- ECO code
- B32
- Moves
- 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4
- Family
- Sicilian Defense
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 2,338
- Average game length
- 42 moves
- Years covered
- 1851–2026
Sicilian Defense: Open is the opening filed under ECO code B32, reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4. It belongs to the Sicilian Defense family and is known as the Open; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 2,338 games on this line — the 52nd 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 2000s, with 490 games. An average game here lasts 42 moves.
White wins 36% of those games, 38% end in a draw, and Black wins 26%. That is close to the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%).
From this position the most popular move is 4.Nxd4, played in 2,337 games, followed by 4.c3 (1). 4.Nxd4 leads into Sicilian Defense: Open (B32). After 4.Nxd4 White scores 36% and Black 26%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Shirov,A (141 games); on the Black side, Kramnik, Vladimir (101).
5 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Sicilian Defense: Open (B32); Sicilian Defense: Open (B33); Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation.
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Results in master games
- White 36% (831)
- Draws 38% (901)
- Black 26% (606)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.Nxd4 | 2,337 | 36/38/26 | Sicilian Defense: Open (B32) |
| 4.c3 | 1 | 0/0/100 | — |
Variations from this position
- Open (B32) · 4.Nxd4 · 2,337 games
- Open (B33) · 4.Nxd4 Nf6 · 1,384 games
- Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation · 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 · 699 games
- Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Sveshnikov Variation · 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 · 502 games
- Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon · 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
- Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian · 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 · 4,730 games
- Sicilian Defense: Open · 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 · 2,339 games
Played most often by
As White
- Shirov,A 141
- Tal, Mihail 71
- Karjakin,Sergey 69
As Black
- Kramnik, Vladimir 101
- Larsen, Bent 101
- Carlsen,M 82
Games per decade
- 1850s 4
- 1880s 1
- 1890s 17
- 1900s 12
- 1910s 8
- 1920s 44
- 1930s 34
- 1940s 32
- 1950s 152
- 1960s 187
- 1970s 114
- 1980s 99
- 1990s 345
- 2000s 490
- 2010s 345
- 2020s 454
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panesar,Vedant | Ivanchuk,V | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Tata Steel Challengers |
| Mahdavi,Reza | Vachier Lagrave,M | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 6th Jan 2026 |
| Erigaisi,Arjun | Fedoseev,Vl3 | 0-1 | 2026 | 2nd 3-0 Thu 14th May 2026 |
| Vachier Lagrave,M | Aravindh,Chithambaram VR. | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 24th Feb 2026 |
| Babazada,Khazar | Caruana,F | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| Erigaisi,Arjun | Dau Khuong Duy | 1-0 | 2026 | 3rd 3-0 Thu 14th May 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Sicilian Defense: Open?
It is the opening with ECO code B32, reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4. It belongs to the Sicilian Defense family.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Open good for White or for Black?
In 2,338 master games on this line White wins 36%, 38% are drawn and Black wins 26%. 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: Open?
4.Nxd4 — played in 2,337 of the master games on this line, which leads into Sicilian Defense: Open (B32).
Which grandmasters play the Sicilian Defense: Open?
On the White side Shirov,A (141), Tal, Mihail (71), Karjakin,Sergey (69); on the Black side Kramnik, Vladimir (101), Larsen, Bent (101), Carlsen,M (82).
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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