Sicilian Defense: Nimzo-American Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
248,232 games: White 48.0% / Draw 6.9% / Black 45.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 99,10399K | ||
| 90,13490K | ||
| 33,04933K | ||
| 18,11418K | ||
| 4,0784,078 | ||
| 1,3361,336 | ||
| 634634 | ||
| 405405 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.97 White is better
Best play: 5. exd5 Qxd5 6. Be3 e6 7. Nc3 Bb4 8. Qd3 Nf6 9. a3 Qa5
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 better this line does for Black: Black scores 45% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 19K | |
| 1400–1799 | 92K | |
| 1800–2199 | 164K | |
| 2200 and up | 22K | |
| Masters, over the board | 169 |
Master games
- Ivanchuk, V. – Polgar, Z.
- Short, N. D. – Polgar, Z.
- Smeets, J. – Reinderman, D.
- Acs, P. – Varga, Z.
- Adams, M. – Polgar, Z.
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: Nimzo-American Variation (ECO B32, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Open, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 d5 (4 moves).
In 248,232 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.0%, Black 45.2% and 6.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Nxc6, in 40% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Nimzo-American Variation
5. Bb5 scores best for White: 57.1%, with White winning 53.7% and Black 39.5% of 33K games. The most played, 5. Nxc6, scores 50.1% in 99K games, and 5. Nc3 scores lowest: 49.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. exd5.
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: Nimzo-American Variation has stayed between 0.009% and 0.01% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.0093% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.009% | 3,224 |
| 2017 | 0.01% | 5,557 |
| 2018 | 0.0098% | 7,663 |
| 2019 | 0.01% | 13,004 |
| 2020 | 0.0099% | 29,106 |
| 2021 | 0.0095% | 37,358 |
| 2022 | 0.0098% | 36,895 |
| 2023 | 0.0095% | 35,880 |
| 2024 | 0.0092% | 33,085 |
| 2025 | 0.0093% | 32,260 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.009% | 9,851 |
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: Nimzo-American Variation (B32)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-nimzo-american-variation