Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
26,453 games: White 55.3% / Draw 8.2% / Black 36.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 14,35614K | ||
| 11,91812K | ||
| 7575 | ||
| 7575 | ||
| 2121 | ||
| 88 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... Nbd7 7. Nb3 a6 8. Bxd7+ Nxd7 9. Be3 Nf6 10. Bg5 Be7 11. Qd3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack (ECO B55, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. f3 e5 6. Bb5+ (6 moves).
In 26,453 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 55.3%, Black 36.5% and 8.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Bd7, in 54% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack
6…Nbd7 scores best for Black: 44.8%, with Black winning 40.3% and White 50.7% of 12K games. The most played answer, 6…Bd7, scores lowest: 37.2% in 14K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…Nbd7.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Prins Variation, Venice Attack (B55)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-prins-variation-venice-attack