Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Traditional Line
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Statistics from Lichess
418,636 games: White 51.3% / Draw 4.6% / Black 44.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 390,890391K | ||
| 14,09714K | ||
| 7,6097,609 | ||
| 2,7542,754 | ||
| 1,0031,003 | ||
| 603603 | ||
| 219219 | ||
| 202202 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.31 White is slightly better
Best play: 9. O-O-O h6 10. Bh4 Nbd7 11. Bd3 g5 12. fxg5 Ne5 13. Qe2 Nfg4
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 | 622 | |
| 1400–1799 | 24K | |
| 1800–2199 | 264K | |
| 2200 and up | 134K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,544 |
Master games
- Ivanchuk, V. – Topalov, V.
- Leko, P. – Morozevich, A.
- Karjakin, S. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Grischuk, A. – Aronian, L.
- Grischuk, A. – Dominguez Perez, L.
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, Traditional Line (ECO B98, 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 e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Qf3 Qc7 (8 moves).
In 418,636 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.3%, Black 44.1% and 4.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 9. O-O-O, in 93% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Main Line.
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Popularity by year
The Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Traditional Line peaked in 2018 at 0.022% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.013% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.016% | 5,572 |
| 2017 | 0.021% | 11,307 |
| 2018 | 0.022% | 17,106 |
| 2019 | 0.019% | 23,383 |
| 2020 | 0.019% | 55,188 |
| 2021 | 0.018% | 68,816 |
| 2022 | 0.017% | 62,448 |
| 2023 | 0.015% | 55,868 |
| 2024 | 0.014% | 51,892 |
| 2025 | 0.013% | 46,391 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.013% | 14,393 |
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 (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Traditional Line (B98)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-najdorf-variation-traditional-line