B41 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation
B41 holds five named lines, all under the name Sicilian Defense. It leaves B40 (Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open) with 4.Nxd4 a6. That final move, by the a-pawn, covers b5 and opens a line for the rook on a8. Of all other reference positions, the board of B42 (Kan Variation, Modern Variation) comes closest, two squares apart.
| # | White | Black |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | e4 | c5 |
| 2 | Nf3 | e6 |
| 3 | d4 | cxd4 |
| 4 | Nxd4 | a6 |
Lines filed under B41
All five share their first eight plies, the whole reference line.
| Name | After the shared start | Plies |
|---|---|---|
| Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation | (the shared start itself) | 8 |
| Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Maróczy Bind, Réti Variation | 5.c4 | 9 |
| Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Maróczy Bind, Hedgehog Variation | 5.c4 g6 | 10 |
| Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Maróczy Bind, Bronstein Variation | 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Bd3 Nc6 | 14 |
| Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Maróczy Bind, Bronstein Variation | 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Bd3 Nc6 8.Bc2 | 15 |
The road to B41
- 1.e4 … 2.Nf3three earlier stops: B00, B20, B27
- 2...e6B40 French Variation
- 3...cxd4B40 Open
- 4...a6B41
The position after 4...a6
White has brought out the knight on d4; Black has not yet moved a knight or bishop. White has a half-open d-file; Black a half-open c-file. White could capture with Bxa6, Nxe6. White is to move and has 42 legal moves.
Codes that branch off from B41
The reference lines of two other codes leave B41 from the position after 4...a6, each with its own moves.
| Code | Moves | Reference line |
|---|---|---|
| B42 | 5.Bd3 | Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Modern Variation |
| B43 | 5.Nc3 | Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Knight Variation |
Closest boards in other codes
| Code | Line | Differs on |
|---|---|---|
| B44 | Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation | four squares: a6, c6, a7, b8 |
| B46 | Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation | four squares: b1, c3, c6, b8 |
| B28 | Sicilian Defense: O’Kelly Variation | six squares: d2, f3, d4, c5, e6, e7 |
| B45 | Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation | six squares: b1, c3, a6, c6, a7, b8 |
| C00 | French Defense | six squares: g1, d2, d4, a6, a7, c7 |
| C21 | Center Game Accepted | six squares: g1, d4, a6, e6, a7, c7 |
| C45 | Scotch Game | six squares: a6, c6, e6, a7, c7, b8 |
Where lines continue from here
Nine named lines filed under other codes pass through the position after 4...a6. All of them belong to the codes listed above.