Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
453,074 games: White 52.3% / Draw 5.0% / Black 42.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 212,334212K | ||
| 100,681101K | ||
| 45,56846K | ||
| 44,04144K | ||
| 29,57630K | ||
| 9,0359,035 | ||
| 5,6375,637 | ||
| 2,6822,682 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.16 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... d6 6. c4 Nf6 7. N1c3 a6 8. Nd4 Be7 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O
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 55% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up and 50% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 7,464 | |
| 1400–1799 | 121K | |
| 1800–2199 | 296K | |
| 2200 and up | 64K | |
| Masters, over the board | 3,403 |
Master games
- Kasparov, G. – Anand, V.
- Aronian, L. – Praggnanandhaa, R.
- Leko, P. – Morozevich, A.
- Leko, P. – Grischuk, A.
- Leko, P. – Morozevich, 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: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation (ECO B44, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nb5 (5 moves).
In 453,074 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.3%, Black 42.7% and 5.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…d6, in 47% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Modern Line and Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Gary Gambit.
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: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation
The most played answer, 5…d6, also scores best for Black: 48.9%, with Black winning 46.3% and White 48.4% of 212K games. Of the main answers, 5…d5 scores lowest: 37.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…d6.
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
The Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation peaked in 2018 at 0.022% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.017% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.018% | 6,252 |
| 2017 | 0.02% | 10,951 |
| 2018 | 0.022% | 17,268 |
| 2019 | 0.022% | 27,199 |
| 2020 | 0.019% | 56,426 |
| 2021 | 0.017% | 65,353 |
| 2022 | 0.017% | 62,127 |
| 2023 | 0.017% | 62,293 |
| 2024 | 0.017% | 59,416 |
| 2025 | 0.017% | 59,028 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.017% | 18,655 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation (B44)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-taimanov-variation-szen-variation