Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Yerevan System
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Statistics from Lichess
658,849 games: White 46.8% / Draw 4.7% / Black 48.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 198,627199K | ||
| 160,106160K | ||
| 159,272159K | ||
| 100,512101K | ||
| 19,25519K | ||
| 7,3647,364 | ||
| 7,0587,058 | ||
| 2,6402,640 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.26 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... d6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Qd2
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 White: White scores 48% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 53% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 236K | |
| 1400–1799 | 469K | |
| 1800–2199 | 337K | |
| 2200 and up | 78K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,427 |
Master games
- Grischuk, A. – Artemiev, V.
- Grischuk, A. – Rapport, R.
- Dubov, D. – Artemiev, V.
- Yu Yangyi – Grachev, B.
- Grischuk, A. – Donchenko, A.
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, Yerevan 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. Nc3 (3 moves).
In 658,849 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.8%, Black 48.5% and 4.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…e6, in 30% 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: O'Kelly Variation, Yerevan System
3…b5 scores best for Black: 52.3%, with Black winning 49.9% and White 45.3% of 159K games. The most played, 3…e6, scores 51.2% in 199K games, and 3…Nc6 scores lowest: 49.0%. Stockfish's first choice is 3…d6.
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, Yerevan System has stayed between 0.025% and 0.031% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.026% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.031% | 10,968 |
| 2017 | 0.029% | 15,716 |
| 2018 | 0.027% | 21,215 |
| 2019 | 0.025% | 31,335 |
| 2020 | 0.025% | 73,040 |
| 2021 | 0.025% | 95,854 |
| 2022 | 0.025% | 92,472 |
| 2023 | 0.025% | 94,907 |
| 2024 | 0.025% | 91,352 |
| 2025 | 0.026% | 91,436 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.027% | 29,072 |
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, Yerevan System (B28)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-okelly-variation-yerevan-system