Sicilian Defense: Closed (2… e6 3. g3)
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. g3
The Sicilian Defense: Closed is a chess opening classified as ECO B23, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. g3. It is a line of the Sicilian Defense. Black is to move. 1 named line continues from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 2,960 times by this move order. White won 52%, 5% were drawn and Black won 43%. The most popular continuation is 3… Nc6 (32% of games).
Engine evaluation: 0.00 (Stockfish, depth 48; best line 3… d5 4. exd5 exd5 5. d4 cxd4 6. Qxd4)
- ECO
- B23
- Moves
- 5 plies
- FEN
rnbqkbnr/pp1p1ppp/4p3/2p5/4P3/2N3P1/PPPP1P1P/R1BQKBNR b KQkq - 0 3- PGN
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. g3
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 144 | |
| 1500-1999 | 1,300 | |
| 2000+ | 1,516 | |
| All | 2,960 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 3… Nc6 | 956 (32%) | |
| 3… a6 | 822 (28%) | |
| 3… d5 Closed, Korchnoi Defense | 723 (24%) | |
| 3… Nf6 | 117 (4%) | |
| 3… d6 | 93 (3%) | |
| 3… b6 | 87 (3%) | |
| 3… g6 | 78 (3%) | |
| 3… h5 | 22 (1%) |
Master games
1,994 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 40%, draw 16%, Black 44%). The strongest:
- GM Javokhir Sindarov (2661) – GM Vladimir Kramnik (2753) 1-0 · Satty Zhuldyz Rapid 2023 · 2023-04-22
- GM Dmitry Andreikin (2713) – GM Sergei Rublevsky (2695) 1/2-1/2 · FIDE World Blitz 2013 · 2013-06-09
- GM Dmitry Andreikin (2713) – GM Vladimir Potkin (2647) 1-0 · FIDE World Blitz 2013 · 2013-06-09
- GM Awonder Liang (2714) – GM Aryan Chopra (2631) 1/2-1/2 · College Final Four 2026 · 2026-03-21
- GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda (2658) – GM Evgeny Alekseev (2642) 0-1 · World Blitz 2015 · 2015-10-14
Search all games of the Sicilian Defense: Closed and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- IM shuriks91 (2770) – Jiordani_Jovanovich (2814) 0-1 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
- IM shuriks91 (2814) – Juplt3rLlk3 (2723) 0-1 · 2026-09-05 · 180 + 0s
- MereseBerserkNhi (2625) – ji0sqwqgt (2718) 1-0 · 2026-09-05 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Sicilian Defense: Closed (2. Nc3 e6) 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6
Continuations
- Sicilian Defense: Closed, Korchnoi Defense B23 · 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. g3 d5
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.