B63

Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Traditional Variation

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Statistics from Lichess

278,385 games: White 49.7% / Draw 6.4% / Black 43.9%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Neo-Modern Variation, Early Deviations	136,010136K
Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation	120,981121K
	8,0838,083
	7,0597,059
Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Ivanov Variation	3,6363,636
	1,7501,750
	235235
	215215

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.36 White is slightly better

Best play: 7... a6 8. O-O-O Be7 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. f4 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 Qa5 12. Kb1

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

By rating

Players	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400	1,453
1400–1799	18K
1800–2199	104K
2200 and up	161K
Masters, over the board	19K

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 27, 2026

Overview

Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Traditional Variation (ECO B63, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 (7 moves).

In 278,385 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.7%, Black 43.9% and 6.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…a6, in 49% of those games.

It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Neo-Modern Variation, Early Deviations and Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation. In all, 7 named lines continue from it.

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Description

How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Traditional Variation

The most played answer, 7…a6 (Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Neo-Modern Variation, Early Deviations), also scores best for Black: 49.8%, with Black winning 46.3% and White 46.8% of 136K games. Of the main answers, 7…Be7 scores lowest: 44.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7…a6.

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: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Traditional Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.011% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0082% (its peak: 0.012% in 2020).

0.0082%0.011%0.012%

Numbers by year

Year	Share of games	Games
2016	0.0082%	2,915
2017	0.0091%	5,004
2018	0.01%	8,033
2019	0.011%	13,352
2020	0.012%	35,664
2021	0.011%	41,148
2022	0.01%	37,843
2023	0.01%	39,479
2024	0.011%	39,857
2025	0.011%	38,174
2026 (Jan–Apr)	0.011%	12,480

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 (3)

All 7 named lines that continue from here

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Traditional Variation (B63)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-richter-rauzer-variation-traditional-variation