Openings 1.e4 c5: the Sicilian

Rossolimo Attack (3.Bb5): Lines, Plans and Stats by Rating

3.Bb5 threatens to take on c6 and double Black’s pawns. White avoids the Open Sicilian, castles quickly and plays for a small but lasting edge. Many top players use it against 2...Nc6.

For White1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5Seen in 0.3% of rated games

Lichess rating

B30Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack

Games from this position (1600–1999): 24k

Played	Games	White · Draw · Black
21%	5,097	51%44%
19%	4,655	50%45%
18%	4,409	50%45%
14%	3,331	51%44%
10%	2,514	49%47%
5%	1,162	50%45%
5%	1,149	50%45%
5%	1,125	52%44%
2%	435	50%45%
0.4%	97	48%52%
0.3%	77	51%44%

Practice as White Practice as Black

Plans for both sides

White

Bxc6 is often the point: doubled c-pawns and a slow game where your knights can outplay Black’s bishops.
O-O, Re1 and c3 with d4 is the other plan, keeping the bishop for now.
Against 3...g6, 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d3 with h3, Nc3 and Be3 is a well-known setup.

Black

3...g6 is the most common answer at 2000+: the bishop goes to g7, where it backs up the c5 pawn’s hold on d4 and eyes the long diagonal.
After Bxc6 you can take back with ...bxc6 toward the center or ...dxc6 to free your pieces; both are playable.
3...e6 prepares ...Nge7 so that a knight can take back on c6.

Rossolimo Attack at each rating

How often the position after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 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	2,684<0.1%	50%46%	3...a622%
1200–1599	15k0.2%	49%47%	3...a620%
1600–1999	24k0.4%	50%45%	3...g621%
2000+	14k0.7%	51%41%	3...g634%
All	56k0.3%	50%45%	3...g624%

What usually comes next

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

Main variations

White gives up the bishop pair to slow the game down; the plan is Be3, Qd2 and Bh6 to trade the g7 bishop.
Too rare in our data for numbers.
Show on the board: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d3 Bg7 6.h3 Nf6 7.Nc3
White keeps the bishop; ...e5 and ...Nf6 are the main answers to 5.Re1.
456 games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 53%, 9% were drawn, Black won 38%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.O-O Bg7 5.Re1 e5
Black prepares ...Nge7 to recapture on c6 with a piece; White often keeps the bishop with Bf1.
256 games from this position (all ratings, any move order). White won 52%, 10% were drawn, Black won 38%.
Show on the board: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.O-O Nge7 5.Re1 a6 6.Bf1
Also reached from 2...d6 3.Bb5+ Nc6. White plays c3 and d4 for a big center.
Too rare in our data for numbers.
Show on the board: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.O-O Bd7 5.Re1 Nf6 6.c3 a6 7.Bf1

At club level

Below 1200 the most common answer to 3.Bb5 is 3...a6, asking the bishop to decide at once. At 2000+ a third choose 3...g6, and after it half see 4.O-O and over a third 4.Bxc6. Below 2000 White takes on c6 more often than castling there.

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

Related openings

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