Tree path 5 levels King's Pawn Game › Sicilian Defense › Wing Gambit › Marshall Variation › Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Carlsbad Variation
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game B00
- Sicilian Defense B20
- Wing Gambit B20
- Marshall Variation B20
- Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Carlsbad Variation B20 you are here
Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Carlsbad Variation
Overview
Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Carlsbad Variation is a gambit, classified under ECO code B20 within the Semi-Open Games family. As with all gambits, one side sacrifices material early — usually a pawn — in exchange for development, open lines, or initiative.
The Semi-Open Games group covers semi-open games — replies to 1.e4 where Black declines the symmetrical 1…e5 in favour of an asymmetric pawn structure.
Play reaches this position via 1. e4 c5 2. b4 cxb4 3. a3 bxa3, after 6 plies of opening development.
It is a variation of Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Marshall Variation, which itself descends from the root opening King's Pawn Game.
Step through the moves on the interactive board below, review the live Lichess statistics, or play this position against Stockfish at one of six difficulty levels.
- ECO code
- B20
- Group
- Semi-Open Games (B)
- Plies
- 6
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
785,391 games · White 49.8% / Draw 4.0% / Black 46.2%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Bxa3 | 357,519 | |
| Nxa3 | 204,708 | |
| d4 | 160,956 | |
| Rxa3 | 33,118 | |
| Nf3 | 15,221 | |
| c3 | 5,698 | |
| Bc4 | 2,648 | |
| f4 | 2,030 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 01:20:27
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