Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation
Also known as Najdorf Sicilian
The Najdorf Variation (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6) is Black's most popular system in the Sicilian Defense. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
17,315,826 games: White 47.7% / Draw 4.8% / Black 47.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| B94 | 4,185,5614.2M | |
| English Attack | 3,291,1783.3M | |
| Lipnitsky Attack | 2,378,2312.4M | |
| Opocensky Variation | 2,135,4172.1M | |
| 1,352,9741.4M | ||
| 1,281,8911.3M | ||
| Adams Attack | 665,547666K | |
| 626,058626K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 5, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.37 White is slightly better
Best play: 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Qd2 Be7 9. f3 h5 10. Nd5 Nxd5
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, 48% at 2200 and up and 47% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 674K | |
| 1400–1799 | 5.4M | |
| 1800–2199 | 10.6M | |
| 2200 and up | 3M | |
| Masters, over the board | 127K |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Grischuk, A.
- Carlsen, M. – Ding, L.
- Ding, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Ding, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
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
Description
The Najdorf Variation (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6) is Black's most popular system in the Sicilian Defense. Modern Chess Openings calls it the "Cadillac" or "Rolls-Royce" of chess openings, and it is one of the most popular, most respected and most deeply studied openings in chess.
Origins
Players began trying 5...a6 in the 1920s. The Czech master Karel Opočenský was among the first to combine it with ...e5 and claimed to have shown it to Najdorf himself. The variation is named after the Polish-Argentine grandmaster Miguel Najdorf, who played it as early as 1937 and deepened its analysis in the 1950s. Bobby Fischer called it "one of the greatest creations in chess theory". Many top players have relied on it, among them Fischer, Garry Kasparov and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
The idea
The quiet-looking 5...a6 takes the b5-square away from White's knights and bishop. It prepares ...e5 or ...e6 and queenside expansion with ...b5, ...Bb7 and a knight on d5, or on c4 via b6, while Black's development stays flexible. The result is often opposite-side castling, with both players attacking the enemy king at the same time.
Main lines
- English Attack 6.Be3, with f3, Qd2, g4 and long castling: the modern main line at top level.
- 6.Bg5, the classical main line, usually 6...e6 7.f4. It includes the Poisoned Pawn, where Black grabs the b2-pawn with the queen, and the traditional 8.Qf3 lines.
- Opočenský Variation 6.Be2: a quieter, positional approach with kingside castling, which Anatoly Karpov used often.
- 6.Bc4, the Fischer–Sozin idea aimed at f7, a frequent guest at the top level through the 1970s.
- Adams Attack 6.h3, preparing g4, and the Amsterdam Variation 6.f4.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Sound at the highest level; it was played in the 1993 PCA World Championship match between Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short.
- Flexible: Black can choose between ...e5 and ...e6 structures depending on White's setup.
- Rich winning chances for Black, in sharp and unbalanced positions.
Weaknesses
- An enormous amount of theory. White's attacks are fast and concrete, and one inaccuracy can be decisive.
- Black must also be ready for all the Anti-Sicilians White can play before move five.
- Black's king often stays in the centre for a while.
Who should play it
The Najdorf suits ambitious players who enjoy sharp, double-edged positions and are willing to study and update their theory. It is especially strong against players who attack by pattern without knowing the specific lines. It is least comfortable against well-prepared opponents who choose the English Attack or a sharp 6.Bg5 line.
The numbers
On Lichess, Black wins slightly more often than White below 1800: 49% against 47%. Between 1800 and 2199 it is almost even, 47.7% for Black against 47.5%. Above 2200, White edges ahead 49% to 45%. In master games over the board, 51% of games are drawn, White wins 27% and Black 22%.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation
6. f3 scores best for White: 51.8%, with White winning 49.5% and Black 45.9% of 1.4M games. The most played, 6. Bg5, scores 50.4% in 4.2M games, and 6. Bd3 scores lowest: 46.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 6. Be3.
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: Najdorf Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.52% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.75% (its peak: 0.9% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.75% | 266,551 |
| 2017 | 0.85% | 468,792 |
| 2018 | 0.9% | 710,236 |
| 2019 | 0.84% | 1,050,534 |
| 2020 | 0.86% | 2,526,791 |
| 2021 | 0.76% | 2,958,386 |
| 2022 | 0.66% | 2,488,212 |
| 2023 | 0.6% | 2,241,797 |
| 2024 | 0.56% | 2,000,464 |
| 2025 | 0.52% | 1,795,391 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.51% | 559,844 |
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 (9)
All 34 named lines that continue from here
No line matches.
- B94 Najdorf Variation 6 moves
- B90 Adams Attack 6 moves
- B93 Amsterdam Variation 6 moves
- B90 Dekker Gambit 6 moves
- B90 English Attack 6 moves
- B90 Freak Attack 6 moves
- B90 Lipnitsky Attack 6 moves
- B92 Opocensky Variation 6 moves
- B91 Zagreb Variation 6 moves
- B95 Najdorf Variation 6 moves
- B90 Anti-English 6 moves
- B94 Ivkov Variation 12 moves
- B92 Modern Line 8 moves
- B92 Traditional Line 8 moves
- B84 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Variation 6 moves
- B85 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Variation, Paulsen Variation 8 moves
- B90 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack 7 moves
- B90 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with f3 7 moves
- B80 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, English Attack, with Qd2 7 moves
- B87 Sicilian Defense: Sozin Attack, Flank Variation 7 moves
- B96 Najdorf Variation 7 moves
- B84 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Scheveningen Variation 7 moves
- B84 Classical Variation 7 moves
- B90 Perenyi Gambit 9 moves
- B98 Najdorf Variation 7 moves
- B96 Neo-Classical Defense 7 moves
- B97 Poisoned Pawn Variation 7 moves
- B96 Polugaevsky Variation 7 moves
- B98 Browne Variation 9 moves
- B98 Goteborg Variation 9 moves
- B97 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Poisoned Pawn Accepted 9 moves
- B96 Simagin Line 10 moves
- B98 Traditional Line 8 moves
- B99 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Main Line 9 moves
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation, version of 3 November 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Place in the Sicilian: adapted from the Wikipedia article Sicilian Defence, version of 27 October 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation (B90)”. Lichess data as of 5 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-najdorf-variation