Chess opening · ECO B33

Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Sveshnikov Variation

The Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Sveshnikov Variation starts 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5. It ranks #160 of the 174 openings on this site by how often rated players on Lichess reach it.

The position after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5. White to move.

Move by move

  1. 1. e4White pushes the e-pawn two squares to e4, staking a claim in the center.
  2. 1... c5Black pushes the c-pawn two squares to c5.
  3. 2. Nf3White develops the kingside knight to f3.
  4. 2... Nc6Black develops the queenside knight to c6.
  5. 3. d4White pushes the d-pawn two squares to d4, staking a claim in the center.
  6. 3... cxd4Black takes the pawn on d4 with the c-pawn.
  7. 4. Nxd4White recaptures on d4 with the knight. It now attacks the knight on c6.
  8. 4... Nf6Black develops the kingside knight to f6.
  9. 5. Nc3White develops the queenside knight to c3.
  10. 5... e5Black pushes the e-pawn two squares to e5, staking a claim in the center. It now attacks the knight on d4.
  11. 6. Ndb5White moves the knight from d4 to b5.
  12. 6... d6Black advances the d-pawn to d6.
  13. 7. Bg5White develops the dark-squared bishop to g5. It now attacks the knight on f6.
  14. 7... a6Black advances the a-pawn to a6. It now attacks the knight on b5.
  15. 8. Na3White moves the knight from b5 to a3.
  16. 8... b5Black pushes the b-pawn two squares to b5.

What players choose next, by rating

The three most common White moves from this position in rated Lichess games, grouped by the rating of the player making the move. Nd5 is the most popular next move in every rating band.

RatingMost commonSecondThird
1400–1599Nd5 100%––
1600–1799Nd5 63%Bxf6 37%–
1800–1999Nd5 81%Bxf6 19%–
2000 and upNd5 69%Bxf6 31%–

Related openings

Sicilian Defense: OpenThe line this one grows from

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