Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Neo-Modern Variation, Nyezhmetdinov Attack
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. f4 Be7 10. Nf3 b5 11. Bxf6
The Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Neo-Modern Variation, Nyezhmetdinov Attack is a chess opening classified as ECO B69, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. f4 Be7 10. Nf3 b5 11. Bxf6. 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: +0.45 (Stockfish, depth 33; best line 11… Bxf6 12. Qxd6 Ra7 13. e5 Be7 14. Qd2)
- ECO
- B69
- Moves
- 21 plies
- FEN
r2qk2r/3bbppp/p1nppB2/1p6/4PP2/2N2N2/PPPQ2PP/2KR1B1R b kq - 0 11- PGN
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. f4 Be7 10. Nf3 b5 11. Bxf6
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Master games
143 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 34%, draw 23%, Black 43%). The strongest:
- GM So, W. (2792) – GM Francisco Vallejo Pons (2716) 1/2-1/2 · FIDE World Cup 2017 · 2017-09-10
- GM Luke J McShane (2688) – GM Nils Grandelius (2691) 1/2-1/2 · Grandelius-McShane Match · 2019-07-08
- GM Markus Ragger (2701) – GM Ivan Salgado Lopez (2624) 0-1 · Bundesliga 2018-19 · 2018-11-10
- GM Dimitrios Mastrovasilis (2615) – GM Parham Maghsoodloo (2695) 0-1 · 4th Sharjah Masters 2021 · 2021-09-24
- GM Robert Hovhannisyan (2629) – GM Raunak Sadhwani (2641) 1-0 · FIDE World Cup 2025 · 2025-11-06
Comes from
Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Neo-Modern Variation (9. f4 Be7) 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. f4 Be7
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.