- ECO code
- B70
- Moves
- 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6
- Family
- Sicilian Defense
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 521
- Average game length
- 43 moves
- Years covered
- 1936–2026
Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation is the opening filed under ECO code B70, reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6. It belongs to the Sicilian Defense family and is known as the Dragon Variation; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 521 games on this line — the 204th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1936 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 148 games. An average game here lasts 43 moves.
White wins 49% of those games, 29% end in a draw, and Black wins 22%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 6 percentage points. Draws are less common here than usual, by 6 points.
From this position the most popular move is 6.Be3, played in 362 games, followed by 6.Be2 (84) and 6.g3 (25). 6.Be3 leads into Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation (B72). After 6.Be3 White scores 52% and Black 20%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Shirov,A (40 games); on the Black side, Carlsen,M (32).
2 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation (B72); Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Early Deviations.
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Results in master games
- White 49% (257)
- Draws 29% (149)
- Black 22% (115)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.Be3 | 362 | 52/28/20 | Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation (B72) |
| 6.Be2 | 84 | 41/30/29 | — |
| 6.g3 | 25 | 52/20/28 | — |
| 6.f3 | 17 | 36/29/35 | — |
| 6.Bc4 | 14 | 36/43/21 | — |
| 6.f4 | 13 | 61/31/8 | — |
| 6.Bg5 | 4 | 25/50/25 | — |
| 6.Bb5+ | 1 | 0/0/100 | — |
Variations from this position
- Dragon Variation (B72) · 6.Be3 · 362 games
- Yugoslav Attack, Early Deviations · 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 · 313 games
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
Played most often by
As White
- Shirov,A 40
- Anand, Viswanathan 17
- Caruana,F 16
As Black
- Carlsen,M 32
- Nakamura,Hi 28
- Erigaisi,Arjun 25
Games per decade
- 1930s 11
- 1940s 13
- 1950s 20
- 1960s 14
- 1970s 19
- 1980s 32
- 1990s 84
- 2000s 93
- 2010s 87
- 2020s 148
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hong,Andrew | Grischuk,A | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| Caruana,F | Haug,Havard | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 24th Mar 2026 |
| Vachier Lagrave,M | Mahdavi,Reza | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 27th Jan 2026 |
| Tsydypov,Z | Nakamura,Hi | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 12th May 2026 |
| Caruana,F | Dubov,Daniil | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 27th Jan 2026 |
| Sevian,Samuel | Carlsen,M | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 19th May 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation?
It is the opening with ECO code B70, reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6. It belongs to the Sicilian Defense family.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation good for White or for Black?
In 521 master games on this line White wins 49%, 29% are drawn and Black wins 22%. 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?
6.Be3 — played in 362 of the master games on this line, which leads into Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation (B72).
Which grandmasters play the Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation?
On the White side Shirov,A (40), Anand, Viswanathan (17), Caruana,F (16); on the Black side Carlsen,M (32), Nakamura,Hi (28), Erigaisi,Arjun (25).
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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