Sicilian Defense: Sozin Attack, Flank Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
183,325 games: White 48.9% / Draw 4.6% / Black 46.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 51,45251K | ||
| 32,32432K | ||
| 29,44329K | ||
| 26,73127K | ||
| 13,14313K | ||
| 11,90712K | ||
| 6,5866,586 | ||
| 6,2666,266 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.16 The position is about equal
Best play: 8. f3 Be7 9. Be3 O-O 10. a3 Bb7 11. Qe2 Nc6 12. O-O-O Nd7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for Black: Black scores 53% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 53% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 5,263 | |
| 1400–1799 | 40K | |
| 1800–2199 | 99K | |
| 2200 and up | 57K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,689 |
Master games
- Kramnik, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Morozevich, A. – Kasparov, G.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Topalov, V.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Gelfand, B.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Wojtaszek, R.
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: Sozin Attack, Flank Variation (ECO B87, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Lipnitsky Attack, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Bb3 b5 (7 moves).
In 183,325 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.9%, Black 46.5% and 4.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. O-O, in 28% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Sozin Attack, Flank Variation
8. f4 scores best for White: 54.0%, with White winning 51.7% and Black 43.7% of 12K games. The most played, 8. O-O, scores 51.5% in 51K games, and 8. a3 scores lowest: 48.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 8. f3.
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: Sozin Attack, Flank Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.0058% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.0084% (its peak: 0.0098% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0084% | 3,010 |
| 2017 | 0.0092% | 5,046 |
| 2018 | 0.0098% | 7,713 |
| 2019 | 0.0086% | 10,678 |
| 2020 | 0.0091% | 26,636 |
| 2021 | 0.0079% | 30,881 |
| 2022 | 0.0069% | 25,858 |
| 2023 | 0.0062% | 23,250 |
| 2024 | 0.0059% | 21,117 |
| 2025 | 0.0058% | 20,231 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0057% | 6,235 |
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: Sozin Attack, Flank Variation (B87)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-sozin-attack-flank-variation