- ECO code
- B75
- Moves
- 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3
- Family
- Sicilian Defense
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 313
- Average game length
- 42 moves
- Years covered
- 1939–2026
Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Early Deviations is the opening filed under ECO code B75, reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3. It belongs to the Sicilian Defense family and is known as the Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Early Deviations; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 313 games on this line — the 297th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1939 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 74 games. An average game here lasts 42 moves.
White wins 54% of those games, 28% end in a draw, and Black wins 18%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 10 percentage points. Draws are less common here than usual, by 7 points.
From this position the most popular move is 7...O-O, played in 159 games, followed by 7...Nc6 (135) and 7...a6 (17). After 7...O-O White scores 57% and Black 17%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Shirov,A (34 games); on the Black side, Carlsen,M (22).
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Results in master games
- White 54% (168)
- Draws 28% (89)
- Black 18% (56)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7...O-O | 159 | 57/26/17 | — |
| 7...Nc6 | 135 | 48/33/19 | — |
| 7...a6 | 17 | 58/18/24 | — |
| 7...h5 | 2 | 100/0/0 | — |
How the position is reached
- King's Pawn Game · 1.e4 · 62,859 games
- Sicilian Defense · 1.e4 c5 · 21,789 games
- Sicilian Defense · 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 · 18,942 games
- Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations · 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 · 9,282 games
- Sicilian Defense · 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 · 6,995 games
- Sicilian Defense · 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 · 6,811 games
- Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations, Main Line · 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 · 6,441 games
- Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation · 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 · 521 games
- Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation · 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 · 362 games
Played most often by
As White
- Shirov,A 34
- Karjakin,Sergey 14
- Anand, Viswanathan 13
As Black
- Carlsen,M 22
- Nakamura,Hi 17
- Erigaisi,Arjun 16
Games per decade
- 1930s 1
- 1940s 3
- 1950s 9
- 1960s 9
- 1970s 9
- 1980s 23
- 1990s 50
- 2000s 72
- 2010s 63
- 2020s 74
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hong,Andrew | Grischuk,A | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| Erigaisi,Arjun | Grandelius,N | 1-0 | 2026 | 31st Sigeman & Co 2026 |
| Andreikin,D | Nakamura,Hi | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 21st Apr 2026 |
| So,W | Andreikin,D | 1-0 | 2026 | Chess.com Open PlayIn1 |
| Mahdavi,Reza | Grischuk,A | 1-0 | 2026 | Chess.com Open PlayIn1 |
| Nepomniachtchi,I | Bournel,Antoine | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 10th Feb 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Early Deviations?
It is the opening with ECO code B75, reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3. It belongs to the Sicilian Defense family.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Early Deviations good for White or for Black?
In 313 master games on this line White wins 54%, 28% are drawn and Black wins 18%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is no worse than usual for White than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Early Deviations?
7...O-O — played in 159 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Early Deviations?
On the White side Shirov,A (34), Karjakin,Sergey (14), Anand, Viswanathan (13); on the Black side Carlsen,M (22), Nakamura,Hi (17), Erigaisi,Arjun (16).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
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