The Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation arises after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 and falls under ECO code B33. Most players call it the Sveshnikov; Lichess keeps the older Lasker-Pelikan name for 5...e5 itself and uses Sveshnikov for the main line that follows. Black kicks the d4 knight straight away and accepts two lasting weaknesses, a backward d-pawn and a hole on d5, in return for a share of the centre and time gained on White's knight. The move order matters. Black's d-pawn is still on d7, so the f8 bishop can come to b4 or c5, and that is why White's critical reply is 6.Ndb5, threatening Nd6+ and making Black spend a move on ...d6. With 4 million Lichess games across all rating levels, it is a well-established opening choice.
- 5...e5 kicks the d4 knight before ...d6, so the f8 bishop can still reach b4; 6.Ndb5, threatening Nd6+, is White's critical reply.
- Other knight moves are thought to give Black easy equality: 6.Nf3 and 6.Nb3 meet ...Bb4, and 6.Nf5 runs into ...d5.
- Black accepts a backward d-pawn and a hole on d5 in return for a central foothold and time gained against White's knight.
History and Notable Players
It arises from the Sicilian Defense: Open (4...Nf6), where 5...e5 is one of Black's main answers to 5.Nc3, next to 5...e6, the Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation, and 5...d6, which transposes to the Sicilian Defense: Classical Variation. Emanuel Lasker played 5...e5 once in his world championship match against Carl Schlechter, and Jorge Pelikan used it now and then in the 1950s. It stayed a sideline until Evgeny Sveshnikov and Gennadi Timoshchenko reworked it in the 1970s, and Magnus Carlsen, Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov have all played it since. Among the most active players in ECO B33 games are Oleg Korneev (89 games), Janis Klovans (74 games) and Thomas Luther (67 games) with White, and Vladimir Kramnik (117 games), Vasilios Kotronias (116 games) and Zdenko Kozul (108 games) with Black.
For decades the line saw only occasional play. Evgeny Sveshnikov and Gennadi Timoshchenko reworked it in the 1970s and established it as a first-rate defence, which is why most players now call it the Sveshnikov.
Named after: Emanuel Lasker, who played 5...e5 once in his world title match with Carl Schlechter, and Jorge Pelikan, who used it in the 1950s.
Notable players: Emanuel Lasker, Evgeny Sveshnikov, Gennadi Timoshchenko, Vladimir Kramnik
Statistics
Based on 4 million Lichess games across all rating levels:
- White wins: 47.5%
- Black wins: 46.9%
- Draws: 5.6%
The overall split is close to even, but it changes at the top. Black is slightly ahead at 1600 and 1800 and level at 2000. From 2200 up, White pulls away: 48.3% to 44.2% at 2200, and 48.8% to 41.1% at 2500 and above, where 10.1% of games are drawn. It is a strong players' line. It appears in 0.01% of games at 1200 and 0.40% at 2200 and above. Of bullet, blitz and rapid, rapid is the only speed where Black scores better, 47.6% to 46.1%. Its share of Lichess games peaked in 2020 at 0.12% and has fallen every year since, to 0.06% in 2025.
Main Lines and Variations
After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5, the main continuations include:
- 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3: the Sicilian Defense: Sveshnikov Variation. 7.Bg5 targets the f6 knight, Black's main guard of d5, and 7...a6 8.Na3 sends White's knight to the rim. Sveshnikov's 8...b5 then threatens ...b4 against both knights. After 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nd5, Black has doubled f-pawns but the bishop pair and the ...f5 break; 9.Nd5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.c3 is the quieter main line. The older 8...Be6, the Bird Variation, lets the a3 knight back into play with 9.Nc4.
- 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Nd5: White trades on d5 first. After 7...Nxd5 8.exd5 the c6 knight has to move, usually to b8 or e7, and White plays on the queenside with an extra pawn there while Black looks for play on the kingside.
- 6.Nxc6 bxc6: the Exchange Variation. Black's extra centre pawn supports ...d5, and the c6 pawn covers d5, so the hole is gone.
- 6.Nf3 and 6.Nb3: the Retreat and Schlechter Variations. Both let the f8 bishop out, and 6...Bb4 pins the c3 knight and threatens to win the e4 pawn.
- 6.Nf5: met by 6...d5!, opening the centre while the f5 knight hangs to the c8 bishop, for example 7.exd5 Bxf5 8.dxc6 bxc6 9.Qf3 Qd7.
- 6.Nde2: protects the c3 knight against ...Bb4 and ...Bxc3. Black can answer with 6...Bc5 or 6...Bb4.
White's choice depends heavily on rating. 6.Nxc6 is the most played move up to the 1400 bracket (62.6% of games at 400), and 6.Ndb5 takes over from 1600, reaching 85.2% at 2200 and 92.3% at 2500 and above.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Skipping ...d6 after 6.Ndb5: 6...a6? 7.Nd6+ Bxd6 8.Qxd6 costs Black the dark-squared bishop and hands White the bishop pair, and 6...Bc5? 7.Be3 is no better. 6...d6 is close to forced.
- Retreating with 6.Nf3 or 6.Nb3: White gives up the one move that makes Black pay for 5...e5. After 6...Bb4 the bishop is out before ...d6, which is exactly what Black wanted.
- Recapturing with the queen after 9.Bxf6: In the Sveshnikov main line, 9...Qxf6? fails to 10.Nd5 Qd8 11.c4 b4 12.Qa4 Bd7 13.Nb5! axb5 14.Qxa8 Qxa8 15.Nc7+ Kd8 16.Nxa8, and White is the exchange up. Take back with 9...gxf6.
Practice on Chessiverse
The best way to learn the Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation is through practice. On Chessiverse, you can play chess against computer opponents that specialize in this opening. Our AI bots range from beginner to grandmaster level, each with unique playing styles — from aggressive attackers to solid defenders. Choose a bot that matches your rating and work your way up as you master the opening's key ideas.
Performance Across Rating Levels
How well the Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation works depends on what level you're playing at. Among 1200-rated players, it appears in 0.01% of games — 90,662 of them on record — with White winning 48.7% and Black 47.5%. Move up to 1800 Elo and the share shifts to 0.13%, with White winning 46.8% versus Black's 48.1%. At 2500, 0.40% of games go into this opening; draws sit at 10.1% — the line is well-mapped at this level.
Time Control Patterns
Time control matters here: blitz players reach for this opening more than others. In bullet, it appears in 0.06% of games (1,618,866); White wins 48.3%. Blitz shows 0.09% adoption across 3,384,237 games, White scoring 47.7%. In rapid, the share rises to 0.05% — 599,678 games, White 46.1%. White's score swings 2.2pp across formats, so time control isn't just a stylistic choice here — it shifts the actual results.
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
What players actually play after the opening moves depends heavily on rating. At 1200 Elo (90,662 games), the top reply is Nxc6, played 46.1% of the time. Four other moves each take at least 5% of games, and the top three moves account for 78.4% of games. Entropy: 2.12. By 2500 (55,214 games), Ndb5 takes over as the top reply at 92.3%; no other move reaches 5% and the top three moves account for 96.5% of games. Entropy drops to 0.56. That entropy collapse is the signature of a line where preparation pays off: at the top, players know the best move and play it.
Historical Trends
Long-term, the trajectory of this opening is informative. Adoption peaked in 2020 at 0.12% (712,588 games). By 2025 it sits at 0.06%, 49% below the peak and roughly back to its 2013 level, leaving the line flat over the full period.
