Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Exchange Variation
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Nxc6
The Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Exchange Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO B33, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Nxc6. It is a line of the Sicilian Defense. Black is to move.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 993 times by this move order. White won 47%, 4% were drawn and Black won 49%. The most popular continuation is 6… bxc6 (95% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.01 (Stockfish, depth 50; best line 6… bxc6 7. Qf3 Be7 8. Bc4 d6 9. O-O)
- ECO
- B33
- Moves
- 11 plies
- FEN
r1bqkb1r/pp1p1ppp/2N2n2/4p3/4P3/2N5/PPP2PPP/R1BQKB1R b KQkq - 0 6- PGN
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Nxc6
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 154 | |
| 1500-1999 | 603 | |
| 2000+ | 236 | |
| All | 993 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 6… bxc6 | 943 (95%) | |
| 6… dxc6 | 37 (4%) | |
| 6… d6 | 11 (1%) | |
| 6… a6 | 1 (0%) |
Master games
259 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 29%, draw 17%, Black 54%). The strongest:
- IM Ivan Aldokhin (2413) – GM Mustafa Yilmaz (2630) 1-0 · Titled Tuesday 11th May · 2021-05-11
- IM Bojan Maksimovic (2497) – GM Dmitry Bocharov (2518) 0-1 · Titled Tue 5th Dec Early · 2023-12-05
- Evgeni Somkin (2366) – IM Anatoliy Polivanov (2454) 1-0 · Evgeny Sveshnikov Mem · 2021-10-22
- IM Dushyant Sharma (2331) – IM Michel Alejandro Diaz Perez (2461) 0-1 · Titled Tue 20th Feb Early · 2024-02-20
- IM Dushyant Sharma (2406) – IM Viktor Skliarov (2384) 0-1 · Titled Tue 2nd Aug Early · 2022-08-02
Highest-rated Lichess games
- byrize11 (2644) – ph0rial (2446) 1-0 · 2026-09-06 · 180 + 0s
- fikumiku89 (2517) – heyjana (2500) 1/2-1/2 · 2026-09-06 · 180 + 0s
- b8b1 (2406) – Hurts2Practice (2435) 1-0 · 2026-09-07 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5
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.