The Closed Sicilian starts 1. 2.. Instead of opening the center with a pawn on d4, you play 3., put your bishop on g2 and your pawn on d3, and don't trade your d-pawn for the c5 pawn. That way your e4 pawn is held by the bishop, the knight and the d3 pawn, and your c3 knight also watches d5. From 900 to 1700 you score 49.9% with it (N = 159,513 Lichess games, September 2026).
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
16 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After 2., opponents at your level answer in 47 of 100 games, in 20 and in 19; against those two you score 50 and 49 of 100. Against , players with White at your level most often go 3. (42 of 100), and only 4 in 100 choose 3.. Strong players split between 3. (27 of 100), 3. (26) and 3. (24). After 3., 76 of 100 strong opponents reply , but only 29 at your level do; you'll also see (25) and (19). Against you score 52 of 100. Against you score 56 of 100, and against , which comes up in 12 of 100 games, you score 58.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47.3% | 49.7% | 45.3% | 47.2% | |
| 19.7% | 49.9% | 17.2% | 25.4% | |
| 19.0% | 49.1% | 20.8% | 15.5% | |
| 5.4% | 50.0% | 7.8% | 1.7% | |
| 3.8% | 50.4% | 7.7% | 10.2% | |
| 2.1% | 55.3% | 0.4% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42.4% | 49.3% | 11.4% | 21.8% | |
| 16.4% | 49.4% | no data | no data | |
| 14.0% | 51.2% | 25.8% | 11.8% | |
| 10.6% | 50.9% | 23.7% | 38.2% | |
| 5.8% | 49.2% | 3.4% | no data | |
| 4.3% | 53.2% | 26.9% | 12.4% | |
| no data | no data | 5.1% | 15.9% |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29.1% | 51.7% | 75.9% | 100.0% | |
| 24.6% | 51.4% | 8.0% | no data | |
| 18.9% | 55.8% | 6.7% | no data | |
| 11.7% | 57.6% | 3.5% | no data | |
| 10.8% | 52.1% | 3.2% | no data | |
| 3.6% | 52.7% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.7% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 96.6% | 51.7% | 93.7% | 100.0% | |
| 3.4% | 47.1% | 5.9% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.2% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.2% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100.0% | 51.0% | 99.1% | 100.0% | |
| no data | no data | 0.4% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.3% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.2% | no data |
The strong players' line is 3. 4. 5. 6.. The goal isn't to open the center. You want your e4 pawn firmly supported and your pieces ready to castle short, without trading your d-pawn for the c5 pawn. That's why it's called closed: your d-pawn stops on d3, not d4. After 2. the position is close to level, 0.23 pawns in your favor, and is your opponent's best reply.
The reason is d4. After and , your opponent hits that square three times: with the c5 pawn, the knight on c6 and the bishop on g7. A pawn of yours on d4 would face those three attackers with only your queen to defend it. With 5. the pawn stays one square back, where nothing attacks it, and holds e4.
3. and 4. belong together. The g-pawn clears g2, and from there the bishop guards e4 along the long diagonal. That setup, the bishop on g2 behind the g3 pawn, is a kingside fianchetto. With the bishop, the knight on c3 and the pawn on d3, e4 has three defenders. Your opponent mirrors the idea with and : that bishop eyes d4 and reaches all the way to your knight on c3, which the b2 pawn protects.
5., the choice of 68 of 100 strong players, has a second purpose. Your bishop on c1 only touched b2 and d2, both blocked by your own pawns; with the pawn on d3 its diagonal opens. That's why 6. comes right after: 48 of 100 strong players pick it there. From e3 the bishop covers d4, the square your opponent is eyeing, and looks toward h6 through f4 and g5. In between, defends the c5 pawn and opens the diagonal for the c8 bishop.
At your level this move order is rare. At your level, 3. is played far more than 3., and if you do play 3., only 29 of 100 opponents follow with , against 76 of 100 strong players. Once arrives, though, the rest repeats itself: 97 of 100 players at your level follow with 4., and opponents always answer . After that pair of moves you score 51 of 100.
The most common picture in games at your level is both sides castling short: your g1 knight comes out, and the king goes to g1 with the g2 bishop in front of it. Sometimes you castle long against their short castle, but that's far less frequent.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 35,624 | 45.3% | |
| 16,125 | 26.7% | |
| 4,291 | 76.0% | |
| 3,296 | 93.8% | |
| 3,085 | 99.1% | |
| 3,660 | 67.6% | |
| 2,527 | 50.4% | |
| 1,729 | 47.9% |
After 3. , 4. lets the e6 pawn back up a push to d5: after 5. 6. 7., your e4 pawn is gone and your opponent has a pawn on d5. Play 4. instead, with the f3 knight ready to recapture. 9 of 100 players choose it; you score 47, against 52.
9 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 47.4%; scores 52.0%.
After 3. , 4. gives up d4 and hands it to your opponent: after 5. , the knight settles there, backed by the c5 pawn and the g7 bishop. With 4. you take that square before the bishop arrives. 9 of 100 players at your level choose it; you score 45, against 49 with 4..
9 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 45.4%; scores 48.7%.
After there's no knight on c6, so 3. hits nothing useful: just the d7 pawn, defended by the king, queen, bishop and knight. After 4. 5. , your bishop has spent two moves, your opponent gains queenside space and the b7 bishop aims at e4. Play 3. instead. You score 43, against 55.
2 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 43.0%; scores 55.0%.
After 3. , 4. walks the bishop into a trap: 5. , and the bishop can only go to a4 or c4, where the b5 pawn takes it. After 6. 7. you've given a bishop for a pawn. Play 4.. At your level this gets punished: you score 28, against 54.
6 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 5.3 pawns of advantage. It scores 28.4%; scores 54.4%.
After , the knight attacks e4 and only your c3 knight defends it. 3. kicks it off f6 with tempo. After 3., following 4. 5. the pawn hits your knight, which gets traded with 6.. 22 of 100 players at your level choose it; you score 50, against 60 with 3..
22 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 49.5%; scores 59.7%.
Inaccuracy, and at your level it goes unpunished. After 3. , 4. allows : after 5. 6. 7., your e4 pawn is gone and your opponent's queen sits on d5. 4., pressuring the c6 knight, was more precise, but in practice you score 53 of 100 with either move. 9 of 100 players at your level choose 4..
9 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 52.7%; scores 52.9%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 86,233 | ||
| Not castled | 22,567 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 13,721 |
| 13,004 | ||
| Not castled | 10,145 | |
| 5,907 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 201 | ||
| 35 | ||
| Not castled | 28 | |
| 14 | ||
| Not castled | 11 | |
| Not castled | 8 |
1. 2. · 61,548 amateur games · 76 over the board
This is the position after , the reply of 47 of 100 opponents; there you score 49.
1. 2. 3. · B24
2,562 amateur games · White's score: 53.4%
1. 2. 3. · B30
1,438 amateur games · White's score: 46.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · B30
896 amateur games · White's score: 48.5%
1. 2. 3. · B23
778 amateur games · White's score: 54.6%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · B30
542 amateur games · White's score: 43.6%
1. 2. 3. · B23
349 amateur games · White's score: 54.4%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · B23
163 amateur games · White's score: 56.7%
1. 2. 3. · B23
83 amateur games · White's score: 64.5%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · B25
25 amateur games · White's score: 58.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · B25
8 amateur games · White's score: 37.5%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · B30
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · B25
1. 2. 3. 4. · B23
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · B24