Sicilian Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, Advance Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
535,507 games: White 48.7% / Draw 5.2% / Black 46.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 491,825492K | ||
| 24,37924K | ||
| 11,62612K | ||
| 4,8104,810 | ||
| 964964 | ||
| 524524 | ||
| 373373 | ||
| 370370 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.62 White is slightly better
Best play: 3... Nd5 4. Nc3 e6 5. Ne4 f5 6. Nc3 Nb4 7. a3 N4c6 8. b4
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 White: White scores 60% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up and 58% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 145K | |
| 1400–1799 | 241K | |
| 1800–2199 | 296K | |
| 2200 and up | 109K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,036 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Duda, J.
- So, W. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Karjakin, S. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Nakamura, H. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Anand, V. – Mamedyarov, S.
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: Nimzowitsch Variation, Advance Variation (ECO B29, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e5 (3 moves).
In 535,507 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.7%, Black 46.0% and 5.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Nd5, in 92% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Sicilian Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, Exchange Variation and Sicilian Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, Main Line.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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Popularity by year
The Sicilian Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, Advance Variation holds steady at about 0.02% of Lichess games a year since 2016.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.02% | 7,051 |
| 2017 | 0.02% | 10,877 |
| 2018 | 0.021% | 16,733 |
| 2019 | 0.021% | 26,285 |
| 2020 | 0.021% | 62,489 |
| 2021 | 0.021% | 82,990 |
| 2022 | 0.02% | 76,474 |
| 2023 | 0.021% | 77,506 |
| 2024 | 0.021% | 73,677 |
| 2025 | 0.02% | 70,687 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.021% | 22,748 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, Advance Variation (B29)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-nimzowitsch-variation-advance-variation