Sicilian Defense: Boleslavsky Variation (6. Be2 e5)
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be2 e5
The Sicilian Defense: Boleslavsky Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO B58, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be2 e5. It is a line of the Sicilian Defense. White is to move.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 161 times by this move order. White won 46%, 9% were drawn and Black won 45%. The most popular continuation is 7. Nb3 (54% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.22 (Stockfish, depth 38; best line 7. Nf3 h6 8. O-O Be7 9. Re1 O-O)
- ECO
- B58
- Moves
- 12 plies
- FEN
r1bqkb1r/pp3ppp/2np1n2/4p3/3NP3/2N5/PPP1BPPP/R1BQK2R w KQkq - 0 7- PGN
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be2 e5
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 1500-1999 | 45 | |
| 2000+ | 116 | |
| All | 161 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 7. Nb3 | 87 (54%) | |
| 7. Nf3 | 35 (22%) | |
| 7. Ndb5 | 23 (14%) | |
| 7. Nxc6 | 13 (8%) | |
| 7. Nf5 | 3 (2%) |
Master games
1,141 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 32%, draw 22%, Black 46%). The strongest:
- GM Teimour Radjabov (2758) – GM Liren Ding (2811) 1-0 · FIDE World Cup 2019 · 2019-10-04
- GM Nikita Vitiugov (2747) – GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda (2758) 1/2-1/2 · 82nd Tata Steel GpA · 2020-01-11
- GM Anton Korobov (2626) – GM Alireza Firouzja (2757) 1-0 · Titled Tue 15th Apr Early · 2025-04-15
- GM Andrey Esipenko (2704) – GM Grigoriy Oparin (2676) 1/2-1/2 · Chess.com Classic Div 2 W · 2024-05-11
- GM Samuel Sevian (2666) – GM Alireza Firouzja (2682) 0-1 · chess.com Junior Speed · 2019-07-09
Search all games of the Sicilian Defense: Boleslavsky Variation and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- IM liczner (2722) – secret_mikalsen (2658) 0-1 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
- IM liczner (2738) – manuel-abarca (2522) 1-0 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
- Meatloaf927 (2708) – milyutinroman (2513) 1-0 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Sicilian Defense: Classical Variation (5… Nc6 6. Be2) 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be2
More Sicilian Defense lines (all)
- Sicilian Defense (1. e4 c5) B20
- Sicilian Defense: Amazon Attack B20
- Sicilian Defense: Big Clamp Formation B20
- Sicilian Defense: Bowdler Attack B20
- Sicilian Defense: Brick Variation B20
- Sicilian Defense: Czerniak Attack B20
- Sicilian Defense: Czerniak Attack, Queen Fianchetto Variation B20
- Sicilian Defense: Euwe Attack, Prins Gambit B20
- Sicilian Defense: Gloria Variation B20
- Sicilian Defense: Grob Variation B20
- Sicilian Defense: Keres Variation B20
- Sicilian Defense: King David's Opening B20
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.