- ECO code
- B54
- Moves
- 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6
- Family
- Sicilian Defense
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 6,441
- Average game length
- 43 moves
- Years covered
- 1933–2026
Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations, Main Line is the opening filed under ECO code B54, reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6. It belongs to the Sicilian Defense family and is known as the Modern Variations, Main Line; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 6,441 games on this line — the 20th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1933 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 2,157 games. An average game here lasts 43 moves.
White wins 38% of those games, 32% end in a draw, and Black wins 30%. That is close to the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%).
From this position the most popular move is 5.Nc3, played in 6,244 games, followed by 5.f3 (127) and 5.Bd3 (36). After 5.Nc3 White scores 38% and Black 30%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Shirov,A (294 games); on the Black side, Vachier Lagrave,M (419).
14 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation; Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack; Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation.
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Results in master games
- White 38% (2,398)
- Draws 32% (2,079)
- Black 30% (1,964)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.Nc3 | 6,244 | 38/32/30 | — |
| 5.f3 | 127 | 33/26/41 | — |
| 5.Bd3 | 36 | 33/28/39 | — |
| 5.Bc4 | 27 | 51/19/30 | — |
| 5.Bb5+ | 5 | 20/40/40 | — |
| 5.Bg5 | 1 | 0/0/100 | — |
| 5.Qe2 | 1 | 100/0/0 | — |
Variations from this position
- Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation · 5.Nc3 a6 · 4,731 games
- Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack · 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 · 1,297 games
- Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation · 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 · 770 games
- Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Opocensky Variation · 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 · 747 games
- Sicilian Defense: Classical Variation · 5.Nc3 Nc6 · 737 games
- Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation · 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 · 595 games
- Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation · 5.Nc3 g6 · 521 games
- Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation · 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 · 498 games
- Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation · 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 · 491 games
- Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Adams Attack · 5.Nc3 a6 6.h3 · 455 games
- Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation · 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 · 404 games
- Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Traditional Variation · 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 · 379 games
- Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation · 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 · 362 games
- Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Early Deviations · 5.Nc3 g6 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
Played most often by
As White
- Shirov,A 294
- Nepomniachtchi,I 223
- Karjakin,Sergey 186
As Black
- Vachier Lagrave,M 419
- Nepomniachtchi,I 294
- Grischuk,A 255
Games per decade
- 1930s 13
- 1940s 29
- 1950s 195
- 1960s 213
- 1970s 203
- 1980s 243
- 1990s 654
- 2000s 1,228
- 2010s 1,506
- 2020s 2,157
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oro,Faustino | Nepomniachtchi,I | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 12th May 2026 |
| Mahdavi,Reza | Grischuk,A | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 27th Jan 2026 |
| Kleimenov,Nikolay | Nepomniachtchi,I | 0-1 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 1st Jan 2026 |
| Van Foreest,Jorden | Carlsen,M | 1-0 | 2026 | 31st Sigeman & Co 2026 |
| Drozdowski,K | Grischuk,A | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Titled Tue 6th Jan 2026 |
| Liang,Awonder | Nakamura,Hi | 0-1 | 2026 | Nakamura-Liang Rapid |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations, Main Line?
It is the opening with ECO code B54, reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6. It belongs to the Sicilian Defense family.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations, Main Line good for White or for Black?
In 6,441 master games on this line White wins 38%, 32% are drawn and Black wins 30%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is a slightly better bargain for Black than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations, Main Line?
5.Nc3 — played in 6,244 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations, Main Line?
On the White side Shirov,A (294), Nepomniachtchi,I (223), Karjakin,Sergey (186); on the Black side Vachier Lagrave,M (419), Nepomniachtchi,I (294), Grischuk,A (255).
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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