In 123,119 Lichess games between players rated 900 to 1700 (September 2026), you score 49% after 2. against the Sicilian. That figure blends two paths. After , you score 52 in 100 with the gambit 3., and 47 when you take back with 3.. You give up a pawn to open the c- and d-files and get your pieces out first.
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.
1 named line in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
Against players rated 2200+ online, the sequence is 3. 4. 5. 6.. The biggest gap is your third move. After , strong players offer the pawn with 3. in 71 of every 100 games; at your level only 30 do, and 55 in 100 take back with 3.. Your opponents also accept more often: at your level 72 in 100 grab it with , against 48 among strong players. After 4., just under half your opponents answer ; among strong players, 58 in 100.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77.9% | 48.7% | 90.9% | 100.0% | |
| 8.3% | 51.5% | 3.5% | no data | |
| 6.1% | 55.6% | 2.2% | no data | |
| 3.2% | 56.2% | 2.1% | no data | |
| 1.2% | 56.4% | no data | no data | |
| 0.8% | 53.3% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.6% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.3% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55.2% | 46.8% | 16.1% | 65.8% | |
| 30.5% | 52.3% | 71.4% | 34.2% | |
| 11.1% | 49.2% | 11.9% | no data | |
| 1.4% | 48.4% | 0.1% | no data | |
| 0.6% | 51.3% | 0.3% | no data | |
| 0.4% | 48.7% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.1% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71.8% | 52.8% | 47.6% | no data | |
| 11.7% | 52.9% | no data | no data | |
| 3.4% | 52.1% | 2.3% | no data | |
| 3.3% | 49.4% | 15.0% | no data | |
| 2.9% | 49.6% | 19.3% | no data | |
| 2.0% | 45.9% | 9.3% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 2.3% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82.1% | 53.0% | 93.8% | no data | |
| 14.7% | 51.5% | 3.7% | no data | |
| 2.7% | 55.8% | 2.4% | no data | |
| 0.2% | 43.6% | no data | no data | |
| 0.2% | 28.8% | 0.2% | no data | |
| 0.1% | 51.8% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49.5% | 52.5% | 58.1% | no data | |
| 16.6% | 50.9% | 25.1% | no data | |
| 9.8% | 56.6% | no data | no data | |
| 9.5% | 53.7% | 9.9% | no data | |
| 6.7% | 53.8% | 2.6% | no data | |
| 4.8% | 51.8% | 3.5% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.4% | no data |
The gambit trades a pawn for time and open files. After 4. you're a pawn down, but the c-file has no pawns left, your d-pawn is gone while Black's d7 pawn is still at home, and both your bishops have room: the c1 bishop toward f4 or g5, the f1 bishop toward c4.
3. hits the d4 pawn. If your opponent grabs it with , 4. recaptures with a piece instead of a pawn. That knight covers d5 and b5 and guards e4. Your queen, with no pawn in front of it, already eyes d7 down the d-file. watches d4 and e5, and 5. brings out your other knight to fight for the same squares. With , your opponent takes d5 away from your c3 knight. That's why 6. aims at e6, with f7 behind it, and clears your kingside so you can castle. The order matters: knights first, since they fight for the center, then the bishop, once you know where your opponent's e-pawn is going. Strong players choose 5. in 76 of every 100 games and 6. in 80.
Once your pieces are out, your rooks head for the c- and d-files. No enemy pawn or piece covers b5, so your c3 knight can jump there and eye d6, which for now only the f8 bishop defends.
At your level the gambit position doesn't come up much: after , only 30 in 100 players choose 3.. When you do offer it, 28 in 100 opponents decline, most often with . If they play or , they hit e4, which has no defender after 3.. After 4., 17 in 100 play and 10 in 100 play . Against you score 57 in 100. That push leaves d5 with no enemy pawn guarding it, and your c3 knight can hop there in one move.
Strong players, by contrast, turn the pawn down in 52 of every 100 games. The most common choice is , hitting e4, followed by , which hands the pawn back: on d3 it blocks your f1 bishop's diagonal until you capture it. If you go for 3. instead, you give nothing away, but your queen sits in the center, where a knight from c6 attacks it and gains a tempo.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 15,539 | 90.9% | |
| 14,119 | 71.3% | |
| 10,036 | 47.6% | |
| 4,776 | 93.8% | |
| 4,464 | 58.1% | |
| 2,583 | 75.9% | |
| 2,350 | 48.2% | |
| 1,514 | 79.7% |
After 3. , 4. gives up the center: develops the bishop with a capture and aims it at f2. After 5. 6. 7., your opponent has an easy game. 4. hits the knight and the e6 pawn. 18 in 100 play 4.; with it you score 48 in 100, and with 4., 62.
18 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.4 pawns of advantage. It scores 48.3%; scores 61.7%.
After 3. , 4. moves the knight again and doesn't win back the d4 pawn. hits e4 and opens the c8 bishop. After 5. 6. , the bishop attacks your queen, you block with 7., and you're still a pawn down. 4. wins it back. You score 46 in 100 instead of 51.
2 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 45.7%; scores 50.9%.
After 3. , 4. leaves e4 undefended against , and you spend a queen move, 5., holding it. Meanwhile your opponent is still up the d4 pawn. 4. takes it back first. At your level it rarely gets punished: 50 in 100 against 51.
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 50.1%; scores 50.9%.
After , 3. grabs a pawn you can't keep. After 4., gives check and hits c5. Following 5. 6., the queen and the f8 bishop both attack c5 and nothing guards it. 3. hits the knight and gains space. 30 in 100 play 3.; with it you score 52, and with 3., 59.
30 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.2 pawns of advantage. It scores 52.2%; scores 59.4%.
After , 4. leaves the c3 pawn alive, and 5. leaves you two pawns down. In return, your b2 bishop eyes g7 along the long diagonal. After 6. 7., you still haven't won the material back. 15 in 100 play it, and at your level it costs little: 52 in 100 against 53.
15 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 51.5%; scores 53.0%.
After 3. , 4. allows . After 5. 6. 7. you get the pawn back, but your opponent keeps the bishop pair and your d4 pawn is gone. 4. hits the knight. You score 51 in 100 instead of 62.
8 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.5 pawns of advantage. It scores 50.6%; scores 61.7%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 49,940 | ||
| 18,211 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 17,045 |
| Not castled | 14,437 | |
| Not castled | 11,705 | |
| Not castled | 6,999 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | ||
| 5 | ||
| Not castled | 1 |
After 1. 2. 3., you offer a pawn. If your opponent takes with and you recapture with 4., you're a pawn down, but your knight is already out, the c-file is open, and your queen eyes d7. At your level, 72 in 100 opponents accept, and after 4. you score 53 in 100.
After , recapture with 4., as 82 in 100 players at your level do and 94 in 100 strong players. Against and , strong players continue 5. and 6.. Avoid 4., which 15 in 100 choose: after 5. you're two pawns down. After 4. you score 53 in 100.
After 3., 28 in 100 opponents at your level decline, most often with . Strong players decline more: 52 in 100, mostly with or . Both and hit e4, which nothing defends after 3.. At your level you score 50 in 100 against , 49 against and 46 against .
From 900 to 1700, after you score 52 in 100 with 3., against 47 with 3.. Strong online players score 54 in 100 after 2.. The results barely shift with rating: 49 at 900 to 1100, 50 at 1500 to 1700. It's rare at your level: about 4 in every 1000 games.