn.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Löwenthal Variation
The most played answer, 5. Nb5, also scores best for White: 53.2%, with White winning 50.5% and Black 44.0% of 4.4M games. Of the main answers, 5. Nf3 scores lowest: 49.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. Nb5.
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: Löwenthal Variation peaked in 2019 at 0.51% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.37% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.38% | 136,543 |
| 2017 | 0.41% | 225,397 |
| 2018 | 0.44% | 343,769 |
| 2019 | 0.51% | 633,343 |
| 2020 | 0.46% | 1,334,543 |
| 2021 | 0.41% | 1,615,149 |
| 2022 | 0.4% | 1,499,716 |
| 2023 | 0.39% | 1,480,058 |
| 2024 | 0.38% | 1,376,375 |
| 2025 | 0.37% | 1,296,522 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.37% | 406,002 |
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)
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: Löwenthal Variation (B32)”. Lichess data as of 19 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-lowenthal-variation