Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Venice System
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Statistics from Lichess
718,808 games: White 49.9% / Draw 5.5% / Black 44.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 216,479216K | ||
| 169,939170K | ||
| 101,724102K | ||
| Ljubojevic Line | 68,39068K | |
| Steiner Line | 67,83268K | |
| Barcza Line | 46,33846K | |
| 26,47226K | ||
| 6,0126,012 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.38 White is slightly better
Best play: 3... d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. d4 Nf6 6. Be3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Qd8 8. Nc3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 54% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up and 57% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 66K | |
| 1400–1799 | 299K | |
| 1800–2199 | 408K | |
| 2200 and up | 123K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,928 |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Artemiev, V.
- Karjakin, S. – Svidler, P.
- So, W. – Artemiev, V.
- Aronian, L. – Artemiev, V.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Artemiev, V.
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, Venice System (ECO B28, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 a6 3. c3 (3 moves).
In 718,808 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.9%, Black 44.6% and 5.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…d5, in 30% of those games.
It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Venice System, Steiner Line and Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Venice System, Ljubojevic Line.
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: O'Kelly Variation, Venice System
The most played answer, 3…d5, also scores best for Black: 49.4%, with Black winning 46.1% and White 47.3% of 216K games. Of the main answers, 3…Nc6 scores lowest: 44.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…d5.
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
The Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Venice System has gained ground since 2016: 0.032% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.025%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.025% | 9,055 |
| 2017 | 0.028% | 15,145 |
| 2018 | 0.028% | 22,307 |
| 2019 | 0.026% | 32,167 |
| 2020 | 0.025% | 73,358 |
| 2021 | 0.025% | 98,803 |
| 2022 | 0.027% | 101,014 |
| 2023 | 0.028% | 104,888 |
| 2024 | 0.029% | 103,038 |
| 2025 | 0.032% | 110,528 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.033% | 35,850 |
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 (4)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Venice System (B28)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-okelly-variation-venice-system