Sicilian Defense: the complete guide
1. e4 c5
Mentioned as early as 1594 by Polerio, the Sicilian was long considered dubious before becoming, in the 20th century, THE fighting answer to 1.e4. Fischer and Kasparov made it their main weapon: today it is the most played defense in the world, from club night to world championship.
How it starts, move by move
- 1. e4e4 occupies the center.
- ... c5c5 controls d4.
Both sides plans
White's plan
Black traded a wing pawn for a central one. White has the lead in development and central space: play fast, usually d4 followed by a kingside assault.
Black's plan
Black has two central pawns against one, and the open c-file after the exchange on d4. Everything flows from there: pressure on c3 and c2, queenside expansion with ...a6 and ...b5.
What is actually played
Real shares of the continuations after 1. e4 c5, Lichess games by Elo band.
| Continuation | Elo 1400 | Elo 1600 | Elo 1800 | Elo 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2. Nf3 | 50 % | 54 % | 57 % | 61 % |
| 2. Nc3 | 7 % | 7 % | 9 % | 12 % |
| 2. d4 | 8 % | 7 % | 7 % | 7 % |
| 2. c3 | 5 % | 6 % | 6 % | 6 % |
| 2. f4 | 4 % | 6 % | 6 % | 4 % |
The main variations
- Sicilian DefenseB201. e4 c5
- Sicilian DefenseB271. e4 c5 2. Nf3
- Modern VariationsB501. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6
- Sicilian DefenseB501. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4
- Sicilian DefenseB501. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4
- Modern Variations, Main LineB541. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6
- Old SicilianB301. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6
- French VariationB401. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6
- OpenB321. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4
- OpenB321. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4
- OpenB321. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4
- French Variation, OpenB401. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4
Frequently asked questions
- What moves start the Sicilian Defense?
- The Sicilian Defense starts with 1. e4 c5. Every move is explained in the interactive explorer.
- How many named variations does the Sicilian Defense have?
- 388 named variations, from the Lichess ECO database. The main ones are listed on this page; the full tree lives in the branch map.
- What is the most played continuation?
- Around 2000 Elo, the most frequent continuation is 2. Nf3, played in 61% of games (Lichess data).
- How can I learn the Sicilian Defense for free?
- The explorer, free play, review cards and the essential ★1 course of the Sicilian Defense are free on OpeningMate. The ★2 to ★5 levels and per-variation courses are part of Premium.
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