Reference position · Black to move

B22 Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation

B22 holds 15 named lines, all under the name Sicilian Defense. It leaves B20 (Sicilian Defense) with 2.c3. Both queens have left the board by the end of Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Barmen Defense, Endgame Variation. Material is no longer level at the end of three of its lines; the widest gap, one pawn in White’s favour, comes in Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Anti-Alapin Gambit.

Score sheet
#	White	Black
1	e4	c5
2	c3

Moves only B22 plays

Same as B20 up to 1...c5, then:

2.c3 The c-pawn advances to c3, covering b4 and d4, opening a line for the queen on d1.

Lines filed under B22

All 15 share the start 1.e4 c5 and then split two ways at White’s move 2.

Name	After the shared start	Plies	At the end
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation	2.c3	3
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Anti-Alapin Gambit	2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Nf6	6	White +1
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Barmen Defense	2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5	6
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Smith-Morra Declined	2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.d4 cxd4	8	Black +1
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Barmen Defense	2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 g6 5.Nf3	9
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Barmen Defense	2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nc6 5.Nf3	9
Sicilian Defense: Heidenfeld Variation	2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Na3	9
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Barmen Defense, Modern Line	2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bg4	10
Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation	2.Nf3 e6 3.c3 d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.d4 Nf6	10
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Stoltz Attack	2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bc4 Nb6 6.Bb3	11
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Barmen Defense, Central Exchange	2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 cxd4 5.cxd4 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bg4	12
Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation	2.Nf3 e6 3.c3 d5 4.exd5 exd5 5.Bb5+ Nc6 6.O-O Bd6 7.d4	13	White castled
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Barmen Defense, Milner-Barry Attack	2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nc6 5.Nf3 cxd4 6.cxd4 e5 7.Nc3 Bb4 8.Be2	15
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Stoltz Attack, Ivanchuk Line	2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bc4 Nb6 6.Bb3 c4 7.Bc2 Qc7 8.Qe2 g5	16
Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Barmen Defense, Endgame Variation	2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 cxd4 5.cxd4 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Nc3 Bxf3 8.gxf3 Qxd4 9.Qxd4 Nxd4	18	Black +1, queens off

The road to B22

The position after 2.c3

Black is to move and has 22 legal moves.

Closest boards in other codes

Code	Line	Differs on
B23	Sicilian Defense: Closed	three squares: b1, c2, c3
A30	English Opening: Symmetrical Variation	four squares: e2, c3, c4, e4
B00	King’s Pawn Game	four squares: c2, c3, c5, c7
B10	Caro-Kann Defense	four squares: c2, c3, c5, c6
B21	Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack	four squares: c2, f2, c3, f4
B27	Sicilian Defense	four squares: g1, c2, c3, f3
A34	English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Normal Variation	five squares: b1, e2, c3, c4, e4

Open this line in the finder All Sicilian Defense codes