Chess opening · ECO B44
Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation
The Taimanov is the Open Sicilian with ...e6 and an early 4...Nc6. Instead of a pawn move, Black brings out the queen's knight and starts leaning on the white knight in the center right away. The kingside knight often stays on g8 for a while, so the f-pawn and the f8 bishop keep their options. White has three quite different answers, and each sets a different kind of game in motion.
- Rank by weighted share
- #131 of 159
Key moves
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6
- 4... Nc6The c6 knight attacks d4 and also keeps watch over e5. White's knight is only held by the queen, so White chooses between keeping it there with support, trading it, or moving it to a new post.
Trading on c6 bends Black's pawns toward the center
Nxc6 removes the attacker, but after ...bxc6 Black has pawns on c6 and e6 ready to support ...d5. The b-file also opens for a black rook. In return, White no longer has a knight in the center that Black has to keep attacking.
The jump to b5 and the d6 square
Nb5 eyes d6. With the e-pawn on e6, the f8 bishop covers that square, but a knight check there would trade off that bishop and hand White the bishop pair, so Black usually answers ...d6.
White then often plays c4, grabbing space and taking d5 away from Black. The knight on b5 is a little offside, and after ...a6 it typically reroutes through a3 toward c2.
Nc3 with ...Qc7 and a later ...Bb4
The main road is Nc3. Black often plays ...Qc7 and ...a6, the pawn keeping White's knights out of b5, then ...Nf6. Once the white knight sits on c3, a bishop on b4 can pin it against the king and add weight to the pressure on e4.
A typical Nc3 setup
5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Bd3 Nf6 8. O-O
White develops simply, with the d3 bishop guarding e4 and the king safe. Black's queen covers e5 and the c-file, and ...a6 has removed Nb5 jumps. Black's next steps often include ...b5, ...Bb7 or ...Ne5 aiming at the d3 bishop.
Top replies by rating
Nxc6 tops the 1200 to 1399 band and then slides down the table as ratings climb. At 2000 and up Nb5 enters the top three, tied with c4.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1200–1399 | Nxc6 48% | Nc3 38% | Be3 7% |
| 1400–1599 | Nc3 44% | Nxc6 28% | Be3 10% |
| 1600–1799 | Nc3 45% | Nxc6 21% | Be3 9% |
| 1800–1999 | Nc3 52% | c4 10% | Nxc6 10% |
| 2000 and up | Nc3 47% | Nb5 16% | c4 16% |
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.