- ECO code
- B30
- Moves
- 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6
- Family
- Sicilian Defense
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 4,730
- Average game length
- 44 moves
- Years covered
- 1851–2026
Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian is the opening filed under ECO code B30, reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6. It belongs to the Sicilian Defense family and is known as the Old Sicilian; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 4,730 games on this line — the 31st most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1851 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 1,651 games. An average game here lasts 44 moves.
White wins 38% of those games, 35% end in a draw, and Black wins 27%. That is close to the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%).
From this position the most popular move is 3.d4, played in 2,339 games, followed by 3.Bb5 (1,700) and 3.Nc3 (485). 3.d4 leads into Sicilian Defense: Open. After 3.d4 White scores 36% and Black 26%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Shirov,A (213 games); on the Black side, Carlsen,M (253).
9 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Sicilian Defense: Open; Sicilian Defense: Open; Sicilian Defense: Open.
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Results in master games
- White 38% (1,822)
- Draws 35% (1,644)
- Black 27% (1,264)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.d4 | 2,339 | 36/38/26 | Sicilian Defense: Open |
| 3.Bb5 | 1,700 | 43/31/26 | Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack |
| 3.Nc3 | 485 | 39/33/28 | — |
| 3.c3 | 134 | 42/28/30 | — |
| 3.Bc4 | 24 | 54/21/25 | — |
| 3.d3 | 14 | 36/21/43 | — |
| 3.b4 | 13 | 31/8/61 | — |
| 3.Be2 | 10 | 30/40/30 | — |
Variations from this position
- Sicilian Defense: Open · 3.d4 · 2,339 games
- Sicilian Defense: Open · 3.d4 cxd4 · 2,338 games
- Sicilian Defense: Open · 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 · 2,337 games
- Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack · 3.Bb5 · 1,700 games
- Sicilian Defense: Open · 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 · 1,384 games
- Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Fianchetto Variation · 3.Bb5 g6 · 725 games
- Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation · 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 · 699 games
- Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Sveshnikov Variation · 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 · 502 games
- Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon · 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 · 346 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
Played most often by
As White
- Shirov,A 213
- Nepomniachtchi,I 169
- Vachier Lagrave,M 169
As Black
- Carlsen,M 253
- Caruana,F 192
- Gukesh,D 172
Games per decade
- 1850s 5
- 1870s 1
- 1880s 4
- 1890s 21
- 1900s 24
- 1910s 8
- 1920s 53
- 1930s 41
- 1940s 33
- 1950s 175
- 1960s 216
- 1970s 141
- 1980s 126
- 1990s 504
- 2000s 884
- 2010s 843
- 2020s 1,651
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Espinosa Aranda,A | Ivanchuk,V | 0-1 | 2026 | 10th Semana Santa Open |
| Sargsyan,Shant | Praggnanandhaa,R | 0-1 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| Drygalov,Sergey | Nakamura,Hi | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 16th Jun 2026 |
| Panesar,Vedant | Ivanchuk,V | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Tata Steel Challengers |
| Carlsen,M | Nakamura,Hi | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 6th Jan 2026 |
| Niemann,Hans Moke | Nepomniachtchi,I | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Niemann-Nepomniachtchi m |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian?
It is the opening with ECO code B30, reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6. It belongs to the Sicilian Defense family.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian good for White or for Black?
In 4,730 master games on this line White wins 38%, 35% are drawn and Black wins 27%. 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: Old Sicilian?
3.d4 — played in 2,339 of the master games on this line, which leads into Sicilian Defense: Open.
Which grandmasters play the Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian?
On the White side Shirov,A (213), Nepomniachtchi,I (169), Vachier Lagrave,M (169); on the Black side Carlsen,M (253), Caruana,F (192), Gukesh,D (172).
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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