Caissa Codex
B81

Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack

Chess diagram: Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack after 6. g4

Type a move and press Enter: e4, Nf3, O-O, or from and to squares like g1f3 (e7e8q to promote). The board is also played with the mouse.

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Statistics from Lichess

133,305 games: White 54.7% / Draw 5.1% / Black 40.3%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
55,73756K
29,40429K
19,34319K
13,19413K
11,61112K
1,2011,201
1,0491,049
439439

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

Engine evaluation

+0.63 White is slightly better

Best play: 6... h6 7. Rg1 Nc6 8. Be3 Be7 9. Qe2 Nxd4 10. Bxd4 Bd7 11. e5

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

Overview

Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack (ECO B81, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. g4 (6 moves).

In 133,305 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.7%, Black 40.3% and 5.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…h6, in 42% of those games.

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How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack

6…e5 scores best for Black: 46.9%, with Black winning 44.5% and White 50.7% of 12K games. The most played, 6…h6, scores 43.9% in 56K games, and 6…Be7 scores lowest: 38.9%. Stockfish's first choice is 6…h6.

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

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 6. g4, the position after Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Keres Attack (B81)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-scheveningen-variation-keres-attack

https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-scheveningen-variation-keres-attack