Openings 1.e4 c5: the Sicilian

Closed Sicilian and Grand Prix Attack: Lines and Stats by Rating

2.Nc3 keeps the d-pawn at home and, unless White plays d4 later, avoids Open Sicilian theory. White builds slowly with g3, Bg2, d3 and f4, or goes straight for the king with f4, Nf3 and Bc4 or Bb5 in the Grand Prix Attack.

For White1.e4 c5 2.Nc3Seen in 0.9% of rated games

Lichess rating

B23Sicilian Defense: Closed

Games from this position (1600–1999): 71k

Played	Games	White · Draw · Black
47%	33k	49%47%
21%	15k	48%47%
20%	14k	50%46%
6%	3,983	48%48%
4%	2,639	49%48%
1%	768	54%42%
0.6%	419	51%44%
0.4%	261	52%45%

Practice as White Practice as Black

Plans for both sides

White

Traditional setup: g3, Bg2, d3, Be3, Qd2 and f4–f5 on the kingside.
Grand Prix Attack: f4, Nf3 and Bb5 or Bc4, then O-O and a kingside attack with Qe1–h4.
Keep the center closed; your attack works best when Black cannot hit back with ...d5.

Black

2...Nc6 is the most common reply at every rating; ...g6, ...Bg7 and ...d6 mirror White’s setup.
Your play is on the queenside: ...Rb8, ...b5–b4 and pressure down the long diagonal.
Against the Grand Prix, ...e6 and ...d5 at the right moment blunt the c4 bishop.

Closed Sicilian at each rating

How often the position after 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 comes up in rated Lichess games, how it scores and what players answer next.

Rating	Games (Share of games)	White · Draw · Black	Top next move
<1200	12k0.4%	48%49%	2...Nc646%
1200–1599	35k0.6%	47%50%	2...Nc647%
1600–1999	71k1.1%	49%47%	2...Nc647%
2000+	40k2.0%	49%45%	2...Nc645%
All	158k0.9%	48%47%	2...Nc646%

What usually comes next

The most played moves from here, all ratings together. Thicker line = played more often.

Main variations

Both sides fianchetto. White prepares f4–f5 or Bh6; Black pushes the b-pawn.
Too rare in our data for numbers.
Show on the board: 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Rb8 7.Qd2 b5
Black fixes the center with pawns on c5, d6 and e5 and takes control of d4.
Too rare in our data for numbers.
Show on the board: 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 e5
White’s bishop goes to b5 or c4; ...Nd4 is a common answer to Bb5.
868 games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 43%, 7% were drawn, Black won 51%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bb5 Nd4
Black strikes in the center with ...d5 before White can attack.
2,483 games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 48%, 4% were drawn, Black won 48%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 e6 4.Nf3 d5
f4 one move early, without Nc3. At 2000+ about one in five answer 2...d5.
9,963 games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 47%, 4% were drawn, Black won 49%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5

At club level

Below 1200 about half the players answer 2...Nc6 with 3.Nf3, which often turns into an Open Sicilian after d4. At 2000+, 3.f4 (Grand Prix, 29%) and 3.g3 (Closed, 24%) lead. Against 3.f4, half of the 2000+ players choose 3...g6.

Practice it

The trainer answers with the replies people at your rating choose, in the same proportions, and brings back your mistakes on a schedule.

Practice as White Practice as Black

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