B21 · Semi-Open · a defense for Black

Sicilian Defense: Coles Sicilian Gambit

9/9
1.e4c52.d4cxd43.Qxd4Nc64.Qd1Nf65.Bc4
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Sicilian Defense: Coles Sicilian Gambit8.8k games · Black to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
47%4.1k56%
31%2.7k60%
7.9%69355%
6.5%57158%
4.6%40547%
1.2%10554%
1%9156%
0.4%3649%
0.3%2757%
0.3%2440%
Family
Sicilian Defense
Category
Semi-Open
First move
1.e4
ECO
B21
Line
1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qd1 Nf6 5. Bc4
Gambit
★ Read the guide: Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen VariationExplore all 388 Sicilian Defense lines →
Keep exploring
Nearby lines in the family
Sicilian Defense: Prins VariationB54 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 …Sicilian Defense: Heidenfeld VariationB22 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nf3 Nc6 …Sicilian Defense: Closed, Carlsen VariationB23 2.Nc3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 …
From the archives

No defense has won more games at every level than the Sicilian. Bobby Fischer played almost nothing else against 1.e4, and Kasparov's Najdorf battles with Karpov and Anand are pillars of chess history. When you play 1...c5, you're refusing symmetry — the same refusal that carried two world champions.

Study this opening
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