- The moves1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5
- OpeningSicilian Defense
- Chosen byBlack
- ECOB33
- Also calledLasker–Pelikan Variation
The Sveshnikov Variation comes after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5. The move looks wrong: the pawn on d6 becomes backward and the d5 square weak. But Black gains time on White's knight, which often ends up on the edge of the board, and gets a firm foothold in the center.
For a long time it was called the Lasker–Pelikan Variation, after world champion Emanuel Lasker, who played it once in his 1910 world championship match against Carl Schlechter, and Jorge Pelikan, who played it a few times in the 1950s. It was considered dubious until the Soviet grandmaster Evgeny Sveshnikov and his close friend Gennadi Timoshchenko reworked it in the 1970s. Sveshnikov's improvement was 8…b5 in the main line, which is also known as the Chelyabinsk Variation. Chelyabinsk is the city where Sveshnikov was born.
Today the variation is played by grandmasters and club players alike. Vladimir Kramnik and Valery Salov were regarded as experts in it, and Magnus Carlsen chose it three times against Fabiano Caruana in the 2018 world championship match. Those three games were drawn, and in the tiebreak Carlsen won a game with the same variation.
The main line, move by move
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3
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The plans
White wants to
- Take control of the d5 square and put a knight there that no black piece can trade off.
- Bring the knight back from a3, via c2 to e3 or b4.
- Break up Black's queenside pawns with a4.
Black wants to
- Break with …f5 and smash White's grip on the center.
- Use the bishop pair and the active knight on c6.
- Trade off or drive away White's knight on d5, so that the pawn on d6 stops being a weakness.
The pawn structure
Black's pawns on d6 and e5 leave the d5 square without pawn cover, and the pawn on d6 can't advance without help. That is the price of …e5. In return Black has space, and the pawn on e5 keeps White's pieces away from d4 and f4.
After 9.Bxf6 gxf6 the structure is a different one altogether: Black has doubled f-pawns, but can use them for …f5 and a strong center.
Important lines
9.Bxf6 gxf6: the sharp road
White takes on f6 at once, and Black has to recapture with the pawn: 9…Qxf6 goes badly after 10.Nd5 Qd8 11.c4. Black gets doubled pawns and a broken kingside, but also the bishop pair, and White's knight on a3 is far away. Black's plan is 10…f5, then …fxe4 and …f5 again with the other f-pawn, to take over the center.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5
7.Nd5: the side road from the 2018 match
With 7.Nd5 White avoids the big main lines. After 7…Nxd5 8.exd5 Black's knight on c6 is attacked and has to move. White gets a pawn majority on the queenside, and Black looks for counterplay on the kingside. Fabiano Caruana chose this road every time Magnus Carlsen played the Sveshnikov against him in the 2018 world championship match. In games 8 and 10 Carlsen answered 8…Nb8 and in game 12 8…Ne7, and all three were drawn. In the tiebreak Carlsen won with 8…Ne7.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Nd5 Nxd5 8. exd5 Nb8
7. Nd5
White trades off the knight on f6 at once, without Bg5.
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6.Nb3: a cautious knight move
White can retreat the knight quietly instead of going to b5. But then Black has no problem with the d6 square, and 6…Bb4 pins the knight on c3 and threatens to win the pawn on e4. The same answer works against 6.Nf3. With 6.Nxc6 bxc6 Black gets an extra pawn in the center and good play.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Nb3 Bb4
How it goes in real games
How the games ended once they had reached the positions, in blitz, rapid and classical games. White wins, draws and Black wins, as a percentage of the games. A position counts however the game got there.
| Position | Level | Games | White wins | Draw | Black wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sveshnikov Variation 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 | Club players | 3,643,979 | 47% | 6% | 47% |
| Strong players | 1,888,546 | 48% | 7% | 46% | |
| Sveshnikov Variation, main line 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 | Club players | 734,734 | 48% | 8% | 44% |
| Strong players | 539,795 | 48% | 8% | 44% | |
| 9.Bxf6 gxf6: the sharp road 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 | Club players | 189,852 | 53% | 5% | 41% |
| Strong players | 154,045 | 54% | 6% | 41% | |
| 7.Nd5: the side road from the 2018 match 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Nd5 Nxd5 8. exd5 Nb8 | Club players | 224,453 | 49% | 6% | 45% |
| Strong players | 164,822 | 50% | 6% | 44% | |
| 6.Nb3: a cautious knight move 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Nb3 Bb4 | Club players | 820,122 | 46% | 5% | 49% |
| Strong players | 250,708 | 45% | 6% | 49% |
The most common moves after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5
Share of the games in the position, for club players and strong players. A dash means the move isn't among the most common in that group.
| Move | Club players | Strong players |
|---|---|---|
| 6.Ndb5 | 60% (2,177,022) | 75% (1,415,986) |
| 6.Nxc6 | 14% (494,911) | 8% (159,055) |
| 6.Nb3 | 12% (442,188) | 9% (165,378) |
| 6.Nf3 | 7% (272,545) | 4% (69,514) |
| 6.Nf5 | 6% (212,017) | 3% (54,883) |
Source: games on Lichess, fetched November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026. Club players means games where the players average 1600 or more, strong players games where they average 2000 or more. Positions that aren't in our numbers aren't shown.
Explore the position on the analysis board: the moves club players choose from here, how the games tend to end, and what Lavi thinks of each move.
The main line with all the comments as text
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 The Sveshnikov Variation. The knight on d4 is attacked and has to move. 6. Ndb5 The critical move, threatening Nd6+. Other knight moves usually let Black equalize without trouble. 6… d6 Black stops Nd6+. Now the pawn on d6 is backward. 7. Bg5 White wants to trade off the knight on f6, one of the defenders of d5. 7… a6 The knight on b5 is chased toward the edge. 8. Na3 On a3 the knight stands badly, but it will come back. 8… b5 Sveshnikov's improvement. The pawn takes the c4 square from the knight and threatens …b4, which would fork both of White's knights. 9. Nd5 The most common reply. The knight takes up its post on d5 before …b4 comes. 9… Be7 Black develops and prepares to castle. 10. Bxf6 White trades off the knight that could otherwise challenge the knight on d5. 10… Bxf6 11. c3 White keeps the knight on d5 and wants to bring the a3-knight back into play via c2 and e3. The position is balanced.
Read more
Sicilian Defense
1…c5 breaks the symmetry at once. Combative, sharp and loved by Fischer and Kasparov.
Najdorf Variation
5…a6: a small move and an enormous body of theory. Fischer's and Kasparov's weapon.
Dragon Variation
5…g6: the dragon on g7 and the race to the kings.
Every move on this page has been checked against the rules of chess.
Updated November 14, 2026
5… e5
The Sveshnikov Variation. The knight on d4 is attacked and has to move.