Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Normal System, Taimanov Line
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
422,790 games: White 45.8% / Draw 4.7% / Black 49.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 193,609194K | ||
| 126,004126K | ||
| 84,99085K | ||
| 8,7288,728 | ||
| 8,3738,373 | ||
| 264264 | ||
| 152152 | ||
| 144144 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.34 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Bc4 Bc5 7. Nxe5 Qe7 8. Nd3 Qxe4+ 9. Qe2 Qxe2+
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 48% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 42K | |
| 1400–1799 | 219K | |
| 1800–2199 | 253K | |
| 2200 and up | 30K | |
| Masters, over the board | 56 |
Master games
- Cao, S. – Varga, Z.
- Noble, M. F. – Mokrys, C.
- Stany, G. – Bogner, S.
- Gaponenko, I. – Kalinitschew, S.
- Meijers, V. – Kuijf, 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 27, 2026
Overview
Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Normal System, Taimanov Line (ECO B28, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Normal System, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 a6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 (4 moves).
In 422,790 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.8%, Black 49.4% and 4.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Nf3, in 46% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Normal System, Taimanov Line
5. Nb3 scores best for White: 51.4%, with White winning 48.8% and Black 46.0% of 126K games. The most played answer, 5. Nf3, scores lowest: 47.0% in 194K games. Stockfish's first choice is 5. Nf3.
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: O'Kelly Variation, Normal System, Taimanov Line has lost ground since 2016: 0.015% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.019%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.019% | 6,650 |
| 2017 | 0.02% | 10,855 |
| 2018 | 0.019% | 14,962 |
| 2019 | 0.019% | 23,826 |
| 2020 | 0.019% | 55,015 |
| 2021 | 0.017% | 65,192 |
| 2022 | 0.016% | 60,851 |
| 2023 | 0.015% | 55,563 |
| 2024 | 0.016% | 55,573 |
| 2025 | 0.015% | 52,013 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.014% | 15,816 |
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: O'Kelly Variation, Normal System, Taimanov Line (B28)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-okelly-variation-normal-system-taimanov-line