B52

Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, Sokolsky Variation

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Statistics from Lichess

217,312 games: White 49.0% / Draw 9.1% / Black 41.8%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
	123,068123K
	47,58448K
	18,46118K
	16,66117K
	6,0476,047
	3,0133,013
	896896
	893893

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.25 The position is about equal

Best play: 5... Nf6 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 g6 9. f3 Bg7 10. Be3

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

By rating

Rating changes little here: White scores 53% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up and 56% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

Players	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400	3,560
1400–1799	24K
1800–2199	106K
2200 and up	94K
Masters, over the board	4,133

Master games

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: Moscow Variation, Sokolsky Variation (ECO B52, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, Main Line, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. c4 (5 moves).

In 217,312 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.0%, Black 41.8% and 9.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Nc6, in 57% of those games.

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Description

How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, Sokolsky Variation

5…Nf6 scores best for Black: 47.3%, with Black winning 42.5% and White 47.9% of 48K games. The most played, 5…Nc6, scores 46.3% in 123K games, and 5…g6 scores lowest: 45.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…Nf6.

Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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, Sokolsky Variation peaked in 2020 at 0.0094% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.0077% in 2025.

0.0072%0.0077%0.0094%

Numbers by year

Year	Share of games	Games
2016	0.0072%	2,587
2017	0.0085%	4,691
2018	0.0092%	7,200
2019	0.0085%	10,578
2020	0.0094%	27,672
2021	0.0084%	33,052
2022	0.0088%	33,031
2023	0.0087%	32,615
2024	0.0077%	27,753
2025	0.0077%	26,546
2026 (Jan–Apr)	0.0075%	8,257

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: Moscow Variation, Sokolsky Variation (B52)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-moscow-variation-sokolsky-variation