Best Sicilian variation, by the numbers (20,708 top-player games)
The Sicilian Defense is the most popular answer to 1.e4 at the top: the top 50 Chess.com blitz players answered 1.e4 with 1...c5 in 585 games (69%), and it was the #1 family in both our samples (1,102 of 6,843 Chess.com games, 1,582 of 13,865 Lichess games). But "the Sicilian" is really a dozen openings. This guide splits it by Black's second move and by named variation, and checks how each one scored for strong players. Score means points per game for the top player (win 1, draw ½). Their averages were 73% with White and 67% with Black on Chess.com, 67% and 62% on Lichess, so compare with those, not with 50%.
Short answer
- Best-scoring Sicilian for Black on Chess.com: 2...e6 (Taimanov, Kan, Paulsen, Four Knights), 74% in 111 games (7 points above their 67% Black average).
- Lowest-scoring of the main three: 2...d6 (Najdorf, Dragon, Classical/Richter-Rauzer, Scheveningen), 66% in 177 games (1 point below their 67% Black average). It's the most popular for a reason, but it's also the most theory.
- Toughest Sicilian for White to face on Chess.com: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6, where the top players scored 66% in 180 games (7 points below their 73% White average). Easiest of the main lines: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 (76% in 69).
- Best anti-Sicilian for White on Lichess: the Alapin (2.c3). Titled players scored 82% in 42 games with it as White (their White average: 67%), and only 47% in 39 facing it as Black. Smallish samples, but the gap is big.
- Differences of 2 or 3 points are noise. Pick the structure you like, then learn it well. What matters more is which line your opponent plays.
1. On Chess.com: Black's second move after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3
Games where a top-50 Chess.com blitz player had Black (games from 2026-03-21 to 2026-10-20, mostly 3|0). Rows under 30 games are shown small, as hints only. Black average: 67%.
| After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 | Leads to | Games, top player Black | Score | vs Black avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2...d6 | Najdorf, Dragon, Classical/Richter-Rauzer, Scheveningen. The most theory. | 177 | 66% | -1 |
| 2...Nc6 | Sveshnikov, Classical, Accelerated Dragon, Kalashnikov. White's Rossolimo (3.Bb5) is the main way to dodge it. | 151 | 69% | +2 |
| 2...e6 | Taimanov, Kan, Paulsen, Four Knights. Flexible pawn on e6, fewer forced lines. | 111 | 74% | +7 |
| 2...Nf6 | Nimzowitsch Sicilian. Provocative: invites 3.e5. | 19 | 61% (small sample, hint only) | -6 |
| 2...g6 | Hyper-Accelerated Dragon. Fianchetto first, decide the rest later. | 14 | 54% (small sample, hint only) | -13 |
2. On Chess.com: which Sicilian is hardest to face as White
The same lines with the top player as White. White average: 73%. A lower score means Black did better.
| Black played | Games, top player White | Score | vs White avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 | 180 | 66% | -7 |
| 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 | 121 | 71% | -2 |
| 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 | 69 | 76% | +3 |
| 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 | 29 | 83% (small sample, hint only) | +10 |
| 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 | 8 | 69% (small sample, hint only) | -4 |
Anti-Sicilians were rare in this sample: 1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 (the Alapin with ...d5) came up 26 times. Chess.com's own variation names are spread thin too (French Variation 45, Open Najdorf Variation 31, Nyezhmetdinov Rossolimo Attack 29, Canal Attack 22, Chekhover Variation 18, Taimanov Bastrikov Variation 20, Alapin Sicilian Defense 15 games), so we group by the first moves instead.
3. On Lichess: the most common Sicilian variations, top 100 titled players
1,582 Sicilian games out of 13,865, grouped by Lichess's variation names. Scores under 50 games are marked as hints. Averages: 67% with White, 62% with Black.
| Lichess variation | Games | Titled player as White | Titled player as Black |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closed | 200 | 68% in 113 (+1) | 58% in 90 (-4) |
| Modern Variations, Main Line | 192 | 65% in 127 (-2) | 62% in 68 (+0) |
| Alapin Variation | 81 | 82% in 42 (+15), hint | 47% in 39 (-15), hint |
| Hyperaccelerated Dragon | 67 | 78% in 20 (+11), hint | 55% in 48 (-7), hint |
| Sicilian Defense, no named variation | 64 | 60% in 24 (-7), hint | 69% in 45 (+7), hint |
| Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack | 63 | 74% in 35 (+7), hint | 64% in 29 (+2), hint |
| Smith-Morra Gambit | 63 | 65% in 49 (-2), hint | 81% in 16 (+19), hint |
| Kan Variation | 62 | 76% in 21 (+9), hint | 66% in 41 (+4), hint |
4. Which Sicilian should you play?
- You like theory and sharp fights: 2...d6 and the Najdorf or Dragon. The richest lines, but you'll need to know the Open Sicilian main lines and White's 3.Bb5+ sidestep.
- You want results without a library of theory: 2...e6 (Taimanov, Kan). Black keeps options open and often decides on ...a6, ...Nc6 or ...Qc7 later. On Lichess the Kan scored 66% in 41 with titled players as Black (hint).
- You like piece play and the d5 square: 2...Nc6 (Sveshnikov, Classical, Accelerated Dragon). Expect 3.Bb5, the Rossolimo, which scored 74% in 35 for titled players as White on Lichess (hint).
- You want a fianchetto system: 2...g6, the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon. Careful: on Lichess it scored only 55% in 48 with titled players as Black (-7, hint).
5. Facing the Sicilian as White
- Short on time to learn theory? The Alapin (2.c3) gets a big centre and few forced lines. It was the best-scoring Sicilian line for White in the Lichess sample: 82% in 42.
- Gambit fans: the Smith-Morra (2.d4 cxd4 3.c3). Titled players scored 65% in 49 with it as White, 2 points below their average, so it's fun but not a free win.
- Open Sicilian (2.Nf3 and 3.d4): the most testing, but also the most to learn. See the plans in our Sicilian Defense guide.
6. What matters more than the variation
- Your opponent's Sicilian. Most club and online players stick to one or two set-ups. Find out which before the game: the free opponent preview shows any Chess.com or Lichess player's most-played openings with each colour, and the $5 report shows the exact lines where they score worst.
More from the same data: the best chess openings for Black, the best chess openings for White, the most popular chess openings and the best chess openings for beginners.
Method: Chess.com sample is the top 50 of the Chess.com live blitz leaderboard on 2026-10-20, each player's most recent rated standard blitz games (up to 150, at most six monthly archives) from the public Chess.com Published-Data API, 6,843 unique games played 2026-03-21 to 2026-10-20; second-move rows use the first four moves of each game. Lichess sample is the last 150 rated games of the top 100 titled players on the Lichess leaderboards (2026-10-18), grouped by Lichess variation name (only the eight most common Sicilian variations are shown). Rows under 30 games (Chess.com) are hints; headline claims need 50+ games except where marked. OpeningSpy is independent and not affiliated with Chess.com or Lichess.