Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation (7. f4 Be7)
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7
The Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO B98, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7. It is a line of the Sicilian Defense. White is to move. 3 named lines continue from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 1,679 times by this move order. White won 49%, 5% were drawn and Black won 46%. The most popular continuation is 8. Qf3 (84% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.34 (Stockfish, depth 60; best line 8. Qf3 h6 9. Bh4 Nbd7 10. O-O-O Qc7)
- ECO
- B98
- Moves
- 14 plies
- FEN
rnbqk2r/1p2bppp/p2ppn2/6B1/3NPP2/2N5/PPP3PP/R2QKB1R w KQkq - 1 8- PGN
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 30 | |
| 1500-1999 | 597 | |
| 2000+ | 1,052 | |
| All | 1,679 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 8. Qf3 | 1,407 (84%) | |
| 8. Qd2 | 63 (4%) | |
| 8. Bd3 | 49 (3%) | |
| 8. Qe2 | 43 (3%) | |
| 8. Bc4 | 34 (2%) | |
| 8. Be2 | 31 (2%) | |
| 8. e5 | 30 (2%) | |
| 8. Bxf6 | 6 (0%) |
Master games
1,034 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 56%, draw 12%, Black 32%). The strongest:
- Komodo 2576.00 (3505) – ScorpioNN 3.0.8.3 (3448) 1-0 · TCEC 19 Premier 2020 · 2020-09-23
- ScorpioNN 3.0.8.3 (3448) – Komodo 2576.00 (3505) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 19 Premier 2020 · 2020-09-19
- GM Hikaru Nakamura (2768) – GM Magnus Carlsen (2859) 1/2-1/2 · chess.com SpeedChess 2022 · 2022-12-18
- GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov (2766) – GM Fabiano Caruana (2792) 1/2-1/2 · WR Rapid Miami 2026 · 2026-07-27
- GM Daniil Dubov (2708) – GM Vladimir Kramnik (2753) 1-0 · Armageddon Asia&Oceania W · 2023-04-04
Search all games of the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- qdxds (2911) – TIMETOLOCKINN (2668) 0-1 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
- FM Buyofl (2717) – GladiatorDefence (2777) 0-1 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
- D40R3T5KY (2730) – IM Popovich2020 (2678) 0-1 · 2026-09-01 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation (6… e6 7. f4) 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4
Continuations
- Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Traditional Line B98 · 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Qf3 Qc7
- Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Browne Variation B98 · 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Qf3 h6 9. Bh4 Qc7
- Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Goteborg Variation B98 · 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Qf3 h6 9. Bh4 g5
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.