Chess Codex
Tree path 9 levels King's Pawn Game › Sicilian Defense › Sicilian Defense › French Variation › Open › Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation › Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation › Bastrikov Variation › Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Variation, Paulsen Variation
  1. Chess Codex
  2. King's Pawn Game B00
  3. Sicilian Defense B20
  4. Sicilian Defense B27
  5. French Variation B40
  6. Open B40
  7. Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation B44
  8. Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation B45
  9. Bastrikov Variation B47
  10. Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Variation, Paulsen Variation B85 you are here
B85

Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Variation, Paulsen Variation

Open in Lichess
Share: X Reddit Telegram Facebook
Play from here → Click pieces to play, or use ← / → arrows.

Overview

Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Variation, Paulsen Variation is a variation within the Semi-Open Games family, indexed as ECO B85.

The Semi-Open Games group covers semi-open games — replies to 1.e4 where Black declines the symmetrical 1…e5 in favour of an asymmetric pawn structure.

It is reached after 19 plies of play, with the move sequence 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 a6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Kh1 Be7 9. f4 d6 10. a4.

It is a variation of Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation, which itself descends from the root opening King's Pawn Game.

Step through the moves on the interactive board below, review the live Lichess statistics, or play this position against Stockfish at one of six difficulty levels.

ECO code
B85
Group
Semi-Open Games (B)
Plies
19
Parent
Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation

This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.

Statistics from Lichess

1,907 games · White 51.1% / Draw 5.9% / Black 43.1%

MovesGamesW / D / B
O-O1,171
Bd7307
b6181
Nxd4102
e538
Rb825
Na524
h523

Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 03:22:22

Write a description

Markdown supported (headings ###, bold, lists, links). Submissions are reviewed before publishing.

Related variations at the same level

Sister lines that share the same parent Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation:

https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-scheveningen-variation-classical-variation-paulsen-variation-3