Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation 5…a6 6. Bg5
Also known as Najdorf Sicilian
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Statistics from Lichess
4,189,361 games: White 48.2% / Draw 4.5% / Black 47.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| B95 | 2,913,2692.9M | |
| 553,935554K | ||
| 465,504466K | ||
| 60,37060K | ||
| 51,26051K | ||
| 48,76149K | ||
| 33,37533K | ||
| 18,15218K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 8, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.15 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. f5 Nc6 11. fxe6
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 50% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 52% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 166K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.4M | |
| 2200 and up | 896K | |
| Masters, over the board | 26K |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Giri, A.
- Caruana, F. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Caruana, F. – 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
Overview
Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation (ECO B94, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 (6 moves).
In 4,189,361 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.2%, Black 47.3% and 4.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…e6, in 70% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played is Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Ivkov Variation. In all, 13 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 answer 6. Bg5
6…Nbd7 scores best for Black: 50.5%, with Black winning 48.4% and White 47.3% of 554K games. The most played, 6…e6, scores 50.0% in 2.9M games, and 6…e5 scores lowest: 48.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 6…e6.
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
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.12% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.18% (its peak: 0.22% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.18% | 62,976 |
| 2017 | 0.21% | 116,633 |
| 2018 | 0.22% | 174,366 |
| 2019 | 0.21% | 257,420 |
| 2020 | 0.21% | 612,993 |
| 2021 | 0.19% | 745,957 |
| 2022 | 0.16% | 611,411 |
| 2023 | 0.14% | 538,196 |
| 2024 | 0.13% | 470,792 |
| 2025 | 0.12% | 415,552 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.12% | 127,132 |
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)
All 13 named lines that continue from here
- B95 Najdorf Variation 6 moves
- B94 Ivkov Variation 12 moves
- B96 Najdorf Variation 7 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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation (B94)”. Lichess data as of 8 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-najdorf-variation-2