Sicilian Defense:Kan Variation

Named after Ilya Kan. With ...e6 and ...a6 Black keeps maximum flexibility and prepares ...b5.

It is reached after 8 moves: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6. It is a line of the Sicilian Defense.

White is to move and has 42 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 1,527,775 different games. Those games reach 498,122 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3.1 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 12 further lines after this position, such as Maróczy Bind, Réti Variation (5. c4) and Modern Variation (5. Bd3).

The same moves can be played in 36 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. Nf3 c5 2. e4 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6, which starts as the Zukertort Opening.