Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation
The Taimanov Variation (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6) is a flexible system in the Sicilian Defense, named after Mark Taimanov. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
9,665,920 games: White 47.6% / Draw 4.9% / Black 47.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| B45 | 4,853,6654.9M | |
| 1,692,9541.7M | ||
| 774,936775K | ||
| 691,747692K | ||
| Szén Variation | 453,263453K | |
| 197,680198K | ||
| 185,668186K | ||
| 182,941183K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 9, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.40 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Nd5 8. Ne4 Bb7 9. Be2 c5
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 51% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 47% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 667K | |
| 1400–1799 | 4.7M | |
| 1800–2199 | 5.7M | |
| 2200 and up | 864K | |
| Masters, over the board | 35K |
Master games
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Carlsen, M.
- Erigaisi, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Kramnik, V. – Caruana, F.
- Carlsen, M. – Harikrishna, P.
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 26, 2026
Description
The Taimanov Variation (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6) is a flexible system in the Sicilian Defense, named after Mark Taimanov. It can also be reached by 2...Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6. Black develops the knight to a natural square and keeps the placement of the other pieces open.
The idea
One of Black's ideas is to develop the king's bishop actively to b4 or c5. Taimanov's own plan was 5...a6, stopping Nb5, followed by ...Nge7, ...Nxd4 and ...Nc6, but the modern treatment is to develop the knight to f6 instead, for example 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be2 a6 7.Be3 Nf6.
Main lines
- 5.Nc3, more common nowadays:
- 5...Qc7, the Bastrikov Variation, the usual move order in recent years; 6.Be3 is the English Attack;
- 5...a6, Taimanov's move. 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bd3, despite its apparent simplicity, has given Black difficulties in reaching equality;
- 5...d6, usually transposing to the Scheveningen Variation;
- 5...Nf6, the Four Knights Variation.
- 5.Nb5, the Szén Variation, stopping ...Bb4 or ...Bc5. After 5...d6 6.c4 White sets up a Maróczy Bind favoured by Anatoly Karpov; 6...Nf6 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 b6 is a type of Hedgehog. The Kasparov Gambit 8...d5, played twice in the 1985 World Championship, virtually disappeared from master practice after Karpov–Van der Wiel, Brussels 1986.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Very flexible: Black can choose between ...Qc7, ...a6, ...d6 and ...Nf6 set-ups.
- Natural development that keeps Black's options open.
Weaknesses
- Against 5.Nb5 and 6.c4 Black gets a cramped Maróczy Bind structure.
- The simple 5...a6 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bd3 has caused Black problems.
Who should play it
The Taimanov suits Black players who want a flexible, positionally rich Sicilian that can transpose to the Scheveningen or the Four Knights when it suits them.
The numbers
On Lichess the results are close: Black leads 49.2% against 47.3% under 1400 and 48.4% against 47.6% at 1400–1799, while at 1800–2199 it is 47.7% for White against 47.3%, and from 2200 up 47.3% against 45.5%. In about 35,000 master games White won 32.8%, Black 27.2%, and 40.0% were drawn.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation
5. c4 scores best for White: 50.8%, with White winning 48.2% and Black 46.6% of 692K games. The most played, 5. Nc3, scores 50.8% in 4.9M games, and 5. Nxc6 scores lowest: 48.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. Nc3.
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: Taimanov Variation peaked in 2018 at 0.45% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.35% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.38% | 135,750 |
| 2017 | 0.41% | 226,483 |
| 2018 | 0.45% | 349,693 |
| 2019 | 0.44% | 551,291 |
| 2020 | 0.41% | 1,197,390 |
| 2021 | 0.38% | 1,475,358 |
| 2022 | 0.36% | 1,365,693 |
| 2023 | 0.36% | 1,337,366 |
| 2024 | 0.36% | 1,283,673 |
| 2025 | 0.35% | 1,203,477 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.34% | 377,013 |
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
Variations (2)
Transpositions
All 18 named lines that continue from here
- B45 Taimanov Variation 5 moves
- B44 Szén Variation 5 moves
- B45 Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation 5 moves
- B83 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Modern Variation 6 moves
- B46 Taimanov Variation 5 moves
- B47 Bastrikov Variation 5 moves
- B44 Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Gary Gambit 8 moves
- B44 Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Modern Line 10 moves
- B45 American Attack 7 moves
- B45 Cobra Variation 6 moves
- B45 Exchange Variation 6 moves
- B45 Sveshnikov Transfer 6 moves
- B85 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Main Line 10 moves
- B85 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Variation, Paulsen Variation 9 moves
- B85 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Variation, Paulsen Variation 10 moves
- B48 English Attack 6 moves
- B47 Ponomariov Gambit 8 moves
- B49 Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation 7 moves
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Sicilian Defence, version of 27 October 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation (B44)”. Lichess data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-taimanov-variation