Semi-Open · a defense for Black
Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Venice System
5/5
1.e4c52.Nf3a63.c3
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Venice System585k games · Black to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
28%162k50%
23%135k48%
16%96k44%
3.6%21k49%
1%5.8k45%
0.7%4.0k46%
0.6%3.5k45%
Famous games in this line1.9k master games
Caruana, F. (2822) – Artemiev, V. (2731)Karjakin, Sergey (2767) – Svidler, Peter (2769)So, W. (2767) – Artemiev, V. (2746)Aronian, L. (2758) – Artemiev, V. (2746)Nepomniachtchi, Ian (2784) – Artemiev, Vladislav (2716)Abdusattorov, Nodirbek (2766) – Mamedyarov, S. (2733)Leko, Peter (2732) – Nakamura, Hikaru (2760)Anand, V. (2782) – Artemiev, V. (2691)Heroes of this opening Artemiev, V. · Svidler, Peter · Nepomniachtchi, Ian · Mamedyarov, S.
- Family
- Sicilian Defense
- Category
- Semi-Open
- First move
- 1.e4
- ECO
- B28
- Line
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 a6 3. c3
Keep exploring
Go deeper — named lines from here
Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Venice System, Barcza Line3…Nf6Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Venice System, Steiner Line3…d6Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Venice System, Ljubojevic Line3…b5Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Venice System, Gambit Line3…d5 4.exd5 Nf6
Nearby lines in the family
From the archives
No reply to 1.e4 is played more. Fischer made the Najdorf his main weapon, and Kasparov's Sicilians are pillars of chess history — the Scheveningen against Karpov, the Dragon he unveiled against Anand in 1995. When you play 1...c5 you refuse symmetry, the same refusal that carried two world champions.
Study this opening