Sicilian Defense:Lasker-Pelikan Variation

It is reached after 10 moves: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5. 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 1,891,635 different games. Those games reach 613,217 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3.1 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 9 further lines after this position, such as Sveshnikov Variation (6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5) and Exchange Variation (6. Nxc6).

The same moves can be played in 732 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. Nf3 c5 2. e4 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5, which starts as the Zukertort Opening.