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B45Opening

Sicilian Defense:Four Knights Variation

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Nf6

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White to move

Legal moves
43
Games in the next 4 moves
2,117,471
Different positions among them
682,816
Named lines from here
4

See it on the mapOn the opening map

It is reached after 10 moves: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Nf6. It is a line of the Sicilian Defense.

White is to move and has 43 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 2,117,471 different games. Those games reach 682,816 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3.1 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 4 further lines after this position, such as Exchange Variation (6. Nxc6) and Cobra Variation (6. Ndb5 Bc5).

The same moves can be played in 732 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. Nf3 c5 2. e4 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Nf6, which starts as the Zukertort Opening.

Map of every game of the next four moves after the Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation
Every game of the next four moves from this position, as the map draws it. Each ring is one more move; the outer ring holds all 2,117,471 games.

Move by move

  1. 1. e4King's Pawn Game
  2. 1... c5Sicilian Defense
  3. 2. Nf3Sicilian Defense
  4. 2... e6Sicilian Defense: French Variation
  5. 3. d4—
  6. 3... cxd4Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open
  7. 4. Nxd4—
  8. 4... Nc6Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation
  9. 5. Nc3Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation
  10. 5... Nf6Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation

Named lines from here

Related openings

FEN

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