Caissa Codex
B32

Sicilian Defense: Open 3. d4 cxd4

Chess diagram: Sicilian Defense: Open after 3…cxd4

Type a move and press Enter: e4, Nf3, O-O, or from and to squares like g1f3 (e7e8q to promote). The board is also played with the mouse.

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Statistics from Lichess

42,411,863 games: White 48.3% / Draw 5.1% / Black 46.7%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
39,559,09339.6M
1,867,8591.9M
755,692756K
113,712114K
41,11241K
28,25728K
10,25310K
7,9007,900

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.31 White is slightly better

Best play: 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

By rating

Rating changes little here: Black scores 49% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 47% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

PlayersGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400 3.6M
1400–1799 20.5M
1800–2199 25.5M
2200 and up 3.5M
Masters, over the board 78K

Master games

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 26, 2026

Overview

Sicilian Defense: Open (ECO B32, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Open, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 (3 moves).

In 42,411,863 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.3%, Black 46.7% and 5.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Nxd4, in 93% of those games.

It continues into one named variation. In all, 51 named lines continue from it.

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Popularity by year

This line peaked in 2019 at 2.0% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 1.5% in 2025.

Numbers by year
YearShare of gamesGames
20161.6%556,788
20171.7%936,143
20181.8%1,419,927
20192.0%2,554,847
20201.9%5,659,018
20211.7%6,752,910
20221.6%6,010,317
20231.5%5,796,604
20241.5%5,370,478
20251.5%5,078,681
2026 (Jan–Apr)1.5%1,610,162

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 (1)

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 3…cxd4, the position after Sicilian Defense: Open also goes on to:

Transpositions

This position is also reached from these lines, by another move order:

All 51 named lines that continue from here

Loading sub-variations…

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Open (B32)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-open-2

https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-open-2