B49

Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation 6…a6 7. Be2

Chess diagram: Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation after 7. Be2

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Statistics from Lichess

302,138 games: White 43.8% / Draw 5.3% / Black 50.9%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
	206,762207K
	52,95753K
	16,23116K
	4,7494,749
	4,6954,695
	4,5564,556
	3,4203,420
	1,7151,715

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.29 The position is about equal

Best play: 7... Nf6 8. O-O Be7 9. f4 d6 10. Qe1 O-O 11. Qg3 Nxd4 12. Bxd4

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

By rating

Rating changes little here: White scores 49% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 52% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

Players	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400	3,532
1400–1799	77K
1800–2199	199K
2200 and up	43K
Masters, over the board	1,888

Master games

Carlsen, M. – Nepomniachtchi, I. ½–½, 2021
Vachier Lagrave, M. – Grischuk, A. 0–1, 2017
Topalov, V. – Svidler, P. 1–0, 2014
Karjakin, S. – Morozevich, A. 1–0, 2012
Karjakin, S. – Morozevich, A. ½–½, 2012

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: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation (ECO B49, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation, English Attack, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Be2 (7 moves).

In 302,138 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 43.8%, Black 50.9% and 5.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…Nf6, in 68% of those games.

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Description

How to answer 7. Be2

7…b5 scores best for Black: 54.8%, with Black winning 52.1% and White 42.5% of 53K games. The most played, 7…Nf6, scores 54.3% in 207K games, and 7…Bb4 scores lowest: 51.0%. Stockfish's first choice is 7…Nf6.

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

Popularity by year

This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.01% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.016%.

0.016%0.01%0.017%

Numbers by year

Year	Share of games	Games
2016	0.016%	5,744
2017	0.016%	8,823
2018	0.017%	13,647
2019	0.015%	18,589
2020	0.013%	39,486
2021	0.011%	44,924
2022	0.011%	40,479
2023	0.01%	39,413
2024	0.011%	38,985
2025	0.01%	35,663
2026 (Jan–Apr)	0.01%	11,033

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: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation (B49)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-taimanov-variation-bastrikov-variation-2