Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation
B45 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3
Black scores 51.2% here across 694 club games — but the 19.5% who answer a6 score 47.4%, 4 points worse.
What Black actually plays here
Across 694 games from a Lichess-derived book of club play, Black scores 51.2% in this position. These are the replies people choose, and how each one works out.
| Reply | Games | Share | Black scores | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nf6 | 172 | 24.8% | 55.2% | holds up |
| a6 | 135 | 19.5% | 47.4% | below the line |
| Qc7 | 93 | 13.4% | 54.8% | holds up |
| Bc5 | 82 | 11.8% | 56.7% | holds up |
| Bb4 | 76 | 11.0% | 47.4% | below the line |
| Nxd4 | 46 | 6.6% | 37.0% | 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.