Sicilian Defense:Taimanov Variation

Named after Mark Taimanov. Black keeps a flexible position with ...e6 and ...Nc6 and waits to choose a pawn structure.

It is reached after 8 moves: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6. It is a line of the Sicilian Defense.

White is to move and has 42 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 2,091,804 different games. Those games reach 670,797 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3.1 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 18 further lines after this position, such as Szén Variation (5. Nb5).

The same moves can be played in 30 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. Nf3 c5 2. e4 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6, which starts as the Zukertort Opening.