Sicilian Defense: Pin Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
940,716 games: White 45.5% / Draw 4.6% / Black 49.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 376,608377K | ||
| Koch Variation | 146,787147K | |
| 122,209122K | ||
| 101,084101K | ||
| 69,81870K | ||
| 32,97433K | ||
| 30,76031K | ||
| 13,84214K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.87 White is better
Best play: 6. e5 Nd5 7. Qg4 Kf8 8. Bd3 h5 9. Qe4 Kg8 10. Bd2 Nxc3
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 51% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up and 38% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 36K | |
| 1400–1799 | 324K | |
| 1800–2199 | 618K | |
| 2200 and up | 93K | |
| Masters, over the board | 521 |
Master games
- Leko, P. – Aronian, L.
- Gukesh, D. – Erigaisi, A.
- Bologan, V. – Erigaisi, A.
- Short, N. – Erigaisi, A.
- Svane, F. – Erigaisi, 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: Pin Variation (ECO B40, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Normal, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 (5 moves).
In 940,716 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.5%, Black 49.9% and 4.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Bd3, in 40% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Sicilian Defense: Pin Variation, Koch Variation and Sicilian Defense: Pin Variation, Jaffe Variation.
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: Pin Variation
6. e5 (Koch Variation) scores best for White: 53.1%, with White winning 50.6% and Black 44.5% of 147K games. The most played, 6. Bd3, scores 50.6% in 377K games, and 6. Bg5 scores lowest: 36.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. e5.
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: Pin Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.028% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.046% (its peak: 0.061% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.046% | 16,260 |
| 2017 | 0.05% | 27,472 |
| 2018 | 0.061% | 47,825 |
| 2019 | 0.053% | 66,048 |
| 2020 | 0.048% | 140,122 |
| 2021 | 0.038% | 150,504 |
| 2022 | 0.034% | 127,457 |
| 2023 | 0.031% | 117,629 |
| 2024 | 0.03% | 107,369 |
| 2025 | 0.028% | 96,862 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.027% | 29,726 |
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 (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Pin Variation (B40)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-pin-variation