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Sicilian Defense (1.e4 c5)
How do Sicilian Defense games actually end? Across 388,917 Lichess games that reached the position after 1.e4 c5, White won 45.9%, 4.4% were drawn and Black won 49.7%. Below: the main line move by move, the most played continuations (the favorite is 2.Nf3), the rating effect and the opening's history.
The main line, move by move
| Move | Position name | Games | White | Draws | Black |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.e4 | King's Pawn Game | 1,601,410 | 49.2% | 4.3% | 46.4% |
| 1...c5 | Sicilian Defense | 388,917 | 45.9% | 4.4% | 49.7% |
| 2.Nf3 | Sicilian Defense | 212,912 | 47.1% | 4.6% | 48.3% |
| 2...Nc6 | Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian | 83,501 | 48.5% | 4.6% | 46.9% |
| 3.d4 | - | 42,030 | 49.6% | 4.7% | 45.7% |
The 5 most common continuations (for White)
| Move | Variation | Games | White | Draws | Black |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.Nf3 | - | 212,912 | 47.1% | 4.6% | 48.3% |
| 2.Bc4 | - | 40,335 | 39.9% | 4.1% | 56.0% |
| 2.Nc3 | - | 28,021 | 49.1% | 4.5% | 46.4% |
| 2.d4 | - | 26,880 | 46.7% | 3.9% | 49.3% |
| 2.f4 | - | 25,133 | 45.3% | 4.0% | 50.7% |
How rating changes the same position
| Rating band (average of the pair) | Games | White | Draws | Black |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1600-1799 | 212,873 | 45.5% | 3.9% | 50.5% |
| 2200-2499 | 9,942 | 46.9% | 7.0% | 46.1% |
The story of the opening
Italian masters such as Giulio Polerio were already analyzing the Sicilian in the late 16th century, but the name only stuck in the early 19th century, when the Englishman Jacob Sarratt translated the old manuscripts and christened 1...c5 after the island. What began as a regional curiosity became the most feared defense in chess: Bobby Fischer, who famously called 1.e4 best by test, answered it almost exclusively with the Sicilian Najdorf, and Garry Kasparov built his entire career on it.
The numbers explain the reputation: it is the reply masters play most against 1.e4 (at club level the classical 1...e5 still holds the lead) and one of the least drawish, because it creates an asymmetrical fight from move two. Black does not contest the center head on, but trades the c file for counterattack. It is the defense of players who want to win with Black, with every risk that ambition carries.
Compare it with every other opening in the opening statistics archive, or visit its neighbors: French Defense and Caro-Kann Defense. Nerd aside: chess notation is a 64 square code, cousin to the ones living next door, like binary and Morse.
Source: the Lichess open game database (database.lichess.org, CC0 data), months 2014-06, 2015-01, 2016-01, snapshot of 2026-07-09: blitz, rapid and classical games with the players' average rating between 1600 and 2199, aggregated by move sequence. Variation names and ECO codes: lichess-org/chess-openings (CC0).
Last updated: · Methodology and sources