Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations
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Statistics from Lichess
69,616,257 games: White 47.9% / Draw 5.1% / Black 47.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Sicilian Defense | 39,892,79239.9M | |
| 9,453,0789.5M | ||
| Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, with d6 | 6,468,8696.5M | |
| Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation | 5,033,2545M | |
| 4,015,7254M | ||
| 1,007,7741M | ||
| 728,285728K | ||
| 714,113714K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 9, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.31 White is slightly better
Best play: 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6
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, 48% at 2200 and up and 47% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 10.7M | |
| 1400–1799 | 36.2M | |
| 1800–2199 | 39.7M | |
| 2200 and up | 8.3M | |
| Masters, over the board | 231K |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Caruana, F.
- Carlsen, M. – Topalov, V.
- Carlsen, M. – Grischuk, A.
- Carlsen, M. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Ding, L.
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
Overview
Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations (ECO B50, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 (2 moves).
In 69,616,257 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.9%, Black 47.1% and 5.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. d4, in 57% of those games.
It branches into 6 named variations; the most played are Sicilian Defense and Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, with d6. In all, 115 named lines continue from it.
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: Modern Variations
3. c3 (Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, with d6) scores best for White: 51.9%, with White winning 49.3% and Black 45.5% of 6.5M games. The most played, 3. d4, scores 50.8% in 39.9M games, and 3. Bc4 scores lowest: 48.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 3. d4.
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: Modern Variations has lost ground since 2016: 2.2% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 2.9% (its peak: 3.2% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2.9% | 1,038,416 |
| 2017 | 3.1% | 1,729,944 |
| 2018 | 3.2% | 2,543,886 |
| 2019 | 3.1% | 3,858,373 |
| 2020 | 3.2% | 9,431,027 |
| 2021 | 3.0% | 11,819,663 |
| 2022 | 2.7% | 10,161,873 |
| 2023 | 2.5% | 9,401,276 |
| 2024 | 2.4% | 8,508,449 |
| 2025 | 2.2% | 7,716,547 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 2.2% | 2,378,248 |
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 (6)
All 115 named lines that continue from here
No line matches.
Loading sub-variations…
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations (B50)”. Lichess data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-modern-variations