Opening family
Sicilian Defense Lines and Variations
The Sicilian Defense family contains 385 named lines in this opening book, spanning ECO B20 to B99. Use this page as the map, then open individual lines for exact move orders and diagrams.
How to study this family
White
White usually tries to turn the first-move initiative into direct pressure before Black finishes queenside development.
Black
Black accepts asymmetry from move one, fighting for central counterplay and often using the c-file as a long-term asset.
Start with the shortest line, then branch to the variations that change the pawn structure or tactical target. Memorizing every branch before understanding the family plan is usually wasted work.
Main named lines
- B20 · Sicilian Defense
- B20 · Sicilian Defense: Amazon Attack
- B20 · Sicilian Defense: Bowdler Attack
- B20 · Sicilian Defense: Brick Variation
- B20 · Sicilian Defense: Czerniak Attack
- B20 · Sicilian Defense: Grob Variation
- B20 · Sicilian Defense: Keres Variation
- B20 · Sicilian Defense: King David's Opening
- B20 · Sicilian Defense: Kronberger Variation
- B20 · Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Dunne Attack
- B20 · Sicilian Defense: Mengarini Variation
- B20 · Sicilian Defense: Myers Attack, with a4
- B20 · Sicilian Defense: Myers Attack, with h4
- B20 · Sicilian Defense: Staunton-Cochrane Variation
- B20 · Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit
- B21 · Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack
- B21 · Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit
- B22 · Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation
- B23 · Sicilian Defense: Closed
- B27 · Sicilian Defense
- B20 · Sicilian Defense: Czerniak Attack, Queen Fianchetto Variation
- B23 · Sicilian Defense: Closed
- B23 · Sicilian Defense: Closed, Traditional
- B27 · Sicilian Defense: Brussels Gambit
Deep theory branches
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. f4 Nc6 4. Nf3 g6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Bg7 7. Be3 Nf6 8. Be2 O-O 9. Nb3 Be6 10. O-O Na5 11. f5 Bc4 12. Nxa5 Bxe2 13. Qxe2 Qxa5 14. g4 — Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation, Stockholm Attack
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Be3 Nc6 9. Nb3 Be6 10. f4 Na5 11. f5 Bc4 12. Bd3 Bxd3 13. cxd3 d5 — Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation, Bernard Defense
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. Bc4 Bd7 10. O-O-O Qa5 11. h4 Rfc8 12. Bb3 h5 — Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Soltis Variation
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Be2 O-O 8. Nb3 d6 9. O-O Be6 10. f4 Na5 11. f5 Bc4 12. Bd3 — Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation, Spielmann Variation
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. Bc4 Bd7 10. O-O-O Rc8 11. Bb3 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 — Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Topalov Variation
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. Bc4 Bd7 10. h4 Qa5 11. O-O-O Rfc8 12. Bb3 — Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Bc4 Qa5 8. Qd2 e6 9. O-O-O b5 10. Bb3 Bb7 11. Rhe1 Nc5 12. e5 — Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Ivkov Variation
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. Bc4 Nxd4 10. Bxd4 Be6 11. Bb3 Qa5 — Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Czerniak Variation
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. Bxb5 — Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Sveshnikov Variation, Peresypkin's Sacrifice
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. f4 Be7 10. Nf3 b5 11. Bxf6 — Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Neo-Modern Variation, Nyezhmetdinov Attack
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 — Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Sveshnikov Variation
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 Bg7 — Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Sveshnikov Variation, Novosibirsk Variation
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 Nf6 7. N1c3 a6 8. Na3 Be7 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O b6 — Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Modern Line
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8. O-O-O Nxd4 9. Qxd4 a6 10. f4 b5 — Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Classical Variation, Kantscher Line
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Be3 Nc6 9. Nb3 Be6 10. f4 Na5 — Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation, Maróczy Line
- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Be3 Nc6 9. Nb3 Be6 10. f4 Qc8 — Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation, Tartakower Line