Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation, Maróczy Line
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Be3 Nc6 9. Nb3 Be6 10. f4 Na5
The Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation, Maróczy Line is a chess opening classified as ECO B74, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Be3 Nc6 9. Nb3 Be6 10. f4 Na5. It is a line of the Sicilian Defense. White is to move.
This exact move order didn't appear in our sample of 12.6 million Lichess games: it's a rare line.
Engine evaluation: +0.08 (Stockfish, depth 34; best line 11. f5 Bc4 12. Nxa5 Bxe2 13. Qxe2 Qxa5)
- ECO
- B74
- Moves
- 20 plies
- FEN
r2q1rk1/pp2ppbp/3pbnp1/n7/4PP2/1NN1B3/PPP1B1PP/R2Q1RK1 w - - 1 11- PGN
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Be3 Nc6 9. Nb3 Be6 10. f4 Na5
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Master games
8 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 25%, draw 37%, Black 38%). The strongest:
- GM Yuri S Balashov (2461) – GM Maxim Novikov (2456) 1-0 · TCh-RUS HL 2021 · 2021-05-02
- Anatoliy Shapkin (2266) – GM Vitaliy Bernadskiy (2540) 1/2-1/2 · 13th Moscow Open F 2017 · 2017-02-04
- FM Arthur Kruckenhauser (2351) – FM Erik Ronka (2281) 1-0 · Titled Tue 28th Mar Late · 2023-03-28
- Dragan Stankovic (2149) – Mladen Kelecevic (2280) 0-1 · Banja Luka Challenge 1 · 2019-10-05
- Mihajlo Z Matovic (2236) – Nenad P Stojkovic (2114) 1/2-1/2 · 7th Vojvodina Open 2016 · 2016-07-18
Comes from
Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation, Normal Line 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Be3 Nc6 9. Nb3
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.