B40

Sicilian Defense: Paulsen-Basman Defense

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Statistics from Lichess

956,789 games: White 46.9% / Draw 4.2% / Black 48.9%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
	275,556276K
	251,805252K
	251,222251K
	67,18067K
	24,67625K
	21,47121K
	21,30321K
	14,25814K

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.83 White is better

Best play: 5. Be3 Nf6 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. e5 Nd5 8. Bd2 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Bf8

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 50% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up and 44% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

Players	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400	137K
1400–1799	647K
1800–2199	499K
2200 and up	55K
Masters, over the board	383

Master games

Inarkiev, E. – Vitiugov, N. 1–0, 2016
Leko, P. – Vitiugov, N. ½–½, 2015
Volokitin, A. – Vitiugov, N. ½–½, 2016
Kasimdzhanov, R. – Fedoseev, V. ½–½, 2015
Wang, Z. – Ye, J. ½–½, 2001

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: Paulsen-Basman Defense (ECO B40, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 (4 moves).

In 956,789 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.9%, Black 48.9% and 4.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Nc3, in 29% of those games.

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Description

How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Paulsen-Basman Defense

5. Nb3 scores best for White: 53.2%, with White winning 51.1% and Black 44.8% of 251K games. The most played, 5. Nc3, scores 48.0% in 276K games, and 5. Be3 scores lowest: 47.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. Be3.

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: Paulsen-Basman Defense has lost ground since 2016: 0.032% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.041%.

0.041%0.032%0.044%

Numbers by year

Year	Share of games	Games
2016	0.041%	14,691
2017	0.041%	22,634
2018	0.044%	34,167
2019	0.041%	51,401
2020	0.04%	116,884
2021	0.038%	149,010
2022	0.036%	134,452
2023	0.038%	142,077
2024	0.036%	128,686
2025	0.032%	112,253
2026 (Jan–Apr)	0.032%	35,277

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: Paulsen-Basman Defense (B40)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-paulsen-basman-defense