Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations, Anti-Qxd4 Move Order
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Statistics from Lichess
465,454 games: White 47.2% / Draw 5.3% / Black 47.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 199,682200K | ||
| 151,880152K | ||
| 63,05063K | ||
| 16,32316K | ||
| 10,03510K | ||
| 9,2159,215 | ||
| 5,5875,587 | ||
| 4,2654,265 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 7, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.33 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6 6. h3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 Nbd7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the better this line does for Black: Black scores 45% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up and 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 175K | |
| 1400–1799 | 280K | |
| 1800–2199 | 227K | |
| 2200 and up | 89K | |
| Masters, over the board | 7,131 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Giri, A.
- Anand, V. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Kasparov, G. – Georgiev, K.
- Topalov, V. – Giri, A.
- Anand, V. – Ivanchuk, 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: Modern Variations, Anti-Qxd4 Move Order (ECO B50, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 (3 moves).
In 465,454 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.2%, Black 47.5% and 5.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Nc3, in 43% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations, Anti-Qxd4 Move Order Accepted.
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, Anti-Qxd4 Move Order
The most played answer, 4. Nc3, also scores best for White: 51.6%, with White winning 49.0% and Black 45.8% of 200K games. Of the main answers, 4. e5 scores lowest: 45.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 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: Modern Variations, Anti-Qxd4 Move Order has lost ground since 2016: 0.014% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.018% (its peak: 0.023% in 2020).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.018% | 6,341 |
| 2017 | 0.019% | 10,589 |
| 2018 | 0.022% | 17,642 |
| 2019 | 0.023% | 28,170 |
| 2020 | 0.023% | 67,577 |
| 2021 | 0.022% | 85,909 |
| 2022 | 0.018% | 66,532 |
| 2023 | 0.015% | 57,842 |
| 2024 | 0.014% | 51,708 |
| 2025 | 0.014% | 50,255 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.015% | 16,090 |
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)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations, Anti-Qxd4 Move Order (B50)”. Lichess data as of 7 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-modern-variations-anti-qxd4-move-order