Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations, Tartakower
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. c3
The Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations, Tartakower is a chess opening classified as ECO B50, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. c3. 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 2,520 times by this move order. White won 50%, 5% were drawn and Black won 45%. The most popular continuation is 4… dxc3 (51% of games).
Engine evaluation: −0.15 (Stockfish, depth 48; best line 4… Nf6 5. Qxd4 Nc6 6. Qd3 g6 7. Be2)
- ECO
- B50
- Moves
- 7 plies
- FEN
rnbqkbnr/pp2pppp/3p4/8/3pP3/2P2N2/PP3PPP/RNBQKB1R b KQkq - 0 4- PGN
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. c3
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 176 | |
| 1500-1999 | 1,481 | |
| 2000+ | 863 | |
| All | 2,520 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 4… dxc3 | 1,277 (51%) | |
| 4… Nf6 | 774 (31%) | |
| 4… d3 | 246 (10%) | |
| 4… Nc6 | 85 (3%) | |
| 4… e5 | 36 (1%) | |
| 4… e6 | 28 (1%) | |
| 4… a6 | 26 (1%) | |
| 4… g6 | 22 (1%) |
Master games
459 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 39%, draw 13%, Black 48%). The strongest:
- CM Georgijs Germanovs (2260) – GM Magnus Carlsen (2839) 0-1 · Titled Tue 21st Oct 2025 · 2025-10-21
- WGM Deysi Cori T. (2430) – GM Jorge Cori (2600) 0-1 · ch-PER 2016 · 2016-02-13
- CM Georgijs Germanovs (2340) – GM Jeffery Xiong (2656) 0-1 · 1st 3-0 Thu 14th May 2026 · 2026-05-14
- CM Georgijs Germanovs (2260) – GM Vladimir Fedoseev (2704) 0-1 · 3rd 3-0 Thu 5th Mar 2026 · 2026-03-05
- CM Georgijs Germanovs (2260) – GM M. Amin Tabatabaei (2700) 1-0 · Titled Tue 17th Mar 2026 · 2026-03-17
Search all games of the Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations, Tartakower and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- IM Angelicanmade (2560) – FNENAD (2571) 1-0 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
- ReyLejeDario (2588) – TBT2026 (2483) 1-0 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 0s
- ReyLejeDario (2592) – GatoMoon18 (2467) 1-0 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Sicilian Defense (3. d4 cxd4) 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4
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.