Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, Main Line
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
2,938,838 games: White 48.6% / Draw 6.9% / Black 44.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,304,0422.3M | ||
| 211,386211K | ||
| 151,879152K | ||
| 105,149105K | ||
| 73,08473K | ||
| 60,15160K | ||
| 20,06220K | ||
| 6,3456,345 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.24 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. c4 a6 5. Bxd7+ Nxd7 6. O-O e6 7. b3 Ne5 8. Bb2 Nd3
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 worse this line does for Black: Black scores 51% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up and 47% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 435K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.6M | |
| 2200 and up | 554K | |
| Masters, over the board | 13K |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Giri, A.
- Carlsen, M. – Nakamura, H.
- Carlsen, M. – Giri, A.
- So, W. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Anand, 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 26, 2026
Overview
Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, Main Line (ECO B52, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 (3 moves).
In 2,938,838 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.6%, Black 44.5% and 6.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Bxd7+, in 78% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, Sokolsky Variation and Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, Haag Gambit.
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: Moscow Variation, Main Line
4. a4 scores best for White: 52.8%, with White winning 49.7% and Black 44.1% of 211K games. The most played, 4. Bxd7+, scores 52.5% in 2.3M games, and 4. Qe2 scores lowest: 50.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. c4.
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: Moscow Variation, Main Line has lost ground since 2016: 0.095% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.13%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.13% | 44,754 |
| 2017 | 0.13% | 70,850 |
| 2018 | 0.13% | 102,442 |
| 2019 | 0.13% | 161,056 |
| 2020 | 0.14% | 400,753 |
| 2021 | 0.13% | 490,586 |
| 2022 | 0.12% | 437,563 |
| 2023 | 0.11% | 404,069 |
| 2024 | 0.099% | 354,611 |
| 2025 | 0.095% | 328,020 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.092% | 100,858 |
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 (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, Main Line (B52)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-moscow-variation-main-line