Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Pin Defense
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
576,204 games: White 49.3% / Draw 4.4% / Black 46.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 446,140446K | ||
| 52,23452K | ||
| 27,15127K | ||
| 13,05413K | ||
| 10,59811K | ||
| 7,6527,652 | ||
| 5,3295,329 | ||
| 5,3135,313 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 9, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.16 The position is about equal
Best play: 7. O-O Nge7 8. a3 Bxc3 9. bxc3 O-O 10. Re1 Qc7 11. Ra2 d5
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 50% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 19K | |
| 1400–1799 | 212K | |
| 1800–2199 | 378K | |
| 2200 and up | 48K | |
| Masters, over the board | 86 |
Master games
- Ohtake, S. – Schüppel, R.
- Luque Saiz, A. – Kryvoruchko, Y.
- Van Wijgerden, C. – Panno, O.
- Schmidt, H. – Zakhartsov, V. V.
- Stopa, J. – Kosteniuk, 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: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Pin Defense (ECO B21, Semi-Open Games) is a gambit in the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 Bb4 (6 moves).
In 576,204 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.3%, Black 46.3% and 4.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. O-O, in 77% 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: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Pin Defense
The most played answer, 7. O-O, also scores best for White: 52.2%, with White winning 50.0% and Black 45.6% of 446K games. Of the main answers, 7. Bd2 scores lowest: 48.1%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7. O-O.
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: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Pin Defense has gained ground since 2016: 0.025% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.019%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.019% | 6,683 |
| 2017 | 0.019% | 10,444 |
| 2018 | 0.02% | 15,698 |
| 2019 | 0.021% | 25,681 |
| 2020 | 0.018% | 53,890 |
| 2021 | 0.02% | 77,685 |
| 2022 | 0.023% | 84,839 |
| 2023 | 0.024% | 90,693 |
| 2024 | 0.024% | 87,547 |
| 2025 | 0.025% | 85,514 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.025% | 27,727 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Pin Defense (B21)”. Lichess data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-smith-morra-gambit-accepted-pin-defense