Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack, Tal Gambit
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
281,299 games: White 42.3% / Draw 4.6% / Black 53.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 112,662113K | ||
| 77,09877K | ||
| 47,87648K | ||
| 26,72527K | ||
| 9,2369,236 | ||
| 2,9772,977 | ||
| 1,7151,715 | ||
| 1,1811,181 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 16, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.04 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. Nc3 Nxd5 5. Nxd5 Qxd5 6. Qf3 Qe6+ 7. Qe3 Nc6 8. Nf3 a6
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 53% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 56% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 5,364 | |
| 1400–1799 | 80K | |
| 1800–2199 | 189K | |
| 2200 and up | 31K | |
| Masters, over the board | 475 |
Master games
- Ivanchuk, V. – Giri, A.
- Short, N. D. – Kasparov, G.
- Navara, D. – Moiseenko, A.
- Sulskis, S. – Shirov, A.
- Campora, D. H. – Shirov, A.
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: McDonnell Attack, Tal Gambit (ECO B21, Semi-Open Games) is a gambit in the Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 Nf6 (3 moves).
In 281,299 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 42.3%, Black 53.1% and 4.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. c4, in 40% 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: McDonnell Attack, Tal Gambit
4. Bb5+ scores best for White: 52.5%, with White winning 48.8% and Black 43.9% of 27K games. The most played answer, 4. c4, scores lowest: 42.9% in 113K games. Stockfish's first choice is 4. Nc3.
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: McDonnell Attack, Tal Gambit has lost ground since 2016: 0.011% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.016%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.016% | 5,573 |
| 2017 | 0.016% | 8,560 |
| 2018 | 0.016% | 12,581 |
| 2019 | 0.013% | 16,522 |
| 2020 | 0.0099% | 28,868 |
| 2021 | 0.0091% | 35,782 |
| 2022 | 0.01% | 38,089 |
| 2023 | 0.011% | 40,248 |
| 2024 | 0.011% | 38,782 |
| 2025 | 0.011% | 37,738 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.011% | 12,337 |
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: McDonnell Attack, Tal Gambit (B21)”. Lichess data as of 16 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-mcdonnell-attack-tal-gambit