Sicilian Defense:Open

It is reached after 5 moves: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4. It is a line of the Sicilian Defense.

Black is to move and has 27 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 982,528 different games. Those games reach 328,575 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 32 further lines after this position, such as Franco-Sicilian Variation (3... e6).

The same moves can be played in 6 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. Nf3 c5 2. e4 Nc6 3. d4, which starts as the Zukertort Opening.