Sicilian Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, Main Line
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nc3 e6 5. Nxd5 exd5 6. d4 Nc6
The Sicilian Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, Main Line is a chess opening classified as ECO B29, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nc3 e6 5. Nxd5 exd5 6. d4 Nc6. 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 27 times by this move order. White won 33%, 19% were drawn and Black won 48%. The most popular continuation is 7. dxc5 (48% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.40 (Stockfish, depth 48; best line 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qxd5 d6 9. exd6 Qb6)
- ECO
- B29
- Moves
- 12 plies
- FEN
r1bqkb1r/pp1p1ppp/2n5/2ppP3/3P4/5N2/PPP2PPP/R1BQKB1R w KQkq - 1 7- PGN
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nc3 e6 5. Nxd5 exd5 6. d4 Nc6
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 1500-1999 | 2 | |
| 2000+ | 25 | |
| All | 27 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 7. dxc5 | 13 (48%) | |
| 7. c3 | 12 (44%) | |
| 7. Bf4 | 1 (4%) | |
| 7. Bd3 | 1 (4%) |
Master games
599 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 37%, draw 23%, Black 40%). The strongest:
- GM So, W. (2792) – GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2804) 1/2-1/2 · 80th Tata Steel GpA · 2018-01-13
- GM Sergey Karjakin (2782) – GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2808) 1/2-1/2 · GCT Blitz Paris 2018 · 2018-06-24
- GM Viswanathan Anand (2759) – GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2808) 1/2-1/2 · GCT Blitz Paris 2018 · 2018-06-23
- GM Sergey Karjakin (2757) – GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2770) 0-1 · Magnus Carlsen Inv Prelim · 2021-03-15
- GM Yangyi Yu (2752) – GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2764) 1/2-1/2 · Saint Louis Blitz 2019 · 2019-08-14
Search all games of the Sicilian Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, Main Line and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- kuhmft (2840) – FM Squoznyak (2863) 0-1 · 2026-09-06 · 180 + 0s
- GM CXCX83 (2641) – mysticgone (2481) 0-1 · 2026-09-06 · 180 + 0s
- FM Alex-31 (2439) – WGM ketchess (2478) 0-1 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 2s
Comes from
Sicilian Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, Advance Variation 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. 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.