Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Opocensky Variation 7…Be6 8. Be3
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Statistics from Lichess
255,385 games: White 46.4% / Draw 5.6% / Black 48.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 156,023156K | ||
| 64,62965K | ||
| 11,12611K | ||
| 9,2799,279 | ||
| 6,4456,445 | ||
| 4,4584,458 | ||
| 1,8271,827 | ||
| 725725 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.22 The position is about equal
Best play: 8... Be7 9. Nd5 Nbd7 10. Qd3 O-O 11. a4 Bxd5 12. exd5 Rc8 13. a5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1,397 | |
| 1400–1799 | 40K | |
| 1800–2199 | 187K | |
| 2200 and up | 35K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,073 |
Master games
- Leko, P. – Anand, V.
- Leko, P. – Ponomariov, R.
- Leko, P. – Topalov, V.
- Caruana, F. – Adly, A.
- Leko, P. – Gelfand, B.
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: Najdorf Variation, Opocensky Variation (ECO B92, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, Closed Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 d6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 (8 moves).
In 255,385 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.4%, Black 48.0% and 5.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…Be7, in 61% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 8. Be3
8…Nbd7 scores best for Black: 53.6%, with Black winning 50.9% and White 43.7% of 65K games. The most played answer, 8…Be7, scores lowest: 50.4% in 156K games. Stockfish's first choice is 8…Be7.
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: 0.0079% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.012% (its peak: 0.014% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.012% | 4,223 |
| 2017 | 0.013% | 7,082 |
| 2018 | 0.014% | 11,170 |
| 2019 | 0.012% | 15,093 |
| 2020 | 0.013% | 37,739 |
| 2021 | 0.011% | 41,497 |
| 2022 | 0.0096% | 36,057 |
| 2023 | 0.0088% | 32,977 |
| 2024 | 0.0082% | 29,290 |
| 2025 | 0.0079% | 27,517 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0081% | 8,875 |
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: Najdorf Variation, Opocensky Variation (B92)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-najdorf-variation-opocensky-variation-2