Sicilian Defense: Katalimov Variation
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 b6
The Sicilian Defense: Katalimov Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO B27, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 b6. 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 2,289 times by this move order. White won 52%, 4% were drawn and Black won 44%. The most popular continuation is 3. d4 (42% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.61 (Stockfish, depth 48; best line 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Be3 Bb7)
- ECO
- B27
- Moves
- 4 plies
- FEN
rnbqkbnr/p2ppppp/1p6/2p5/4P3/5N2/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq - 0 3- PGN
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 b6
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 880 | |
| 1500-1999 | 1,192 | |
| 2000+ | 217 | |
| All | 2,289 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 3. d4 | 965 (42%) | |
| 3. Bc4 | 584 (26%) | |
| 3. Nc3 | 239 (10%) | |
| 3. c3 | 213 (9%) | |
| 3. Bb5 | 58 (3%) | |
| 3. d3 | 45 (2%) | |
| 3. c4 | 33 (1%) | |
| 3. g3 | 31 (1%) |
Master games
785 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 41%, draw 11%, Black 48%). The strongest:
- Stockfish dev-20230903-b25d68f6 (3666) – KomodoDragon 3.2 (3587) 1-0 · TCEC 25 Premier P/O 2023 · 2023-10-04
- KomodoDragon 3.2 (3587) – Stockfish dev-20230903-b25d68f6 (3666) 1-0 · TCEC 25 Premier P/O 2023 · 2023-10-04
- RubiChess 20230823 (3508) – LCZero 0.31-dag-5107404-T2-5230000 (3633) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 25 Premier P/O 2023 · 2023-10-04
- LCZero 0.31-dag-5107404-T2-5230000 (3633) – RubiChess 20230823 (3508) 1-0 · TCEC 25 Premier P/O 2023 · 2023-10-04
- GM Magnus Carlsen (2853) – GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda (2724) 1/2-1/2 · Superbet Blitz 2023 · 2023-05-25
Search all games of the Sicilian Defense: Katalimov Variation and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- chessgrandfather1975 (2597) – MarioVenuti (2517) 1-0 · 2026-09-07 · 180 + 0s
- pulptimes (2539) – pantera12 (2459) 1-0 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
- Zeppski88 (2433) – k-nft (2538) 1-0 · 2026-09-05 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Sicilian Defense (1… c5 2. Nf3) 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3
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.