Sicilian Defense

ECO B20-B99intermediate

The Sicilian Defense, 1.e4 c5, is statistically Black's most successful answer to 1.e4 and the most played opening in chess. Instead of meeting White symmetrically, Black trades a wing pawn for a center pawn after the typical d4 cxd4, gaining an unbalanced game with genuine winning chances. The price is sharpness: White gets quick development and attacking prospects, so both sides need to know their systems — from the Najdorf and Dragon to White's anti-Sicilian weapons like the Alapin and Rossolimo.

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Main line

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.

Move by move

The first 12 moves of the main line, explained one at a time. Every move of every variation is annotated like this inside the trainer — this page shows the opening moves so you can judge the explanations before signing up.

Here we go! The pawn steps out to e4, a light square right in the middle of the board. Grabbing the center early is a great way to start a game and give your other pieces room to come out.
Black plays c5, advancing the pawn two squares from its starting square. This is the Sicilian Defense, a standard response that indirectly challenges White's center.
White moves their knight from g1 to f3. This is a good developing move that helps get your pieces into the game.
Black moves their knight out from the side to a new, more active square. This is a good development move.
Push the pawn to d4, a dark square in the heart of the board. Now you own a big chunk of the center, and your knight already waits on f3 to help fight for those important squares.
Black's pawn captures White's pawn on d4, opening the c-file and challenging White's central control.
The knight moves from f3 to d4 and takes a pawn. This is a great move because it puts your knight in the middle of the board, controlling lots of important squares.
Black moves their knight from g8 to f6. This is a good developing move that helps bring a piece into the game.
You moved your knight from its home square to a new spot. This is a good developing move that brings your piece into the game.
Black advances the pawn from e7 to e5, attacking White's knight on d4 and fighting for central control.
You move your knight from the d4 square to b5. It's a clever hop! Knights move in an L-shape, so this is a normal knight move.
Black moves a pawn from the d7 square to d6. This opens a path for the queen and bishop behind it.

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Win rates by rating

Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.

Rating	Games	White wins	Draws	Black wins	Position after
400-600	25	56%	4%	40%	1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4
600-800	114	48.2%	1.8%	50%	1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5
800-1000	63	47.6%	3.2%	49.2%	1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6
1000-1200	31	45.2%	0%	54.8%	1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6
1200-1400	1,962	51.5%	2.7%	45.8%	1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6
1400-1600	8,671	53.2%	2.7%	44.1%	1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6
1600-1800	2,787	53.1%	3.6%	43.3%	1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6
1800-2000	7,370	51.2%	4.3%	44.5%	1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6
2000-2200	10,077	50.6%	5.5%	43.9%	1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6
2200-2400	7,259	49.7%	6.6%	43.6%	1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6

Most played continuations (2000-2200 rating)

After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6:

Bg5 — played 64% of the time (White wins 50.3%, draws 6.2%, Black wins 43.5%)
Nd5 — played 20% of the time (White wins 53.8%, draws 4%, Black wins 42.2%)
Be3 — played 5.3% of the time (White wins 52.2%, draws 3.8%, Black wins 44.1%)

Related openings

Frequently asked questions

Why is the Sicilian Defense so popular?

It fights for a win from move one. The asymmetrical pawn structure (Black's d- and e-pawns vs White's e- and f-pawns) means the game rarely fizzles into a dull equality, which is why ambitious players at every level — and nearly all professionals — keep it in their repertoire.

Is the Sicilian too sharp for beginners?

The main lines reward concrete preparation, so a complete beginner is usually better served by 1...e5 first. That said, structure-based Sicilians like the Taimanov or Kan are playable on understanding alone, and learning the Sicilian early teaches tactical alertness fast.

What is the Open Sicilian?

After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 followed by 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4, White opens the center and develops rapidly — this is the Open Sicilian, the critical test of Black's setup. Black then chooses a system by move order: ...d6 and ...a6 for the Najdorf, ...g6 for the Dragon, ...e6 for the Taimanov/Scheveningen complex.