When White plays 3.Bb5 g6 4.c3 against your Sicilian, they're aiming for a quiet but cunning setup. Your move 4...Nf6 is the principled answer — develop a piece, attack the e4 pawn, and dare White to prove their strategy. From here, the engine sees a dead-level game at +0.13, and the database across over 6,000 games confirms it: Black actually wins more often than White (50.8% to 45.2%). That makes this a perfect opening for players who want solid, active positions without memorising endless theory. The drill below will show you exactly how to handle White's most popular tries and which move you should never let them get away with.
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Play the Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Fianchetto Variation: c3 against the engine
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Try the interactive drill below — practise Black's responses to White's most common moves and learn to punish the inaccuracy 5.O-O. Create a free account to see
Find your own #1 mistake — free →What You're Fighting For
After 4...Nf6, the position is remarkably balanced. Stockfish gives +0.13, which is essentially zero — you are neither better nor worse. The numbers back this up: across 6,282 games, Black scores 50.8% while White manages 45.2%, with only 4.0% draws. That high Black win rate (and low draw rate) tells you something important: this isn't a quiet, shuffling opening. Both sides have real chances, and the games tend to be decisive. Your goal is to keep the pressure on White's centre. Your knight on f6 eyes e4, your bishop on g7 will rake the long diagonal, and your ...c5 pawn already challenges White's d4 ambitions. White has set up a c3-Bb5 system to avoid the razor-sharp Open Sicilian lines — but they've also given you a very playable position.
The Engine's First Choice: Qe2
If you want to know what White's best move is, the engine points to 5.Qe2. It might look modest, but it serves two purposes: protecting e4 and preparing to recapture on b5 with the queen if you play ...a6. The engine's full line runs 5.Qe2 a6 6.Bxc6 bxc6, creating doubled c-pawns for you. Don't panic — those doubled pawns aren't a weakness here. They open the b-file for your rook, give your dark-squared bishop an unimpeded diagonal, and actually strengthen your centre control. This is a well-known trade-off in the Rossolimo, and statistics show Black is doing just fine after it. The drill will let you practise this exact line so you feel comfortable with the resulting structure.
White's Most Popular Choices — and Your Punishment
Let's look at what White actually plays most often, because it's different from the engine's top pick. Here are the five most common moves from 6,282 games, along with how often White scores (remember, White scoring below 50% is good for you):- 5.d3 (1,857 games, White 46.7%) — A solid, modest move. Black simply continues development with ...Bg7 and ...O-O.- 5.e5 (1,290 games, White 44.4%) — Pushing the pawn. Your knight moves to g4 or h5, and you can follow with ...d6 to break the centre. White's low score here suggests you should welcome this.- 5.Bxc6 (1,136 games, White 46.8%) — Taking immediately. You recapture ...bxc6 and get that nice bishop pair and open b-file.- 5.O-O (700 games, White 43.6%) — Castling looks natural, but the engine flags it as an inaccuracy. See the next section.- 5.d4 (589 games, White 42.1%) — Direct in the centre. You take ...cxd4 cxd4 Nxe4, winning a pawn (though White gets some compensation).White's lowest winning percentages come after 5.d4 (42.1%) and 5.O-O (43.6%). In other words, the moves that look most aggressive or natural are actually the ones that work out best for you.
Don't Let White Get Away With 5.O-O
This is the most important tactical alert on the page. 5.O-O is the second most-played move in the position, played 700 times. But the engine calls it a clear inaccuracy, losing about 0.7 pawns of advantage. The best response was 5.Qe2 instead. Why is castling a mistake? Because after 5.O-O, you can strike immediately with ...Nxe4! The knight on f6 is no longer pinned by Bb5 (since the king has moved), and White's e-pawn falls. If White recaptures 6.Re1, you play ...Nf6, and White has lost time and central control. The database backs this up: White scores only 43.6% after 5.O-O, one of their worst results. If your opponent plays this, punish them without hesitation — the drill will let you practise the capture and refute their natural-looking move.
Results across 6,282 Lichess games
| Most-played continuation | Games | White wins | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | d3Main line | 1,857 | 46.7% |
| 2 | e5 | 1,290 | 44.4% |
| 3 | Bxc6 | 1,136 | 46.8% |
| 4 | O-O | 700 | 43.6% |
| 5 | d4 | 589 | 42.1% |
| 6 | Qe2 | 458 | 45.9% |
Frequently asked questions
Is the Sicilian Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack good for Black?
Yes, very. After 4...Nf6, Black wins 50.8% of games compared to White's 45.2%, with only 4.0% draws. The engine calls it dead level at +0.13, so you're not fighting for equality — you start with it, and the statistics show you have excellent practical chances.
What should Black do against 5.e5 in this line?
When White pushes 5.e5, your knight on f6 must move. Common retreats are ...Ng4 or ...Nh5, followed by ...d6 to challenge the pawn centre. White scores only 44.4% after 5.e5, so this is actually one of the better lines for you as Black.
Is 5.O-O a mistake for White here?
Yes, the engine considers 5.O-O an inaccuracy that loses about 0.7 pawns of advantage. The correct move was 5.Qe2. After 5.O-O, Black can play ...Nxe4 immediately, winning a pawn because the bishop on b5 no longer pins the knight. White scores only 43.6% after this move.
Should Black be worried about doubled c-pawns in this opening?
Not at all. If White plays Bxc6 (or Qe2 followed by a6 Bxc6), the doubled pawns on c7 and c6 are actually helpful for Black. They open the b-file for your rook, give your bishop on g7 a clear diagonal, and your ...c5 pawn still controls d4. This is a standard and comfortable structure for Black in the Rossolimo.