Caissa Codex
B89

Sicilian Defense: Sozin Attack, Main Line

Chess diagram: Sicilian Defense: Sozin Attack, Main Line after 7. Be3

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

122,080 games: White 50.1% / Draw 4.6% / Black 45.3%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
79,63680K
26,95027K
6,3046,304
1,8271,827
1,2861,286
1,2021,202
1,0911,091
934934

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.25 The position is about equal

Best play: 7... Bd7 8. Bb3 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 b5 10. a4 a6 11. axb5 axb5 12. O-O

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

Overview

Sicilian Defense: Sozin Attack, Main Line (ECO B89, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Sozin Attack, Leonhardt Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Be3 (7 moves).

In 122,080 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.1%, Black 45.3% and 4.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…Be7, in 65% of those games.

It continues into one named variation, Sicilian Defense: Velimirovic Attack.

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How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Sozin Attack, Main Line

7…a6 scores best for Black: 49.2%, with Black winning 46.8% and White 48.5% of 27K games. The most played, 7…Be7, scores 47.6% in 80K games, and 7…Bd7 scores lowest: 47.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 7…Bd7.

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

Variations (1)

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 7. Be3, the position after Sicilian Defense: Sozin Attack, Leonhardt Variation also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Sozin Attack, Main Line (B89)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-sozin-attack-main-line

https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-sozin-attack-main-line