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Sicilian (B27)
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3

Number of games in database: 5381
Years covered: 1849 to 2023
Overall record:
   White wins 40.3%
   Black wins 30.7%
   Draws 29.0%

Popularity graph, by decade

Explore this opening  |  Search for sacrifices in this opening.
PRACTITIONERS
With the White Pieces With the Black Pieces
Elena Sedina  12 games
Bartosz Socko  11 games
Vlastimil Jansa  10 games
Gadir Guseinov  66 games
Tomasz Markowski  45 games
Eugene Perelshteyn  43 games
NOTABLE GAMES [what is this?]
White Wins Black Wins
Aronin vs Kantarovich, 1960
Tal vs Benko, 1959
Fischer vs F Olafsson, 1961
L Merenyi vs Capablanca, 1928
I De Los Santos vs S Polgar, 1990
Mac Hack VI vs Fischer, 1977
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 page 1 of 216; games 1-25 of 5,381 
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. W J Tuckett vs J R Medley 0-1541849Ries' Divan TournamentB27 Sicilian
2. M M Coopman vs M van 't Kruijs  0-1461851AmsterdamB27 Sicilian
3. Cochrane vs Somacarana  0-1411855CalcuttaB27 Sicilian
4. Cochrane vs Somacarana  1-0301856CalcuttaB27 Sicilian
5. G MacDonnell vs T Barnes  1-0241862Casual gameB27 Sicilian
6. J Hannah vs F Deacon 0-1371862B.C.A. Handicap tB27 Sicilian
7. J Hannah vs T Barnes 0-14518625th BCA Congress, LondonB27 Sicilian
8. F Deacon vs T Barnes  0-16518625th BCA Congress, LondonB27 Sicilian
9. J Hannah vs F Deacon  ½-½231862B.C.A. Handicap tB27 Sicilian
10. J Hannah vs F Deacon  ½-½431862B.C.A. Handicap tB27 Sicilian
11. Steinitz vs Paulsen 0-15218625th BCA Congress, LondonB27 Sicilian
12. Mackenzie vs F Deacon  1-0441862B.C.A. Handicap tB27 Sicilian
13. Mackenzie vs F Deacon  ½-½481862B.C.A. Handicap tB27 Sicilian
14. J Mason vs W Potter  1-0411879Mason - PotterB27 Sicilian
15. J Mason vs W Potter  1-0411879Mason - PotterB27 Sicilian
16. Tarrasch vs Muenchhoff 1-0411881BerlinB27 Sicilian
17. F Zannoni vs M Borgi Guerrazzi  1-04618813rd Italian Championship, MilanB27 Sicilian
18. Blackburne vs Bolton  1-0351885Blackburne Blindfold Simul 6b, NewcastleB27 Sicilian
19. J Noa vs Von Gottschall  1-06118875th DSB Congress, FrankfurtB27 Sicilian
20. Blackburne vs Bird 1-0701888Bird - BlackburneB27 Sicilian
21. Harmonist vs Von Bardeleben  0-13718896th DSB Congress, BreslauB27 Sicilian
22. A E Skinner vs B R Ewing  ½-½3718921st Intercollegiate Cup 1892/93B27 Sicilian
23. Lasker vs C Golmayo 1-0201893MatchB27 Sicilian
24. Steinitz vs N Hymes / F Nadler 341894Consultation simul, 4bB27 Sicilian
25. Albin vs M Judd  0-1581896Vienna Chess Society Winter 1895/96B27 Sicilian
 page 1 of 216; games 1-25 of 5,381 
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Dec-23-04  Backward Development: haha, just as soon as I go and say that 1...c5 2...d5 refutes e4 or something I play a blitz against Fritz and he comes up with a line I nor he saw before, full of pitfalls and traps leaving black clearly worse. Here's my surprisingly long struggle. White-Fritz 8
Black-Backward Development
Time Control-G/12+6
1.e4 c5
2.nf3 d5?!
(i mark it such only because i haven't found any improvements after this game) 3.ed Qxd5
4.Nc3 Qd8
5.Bb5+!
(The Killer move upon which white's lead in development and unquestionable initiative force tough calculation and very grim defense.)

...Nd7
(forced, as after ...Bd7 Ne5 Nf6 Qf3 Qc7 Nxd7 Nbxd7 d3 a6 Bf4 e5 Bxd7+ Nxd7 Be3 c4 0-0-0 cd Rxd3 Rc8 Rhd1 Nf6 Bg5 Be7 is very unpleasant for black. Obviously i didn't calculate this far when i played ...Nd7 just the dynamics of the position were obvious.)

6.d4!
(another strong and seemingly obvious move, with white's monsterous lead in development, opening up lines can't hurt.)

...cxd4
(forced, as after ...a6? Bxd7+ Qxd7 dc Qxd1+ Nxd1 with a terrible endgame for black.)

7.Qxd4 Ngf6
(...a6? Nd5 Ngf6
(...ab? Qc3 Qa5 b4 Qa4 Nc7+ Kd8 Ng5 Nh6 0-0 Rb8 Rd1 b6 Bf4 e6 Ncxe6+ fe Nxe6+ Ke8 Bxb8 is a massacre) Bxd7+ Qxd7 Nb6 Qxd4 Nxd4 e5 Nxa8 is terrible also)
8.0-0 a6
(now this can be played safely.)
9.Bd3 e6
(...b6? Ne5 Bb7 Rd1 e6 Nxd7 Nxd7 Be4 Bxe4 Qxe4 Ra7 Be3 Bc5 Rd3! Bxe3 Qxe3 Qe7 Rad1 0-0 Rd6 Rb7 Nd5 nets a pawn with a commanding position.)

10. Rd1 Qb6
11.Qh4 Nc5!
(black is finally getting some kind of counterplay)
12.Be2 Be7
13.Ne5 Ncd7
(any discovered attack on the queen allows Qh5!)
14.Nc4 Qc7
15.Bf4 e5
16.Nxe5! Nxe5
17.Qg3 Be6
18.Rxd6 Qxd6
19.Bxe5 Qe7
20.Qxg7 Qg8
21.Qxf6 Qxf6
22.Bxf6
1-0
the official prognosis on this line is now very grim unless there are any improvements on the black side...

Mar-22-05  DanielBryant: I've been looking at 2...Qa5 lately as a means of throwing off White. Of course, the main problem is that if White transposes into an Alapin, the queen is simply misplaced.
Oct-21-05  AlexanderMorphy: how many people actually play this sicilian nowadays?
Oct-22-05  suenteus po 147: <Backward Development> Here is a game I played recently that illustrates your idea 2...d5?! I was white and somehow managed to hold my own without having read your post on white's improvement(!):

[Event "Informal Game"]
[Site "Yahoo! Chess"]
[Date "2005.10.06"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "suenteus_po_147 (as profile147)"]
[Black "rjee05"]
[ECO "B27"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "53"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.Nc3 Qd8 5.d4 e6 6.dxc5 Qxd1+ 7.Nxd1 Bxc5 8.Be3 Be7 9.Nc3 Nf6 10.O-O-O O-O 11.Bc4 a6 12.Na4 b5 13.Nb6 Bb7 14. Nxa8 bxc4 15.Nb6 Bd5 16.Nxd5 exd5 17.Bd4 Rd8 18.Rhe1 Bb4 19.c3 Ba5 20.Bxf6 gxf6 21.Nd4 Bc7 22.g3 Kg7 23.Re7 Bb6 24.f4 Bc5 25.Rc7 Bd6 26.Rb7 Re8 27.Nf5+ 1-0

Oct-23-05  Backward Development: <Peter>
Your games seem to resemble those of Ulf Anderssen. A tame opening leads to a reasonably balanced ending, but your opponent makes seemingly inexplicable errors and lets the draw slip away, until they're faced with a sure loss.
Oct-23-05  suenteus po 147: <Backward Development> Ulf Anderssen, you say? I've always been looking for chess players who are close to my "style" of playing, if you could call the way I play a style. You wouldn't happen to have any examples of Anderssen's games that I could look at to see what you mean, would you?
Oct-23-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Chessical: <Backward Development> The following game may be of interest to you:

Karpov vs Anikaev, 1976

Oct-23-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  TheAlchemist: <Backward Development> I experimented with 2...d5 some time ago (independently from your discovery, honestly), as I desperately wanted to "create" something of my own. Seems like I haven't, though :-)

I don't recall anymore, how my games went (they were all blitz at my club), but I do remember being crushed by stronger players as I was before :-)

I do remember, that I soon dropped 3...Qxd5 for 3...Nf6. What say you about that?

Oct-23-05  Backward Development: Although I'm not a big fan of Anderssen's, this one leaves a fine impression.

W:U. Andersson
B:Se. Ivanov
E:Swedish Team Championship, 2000
R:1-0

1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.g3 dc 5.Qa4+ Nbd7 6.Bg2 a6 7.Nc3 Rb8 8.Qxc4 b5 9.Qd3 Bb7 10.0-0 c5 11.dc Bxc5 12.Bf4 Rc8 13.Rad1 0-0 14.Ne5 Bxg2 15.Kxg2 Nxe5 16.Bxe5 Qxd3 17.Rxd3 Rfd8?! 18.Rxd8 Rxd8 19.Bxf6!<"This is the sort of winning attempt you see from Andersson when he is in an aggressive mood."-Aagaard>19...gf 20.Rc1 Be7 21.Nb1!<"This move is truly an example of Andersson's strength in schematic thinking."-Aagaard>21...f5 22.e3 Bf6?! 23.b3 Kf8 24.Kf3 Ke7 25.h3 Rd5 26.Ke2 Kd7 27.Nd2 Be7 28.Nf3 Bf6 29.Ne1 Rd6! 30.g4! fg! 31.hg Rc6! 32.Rxc6 Kxc6 33.Nd3 a5 34.e4 a4 35.Ke3 ab 36.ab Kd6 37.Kf4 Bd8 38.g5 Ke7 39.Kg4 Kf8 40.f3 f6!? 41.Kh5! fg 42.Kh6 Kg8 43.Nc5 Kf7 44.Kxh7 Bb6 Nd3 Kf6 46.Kg8!<"The white king has discovered a new weakness in the black camp: the pawn on b5."-Aagaard>46...Bg1? 47.Kf8 e5 48.Ke8 Ke6 49.Kd8 Kd6 50.Kc8 Be3 51.Kb7 Bd4 52.b4 Kd7 53.Nc5+ Kd6 54.Kb6 Bc3 55.Kxb5 Bd2 56.Nb7+ Kc7 57.Na5 Be3 58.Ka6! 1-0<Notes from <Excelling at Technical Chess-Jacob Aagaard>>

By the way, in a rated game today with Black in the Russian Defense, I managed to draw Chad Gauvin. The middlegame developed equally until he had an advantageous double rook ending. The rooks came off the board and a practially winning King and Pawn ending arose. He played lacklusterly, however, and it reached a complex White King, Queen, and Pawn versus Black King, pawn, and passed bishop pawn on the second rank ending. He overlooked a winning maneuver and allowed me to queen thinking he would win the ensuing King and Pawn versus King and Pawn ending. However, his extra pawn was a rook pawn and it reached the standard drawn position where I would have stalemated him in the corner, had we played it out.

Oct-27-05  suenteus po 147: <Backward Development> Thanks for the Andersson game. I'm surprised it isn't in the database. Somebody should submit it (wink, wink). That's great news about drawing that game against Chad! I see that your rating has been going up, and that you're tied for first in your section for the Halloween Swiss. Good luck tonight!
Jan-30-06  EnglishOpeningc4: <DanielBryant: I've been looking at 2...Qa5 lately as a means of throwing off White. Of course, the main problem is that if White transposes into an Alapin, the queen is simply misplaced.> not really, white cant play an early d4. just develop normally (♘c6, e6, d6, ♘f6, g6, ♗g7)
Jun-18-06  Edwin Meyer: So, technically speaking, this ECO variant of the Sicilian (B27) is for Black what ECO B20 is for White. Namely, an unusual second move? Am i right?
Jun-18-06  Edwin Meyer: Anyone?
Jun-18-06  DeepBlade: indeed
Jun-25-06  DeepBlade: T Georgadze vs A Kuindzhi, 1973

Something like this

May-29-07  WarmasterKron: <TheAlchemist> I've recently been trying to broadern my openings, which has involved playing the Sicilian (and, much as I hate it, 1.d4). I've been toying with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d5!? in Blitz, and in line with Scandi ideas, have been thinking about 3.exd5 e6!?.
Aug-26-08  ravel5184: How about the "Sicilian, Queenside Fianchetto"? 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 b6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Bb7 ?
Oct-28-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  MichaelJHuman: I have a chess program which has a book opening that opening explorer seems to know nothing about. Anyone ever seen this one?

1. e4 b6
2. Nf3 c5
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 Bb7
5. Nc3 a6
...

Oct-28-08  nescio: <MichaelJHuman: I have a chess program which has a book opening that opening explorer seems to know nothing about.> Opening Explorer apparently doesn't cover all mover orders, but you can find some examples in "find similar games" under M Mukhitdinov vs N Gusev, 1963, or try the move order of that game in Opening Explorer.
Oct-28-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  MichaelJHuman: Perfect, nescio. Many thanks
Apr-19-09  chessman95: Hello all. I wan't sure where to post this so I just decided to put it on a general Sicilian page...

I recently played a game against a chess engine that had a VERY shallow opening book, and the following line was played against me:

(I'm white)

1.e4 c5
2.Nf3 e6
3.d4 cxd4
4.Nxd4 Nf6
5.Nc3 Bb4

So far a normal game, right now in the Pin Variation. At this point the computer's opening book ran out, so from now on it was playing with it's analysis.

6.e5

and now the strange move it played:

6. ... Qc7

I won't bother to add a "!?" to it, but as you can imagine I was shocked when I saw this move. This is where I would like some advise on what to play, and computer analysis along with an explanation would be welcome. Just for trivial use, here's how the game coninued:

7.exf6 (there's got to be something better, but I didn't know what to play.)

7. ... Bxc3+
8.bxc3 Qxc3+
9.Bd2 Qxd4

At this point I'm guessing that I played 10.fxg7 but I can't remember any more and I don't have the game recorded. Please anyone who wants provide analysis... I don't know if it's just me but this line looks very good for black and I'v never heard it mentioned before...

Apr-19-09  refutor: <chessman95> here's an example from computer play REBEL vs Crafty, 2000
Apr-19-09  MaxxLange: <chessman95> Rybka 2 likes the exchange sacrifice 9. Qd2 Qxa1

then 10. fxg7 Rg8 11. c3 (threatens Nb3) Qb1 12. Bd3 Qb6 13. Qh6

with an evaluation of +2.5

Apr-19-09  chessman95: Thanks <refuter> and <MaxxLange>. I had strongly considered sacing the rook, but decided to go ahead and let it take the knight instead.

Is this line mentioned in any books?

Jul-17-12  Amarande: <MichaelJHuman> Actually I was just thinking about the ... b6 variation tonight.

It looks like a viable variation (actually there's a fair number of games on cg using it, including 3 d4, although as I am not a Premium I am not able to use Opening Explorer that far), seeming to be about even based on the stats.

It also looks to have some sparkle potential indeed, e.g.:

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 b6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 <Always Nf6 first in such situations, to avoid the Maroczy Bind> 5 Nc3 Bb7 6 Bd3 e6 <Probably better e5, or d6 despite the lack of apparent need for it. Now Black gets kicked around> 7 e5! Bxg2? 8 exf6!!? <Simple and winning is 8 Rg1 winning a piece. This leads to wild and woolly and unclear, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it played at blitz> Bxh1 9 Bg5! <Preventing Qxf6 and all but forcing gxf6 breaking up Black's K-side> gxf6 10 Bh4 Bb4 11 Qh5 Rg8 12 Qxh6!? <The second surprise. I am not sure if this is sound?> Rg1+ 13 Kd2 Bxc3+ 14 bxc3 Rxa1 with the following position:


click for larger view

Black has two Rooks and two Pawns for only one piece. On the other hand his pieces are all scattered all over the place and White's are all at the ready. Can Black survive? The continuation I examined was 15 Bxf6 Qc7 <better Qc8 perhaps?> 16 Qg7! <threatening Qg8#, Black's hand is forced> d6 17 Nxe6! <But now the f-pawn is pinned and he cannot take without losing the Queen. Meanwhile the Queen is attacked> Qc8 <Qb7 leads to a similar fate; if Qc6, White wins with the familiar stratagem 18 Bb5! Qxb5 19 Nc7+ etc.> 18 Qf8+ Kd7 19 Qxf7+ Kc6 20 Nd4+ and mate next move, but is there better?

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