B21 · Semi-Open · a defense for Black
Sicilian Defense: Morphy Gambit
5/5
1.e4c52.d4cxd43.Nf3
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Sicilian Defense: Morphy Gambit2.8M games · Black to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
6.2%173k52%
6%167k48%
4.6%127k50%
2.2%62k48%
1.7%48k51%
1.5%42k44%
0.4%12k48%
Famous games in this line398 master games
Balogh, Csaba (2643) – Moiseenko, Alexander (2715)Nepomniachtchi, Ian (2587) – Nakamura, Hikaru (2651)Nakamura, Hikaru (2657) – Postny, Evgeny (2570)Noble, Mark F (2560) – Pirs, Matjaz (2550)Noble, Mark F (2560) – Efremov, Aleksandr Gennadiev (2548)Noble, Mark F (2565) – Freeman, Michael Roy (2517)Noble, Mark F (2502) – Hefka, Vladimír (2571)Rebord, Mauricio (2525) – Ohtake, Sakae (2546)Heroes of this opening Nakamura, Hikaru · Noble, Mark F · Rebord, Mauricio
- Family
- Sicilian Defense
- Category
- Semi-Open
- First move
- 1.e4
- ECO
- B21
- Line
- 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. Nf3
Gambit
★ Read the guide: Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen VariationExplore all 388 Sicilian Defense lines →Keep exploring
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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.
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