Chess lessons › Chess openings
The Sveshnikov Sicilian
Black plays ...e5 and accepts a backward d6 pawn and a hole on d5 for active pieces and the two bishops.
The idea
Black takes a backward d6 pawn and a hole on d5 for active pieces.
- After ...e5 and ...d6, the pawn on d6 is backward and no pawn can guard it.
- No black pawn can ever attack d5, so it is a hole.
- White’s knight jumps to d5, and only a piece can trade it off.
In a game: Knights on c6 and f6 and ...e5 against the knight on d4: that is the Sveshnikov.
How the lesson begins
The Sveshnikov starts with Black’s fifth move in the Open Sicilian with knights on c6 and f6, after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3: the pawn thrust 5...e5. It attacks the knight on d4. Black accepts a backward pawn on d6 and a hole on d5, and wants active pieces in return.
Step through the usual moves. White’s knight leaves d4, Black guards the pawn on e5, and the pawn moves to a6 and b5 push the white pieces back. Lichess calls the thrust the Lasker-Pelikan Variation, and the position after these moves the Sveshnikov Variation.
- 5... e5 The pawn attacks the knight on d4.
- 6. Ndb5 The knight steps out of the attack.
- 6... d6 The pawn guards the pawn on e5.
- 7. Bg5 The bishop attacks the knight on f6, which guards d5.
- 7... a6 The pawn attacks the knight on b5.
- 8. Na3 The knight retreats to the edge. It can still reach c2.
- 8... b5 The pawn takes the squares a4 and c4 away from White’s pieces.
Find the move
White to move. Look at the pawns on d6 and e5. Neither of them covers the square d5, and the pawn on e4 guards it for White. Put a knight there.
A hint
Which of your knights can reach d5 in one move?
Show the answer
9. Nd5
Nd5 puts the knight on the key square of the opening. No black pawn can ever attack it: the c-pawn is gone and the e-pawn has moved past it to e5. To get rid of the knight, Black has to trade it for a piece. The square d5 is a hole in Black’s position: no black pawn can ever guard it again. The pawn on d6 is backward: it stands behind the pawn on e5 and no pawn can guard it.
In numbers
How often it is played
| Rating | Value |
|---|---|
| Under 800 | Too few games |
| 800 to 1199 | Too few games |
| 1200 to 1599 | Too few games |
| 1600 to 1999 | Too few games |
| 2000 and up | 0.9 |
How the games ended
White won 46%, 11% were drawn and Black won 43%, over 195 games that start this way, in a sample of rated Lichess games from 2026.