Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, Moscow Gambit
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nc6 4. O-O Bd7 5. c3 Nf6 6. Re1 a6 7. Bxc6 Bxc6 8. d4 Bxe4 9. Bg5
The Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, Moscow Gambit is a chess opening classified as ECO B51, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nc6 4. O-O Bd7 5. c3 Nf6 6. Re1 a6 7. Bxc6 Bxc6 8. d4 Bxe4 9. Bg5. It is a line of the Sicilian Defense. Black 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: +0.06 (Stockfish, depth 33; best line 9… Bc6 10. c4 cxd4 11. Bxf6 Bxf3 12. Qxf3)
- ECO
- B51
- Moves
- 17 plies
- FEN
r2qkb1r/1p2pppp/p2p1n2/2p3B1/3Pb3/2P2N2/PP3PPP/RN1QR1K1 b kq - 1 9- PGN
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nc6 4. O-O Bd7 5. c3 Nf6 6. Re1 a6 7. Bxc6 Bxc6 8. d4 Bxe4 9. Bg5
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Master games
25 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 44%, draw 28%, Black 28%). The strongest:
- GM Narayanan S L (2662) – GM Jeffery Xiong (2685) 1/2-1/2 · Chess.com Rapid W10 Swiss · 2022-04-16
- IM Chen Wang (2514) – GM Jun Zhao (2634) 1/2-1/2 · TCh-CHN 2016 · 2016-04-12
- GM Handszar Odeev (2382) – GM Illya Nyzhnyk (2599) 1/2-1/2 · Turkish Bank Chess League 2012 · 2012-07-20
- GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2736) – FM Tunahan Makaraci (2233) 1-0 · FIDE World Bl Team Pool A · 2025-06-14
- GM Dennis Wagner (2572) – GM Aziz Mert Erdogdu (2396) 0-1 · Titled Tuesday 18th May · 2021-05-18
Search all games of the Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, Moscow Gambit and its sub-variations
Comes from
Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+
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.