Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations, Main Line
B54 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6
White scores 51.2% here across 2,430 club games — but the 1.6% who answer Bb5+ score 39.5%, 12 points worse.
What White actually plays here
Across 2,430 games from a Lichess-derived book of club play, White scores 51.2% in this position. These are the replies people choose, and how each one works out.
| Reply | Games | Share | White scores | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nc3 | 2,163 | 89.0% | 51.0% | holds up |
| Bd3 | 128 | 5.3% | 50.0% | holds up |
| f3 | 74 | 3.0% | 66.2% | holds up |
| Bb5+ | 38 | 1.6% | 39.5% | below the line |
"Below the line" means the reply scores at least three points worse than the position does overall. Replies played fewer than 25 times are left out: the sample is too small to read.
Is this costing you anything?
A table of averages cannot tell you whether you go wrong here — only your own games can. Opening Leak Lab reads your Chess.com or Lichess archive, finds the decisions you repeat, and checks each one against this book and a bundled Stockfish.