- The moves1. e4 c5
- Chosen byBlack
- ECOB20–B99
The Sicilian Defense comes after 1.e4 c5. Just like 1…e5, the pawn on c5 controls the d4 square, but it does so from the side. The position is unbalanced from the start: White usually gets the initiative on the kingside, Black gets space and counterplay on the queenside.
The Italian Giulio Polerio already analyzed the opening in a manuscript from 1594. The name comes from an old Italian manuscript that spoke of il gioco siciliano, “the Sicilian game.” For a long time it was frowned upon: José Raúl Capablanca thought Black's position was full of holes. In the second half of the 1900s, though, it became the great weapon against 1.e4, largely thanks to the world champions Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov, who both played it for almost their whole careers.
The main line, move by move
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 Be7 9. Qd2 O-O 10. O-O-O
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The ideas
White wants to
- Make use of the lead in development and the space in the center.
- In many lines: castle queenside and storm Black's king with the kingside pawns.
- Keep Black's breaks …d5 and …b5 under control.
Black wants to
- Use the half-open c-file with rook and queen, and attack on the queenside with …a6 and …b5.
- Make use of the pawn majority in the center. A successful …d5 usually means Black has equalized.
- Play to win. The Sicilian rarely gives quiet games, and that is the point.
Important variations
Dragon Variation: 5…g6
Black fianchettoes the bishop to g7, where it aims down the whole long diagonal. The name was given in 1901 by the Russian master Fyodor Dus-Chotimirsky, who thought the pawns on d6, e7, f7, g6 and h7 looked like the constellation Draco, the Dragon. White's most dangerous answer is the Yugoslav Attack with Be3, f3, Qd2 and castling queenside. The kings are on opposite wings, and it becomes a race between two attacks.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. O-O-O
5… g6
The Dragon Variation. The bishop is heading for g7.
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Alapin Variation: 2.c3
White prepares d4 so as to take back with the c-pawn and keep two pawns in the center. Semyon Alapin played the move in the late 1800s. Black should strike back at once, with 2…d5 or 2…Nf6. After 2…d5 Black's queen can stay in the center, because the pawn on c3 stops White from chasing it with Nc3. Later, White often gets an isolated pawn on d4.
1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4
2. c3
The Alapin Variation. White wants to build a classical pawn center.
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Göteborg Variation: the Najdorf with 6.Bg5
For a long time 6.Bg5 was the main line against the Najdorf. In round 14 of the 1955 Interzonal in Gothenburg, the Argentine players Najdorf, Panno and Pilnik had prepared 8…h6 and 9…g5 and played it at the same time against Keres, Geller and Spassky. Efim Geller found the sacrifice 11.Nxe6, and all three Argentines lost. Read the whole story in the game Geller–Panno.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Qf3 h6 9. Bh4 g5 10. fxg5 Nfd7 11. Nxe6
6. Bg5
The old main line. The bishop pins the knight on f6.
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The trap: the Siberian Trap in the Smith-Morra Gambit
In the Smith-Morra Gambit, White sacrifices a pawn with 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 to get quick development. The Siberian Variation is Black's answer with …e6, …Nf6 and …Qc7, and it sets a trap. If White plays the natural 9.h3??, 9…Nd4! follows. The knight attacks the queen on e2 and the knight on f3, which together with the king protects h2 against Black's queen and knight. Black wins the queen, and if White takes the knight with 10.Nxd4, it is mate on h2.
1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. O-O Qc7 8. Qe2 Ng4 9. h3 Nd4 10. Nxd4 Qh2#
10… Qh2#
Mate. The knight on g4 protects the queen, and the king has no escape squares.
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How it goes in real games
How the games ended once the position had come up on the board, in blitz, rapid and classical games. White wins, draws and Black wins, as a percentage of the games.
| Position | Level | Games | White wins | Draw | Black wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sicilian Defense 1. e4 c5 | Club players | 366,614,827 | 48% | 5% | 47% |
| Beginners | 167,454,817 | 47% | 4% | 49% | |
| Sicilian Defense, main line 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 Be7 9. Qd2 O-O 10. O-O-O | Club players | 242,057 | 49% | 4% | 47% |
| Beginners | 6,495 | 56% | 3% | 41% | |
| Dragon Variation: 5…g6 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. O-O-O | Club players | 1,194,999 | 51% | 6% | 44% |
| Beginners | 53,697 | 60% | 3% | 37% | |
| Alapin Variation: 2.c3 1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 | Club players | 296,729 | 49% | 7% | 43% |
| Beginners | 7,790 | 48% | 4% | 48% |
The most common continuations after 1. e4 c5
Club players, share of the games in the position.
- 2.Nf3 57% (209,140,943 games)
- 2.Nc3 9% (32,907,810 games)
- 2.Bc4 8% (28,718,087 games)
- 2.d4 7% (26,849,971 games)
- 2.c3 6% (21,785,758 games)
Source: games on Lichess, fetched October 28, 2026. Club players means games where the players average 1600 or more, beginners games where they average 1000–1599.
Is this opening for you?
The Sicilian Defense suits players who want to play for a win with Black and enjoy sharp, unbalanced positions. The price is theory: in the big lines you have to know what you are doing, because White often has dangerous attacks.
For beginners it can be wise to learn 1…e5 and the open games first. But if you love tactics and complications you will rarely be bored here, and many players stay with the Sicilian all their lives.
A famous game
Kasparov played the Sicilian in the sixteenth game of the 1985 world championship match, one of his most famous games. Karpov vs. Kasparov, Game 16
Practice the main line
Choose a color and one of the house players. Your opponent follows the main line, and you try to find your moves. If you play something else, you'll see the main line's move, but the game goes on. When the main line ends, you play freely.
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The main line with all the comments as text
1. e4 c5 The Sicilian Defense. The pawn controls d4 but leaves the symmetry behind. 2. Nf3 The most common move. White prepares d4. 2… d6 Black prepares …Nf6 without White being able to answer e5. 3. d4 White opens the center. Now it is an Open Sicilian. 3… cxd4 Black trades the c-pawn for White's d-pawn. It is a good trade for Black: two center pawns against one, and a half-open c-file to work on. 4. Nxd4 White has a lead in development and more space. Black has the center pawns and the c-file. That is what the Sicilian battle looks like. 4… Nf6 The knight attacks e4. 5. Nc3 The pawn is protected. Now Black has several famous choices: 5…a6, 5…g6, 5…e6 and 5…Nc6. 5… a6 The Najdorf Variation, the most popular system in the Sicilian. The move takes the b5 square from White's pieces and prepares both …e5 and …b5. 6. Be3 The English Attack, popular since English grandmasters such as John Nunn and Nigel Short played it in the 1980s. The plan is f3, Qd2, castling queenside and a pawn storm with g4. 6… e5 Black gains space in the center and chases the knight. 7. Nb3 The knight retreats. 7… Be6 The bishop watches d5 and b3. Black then develops with …Be7, …Nbd7, …Qc7, …O-O and …b5. 8. f3 The pawn supports e4 and prepares g4. 8… Be7 9. Qd2 O-O 10. O-O-O Castling on opposite sides. Now it is a race: White storms the kingside with g4 and g5, Black attacks the queenside with …b5 and …b4. Whoever gets there first usually wins.
More openings
French Defense
1…e6 and 2…d5. Black builds a wall and attacks White's pawn chain at the base.
Caro-Kann Defense
1…c6 and 2…d5. As stable as the French, but the bishop on c8 gets out.
Scandinavian Defense
1…d5 at once. Black forces an open game from the first move.
Pirc Defense
Black fianchettoes and lets White take the center, then strikes at it.
Every move on this page has been checked against the rules of chess.
Updated November 6, 2026
1… c5
The Sicilian Defense. The pawn controls d4 but leaves the symmetry behind.