- ECO code
- B33
- Moves
- 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6
- Family
- Sicilian Defense
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 1,384
- Average game length
- 43 moves
- Years covered
- 1893–2026
Sicilian Defense: Open is the opening filed under ECO code B33, reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6. 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 1,384 games on this line — the 87th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1893 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2000s, with 316 games. An average game here lasts 43 moves.
White wins 34% of those games, 38% end in a draw, and Black wins 28%. 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 1,380 games, followed by 5.Nxc6 (2) and 5.c4 (1). After 5.Nc3 White scores 34% and Black 28%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Shirov,A (65 games); on the Black side, Kramnik, Vladimir (95).
2 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation; Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Sveshnikov Variation.
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Results in master games
- White 34% (468)
- Draws 38% (534)
- Black 28% (382)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.Nc3 | 1,380 | 34/38/28 | — |
| 5.Nxc6 | 2 | 0/0/100 | — |
| 5.c4 | 1 | 100/0/0 | — |
| 5.f3 | 1 | 100/0/0 | — |
Variations from this position
- Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation · 5.Nc3 e5 · 699 games
- Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Sveshnikov Variation · 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 · 502 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
- Sicilian Defense: Open · 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 · 2,338 games
- Sicilian Defense: Open · 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 · 2,337 games
Played most often by
As White
- Shirov,A 65
- Anand,V 45
- Karjakin,Sergey 43
As Black
- Kramnik, Vladimir 95
- Carlsen,M 64
- Caruana,F 60
Games per decade
- 1890s 2
- 1900s 8
- 1910s 4
- 1920s 31
- 1930s 34
- 1940s 30
- 1950s 118
- 1960s 64
- 1970s 53
- 1980s 44
- 1990s 200
- 2000s 316
- 2010s 190
- 2020s 290
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 |
| Krzyzanowski,M | Vachier Lagrave,M | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 27th Jan 2026 |
| So,W | Fedoseev,Vl3 | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | GCT Super Blitz Poland |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Sicilian Defense: Open?
It is the opening with ECO code B33, reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6. It belongs to the Sicilian Defense family.
Is the Sicilian Defense: Open good for White or for Black?
In 1,384 master games on this line White wins 34%, 38% are drawn and Black wins 28%. 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?
5.Nc3 — played in 1,380 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the Sicilian Defense: Open?
On the White side Shirov,A (65), Anand,V (45), Karjakin,Sergey (43); on the Black side Kramnik, Vladimir (95), Carlsen,M (64), Caruana,F (60).
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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