Skip to main content

Sicilian Defense · As White · updated October 2026

Play against the Sicilian like Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

A repertoire against the Sicilian built from 228 of Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Maxime Vachier-Lagrave chose most often. Where Maxime Vachier-Lagrave has fewer than 3 games, the course takes the other top-50 players' most played move, then Stockfish's. Learn a line on the board, then each position comes back in a short daily review until it sticks.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave or Chess.com.

  • Maxime Vachier-Lagrave was #9 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,300) and scored 73% against opponents averaging 2,964 in these games.
  • You play Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's own move in 33 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#9

Chess.com

Rating

3,300

Games

228

in this opening

Score

73%

in these games

Opponents

2,964

average rating

More about Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

Use arrow keys to navigate the board. Press Enter to select a piece, then use arrow keys and Enter to move. Press Escape to cancel a move.
Line 1 after 11 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 9% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.d3 Qc7 6.O-O Ne7 7.e5

  2. Line 2 · 8% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3

  3. Line 3 · 7% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bd3 g6 7.f3 Bg7 8.Be3

  4. Line 4 · 7% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bd3 g6 7.f3 Qb6 8.a3 Bg7 9.Be3 Qc7 10.Qd2

  5. Line 5 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Qd3 Nf6 7.Ndb5 Qb8 8.Qg3 d6 9.Be3 a6 10.Nd4

  6. Line 6 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Qd3 a6 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.Qg3

  7. Line 7 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.O-O Bg7 5.Re1 e5 6.Bxc6

  8. Line 8 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bg7 5.c4 Nc6 6.Be3 Qb6 7.Nb5 Qa5+ 8.N5c3

  9. Line 9 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d3 Qc7 6.Nbd2 e5 7.a4 Be6 8.b3

Ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. Learned lines join your daily review.

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's main line against the Sicilian, move by move

The most common line at top level: 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.d3 Qc7 6.O-O Ne7 7.e5.

  1. 2.Nf3 Your move · Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's games Maxime Vachier-Lagrave played 2.Nf3 in 213 games, scoring 73%.
  2. 2…Nc6 Reply · Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's games A common reply here is 2…Nc6. At top level, this comes up about 38% of the time.
  3. 3.Bb5 Your move · Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's games Maxime Vachier-Lagrave played 3.Bb5 in 42 games, scoring 76%.
  4. 3…e6 Reply · Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's games A common reply here is 3…e6. At top level, this comes up about 13% of the time.
  5. 4.Bxc6 Your move · Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's games Maxime Vachier-Lagrave played 4.Bxc6 in 8 games, scoring 56%.
  6. 4…bxc6 Reply · Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's games A common reply here is 4…bxc6.
  7. 5.d3 Your move · Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's games Maxime Vachier-Lagrave played 5.d3 in 8 games, scoring 56%.
  8. 5…Qc7 Reply · Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's games A common reply here is 5…Qc7. At top level, this comes up about 9% of the time.
  9. 6.O-O Your move · Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's games Maxime Vachier-Lagrave played 6.O-O in 3 games, scoring 67%.
  10. 6…Ne7 Reply · Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's games A common reply here is 6…Ne7.
  11. 7.e5 Your move · Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's games Maxime Vachier-Lagrave played 7.e5 in 2 games, scoring 50%.

Questions about this course

How does Maxime Vachier-Lagrave play against the Sicilian?
After 1.e4 c5, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's most common line is 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.d3 Qc7 6.O-O Ne7 7.e5. At top level it comes up about 9% of the time.
Is this Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Sicilian course based on?
228 of Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's Chess.com blitz games in the Sicilian Defense as White, against opponents with an average rating of 2,964. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave scored 73% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
9 lines covering 40 positions, ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. The first 5 lines need no account; saving your progress with an email unlocks the rest, free.
Who is Maxime Vachier-Lagrave?
GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave was ranked number 9 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,300 when this course was built.