Openings · B33

Sicilian, Sveshnikov

5…e5 — kick the knight, accept a permanent hole on d5, and get paid in time and bishops.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5played as Black

Play it through on the board below.

Practise the line

You play Black; the other side answers on its own. Nothing here is saved or graded.

1
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h8
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a
Your move 1 of 50/5
  1. 1.e4c5
  2. 2.Nf3Nc6
  3. 3.d4cxd4
  4. 4.Nxd4Nf6
  5. 5.Nc3e5

White is answering…

The idea

The main line is 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5, and everything about it is deliberate: White gets d5 for ever, Black gets …b5, the bishop pair after Bxf6, the half-open c-file and a lead in development that has to be used before the hole starts to matter.

It is the most concrete Sicilian there is. Both sides are following analysis until move fifteen or so, and there is no version of it that can be worked out at the board.

Common mistakes

Three that come up again and again below master level: named traps and the errors every coach corrects.

…a6 before …d6

After 8.Qxd6
  1. 1.
  2. 2.
  3. 3.
  4. 4.
  5. 5.
  6. 6.
  7. 7.
  8. 8.
The mistake
Chasing the knight on b5 straight away, before the pawn goes to d6.
Why it costs
7.Nd6+ is a check no pawn can answer. Black has to take with the bishop, and after 8.Qxd6 the dark-squared bishop is gone, the king cannot castle for a while and the hole on d5 has arrived without any of the compensation it was meant to buy.
Instead
6…d6 first, every time. The move order is not a formality — it is the difference between the Sveshnikov and a bad position.

Recapturing on f6 with the queen

After 10.Nd5
  1. 1.
  2. 2.
  3. 3.
  4. 4.
  5. 5.
  6. 6.
  7. 7.
  8. 8.
  9. 9.
  10. 10.
The mistake
Taking back with the queen to avoid the doubled pawns.
Why it costs
10.Nd5 arrives with tempo on the queen, so White gets the square for free. The doubled pawns are not a defect here — the pawn on f6 holds e5 and the g-file is where Black's play comes from.
Instead
9…gxf6, which is the move the whole variation is built on. It looks wrong and it is the reason the Sveshnikov works.

The hole without the counterplay

After 10…f5
  1. 1.
  2. 2.
  3. 3.
  4. 4.
  5. 5.
  6. 6.
  7. 7.
  8. 8.
  9. 9.
  10. 10.
The mistake
Reaching the structure and then playing quiet, safe moves.
Why it costs
A permanent hole on d5 is a losing position in slow motion unless something is happening elsewhere. The compensation is dynamic and it expires: …f5 against e4, …b4 hitting the knight, and the bishops pointing at White's king.
Instead
…f5 or …b4, chosen early. The Sveshnikov is not a structure to hold, it is a race to start.

In real games between beginners

  • 1 in 110games end with Black giving checkmate by move 15. In all openings: 1 in 54.
  • 1 in 58games end with Black getting checkmated by move 15. In all openings: 1 in 33.

From 3,628 Lichess games in this opening between players rated under 1200, blitz and slower, September 2026. How we counted.

What the engine says

After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5, these are White's six best moves according to Stockfish, with the bar showing White's chance of winning.

  1. Ndb5+0.3
  2. Nde2+0.1
  3. Nxc6+0.0
  4. Nf5+0.0
  5. Nf3-0.1
  6. Nb3-0.3

The engine's main line from Ndb5: Ndb5 d6 Bg5 a6 Bxf6 gxf6 Na3 b5.

Stockfish 18, depth 24. Scores are in pawns from White's side. Another engine or depth will move individual numbers a little; the picture does not change. How we check.

Where it fits

The Sicilian, Sveshnikov is a variation of the Sicilian Defence, whose page covers the ideas this one takes for granted.

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