Sicilian Defense: Bowdler Attack
Chess opening · ECO B20 · 3 half-moves
1. e4 c5 2. Bc4
The Sicilian Defense: Bowdler Attack is reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Bc4. It is Black's move in the position shown.
It branches from the Sicilian Defense with 2. Bc4.
How often it is played
The Sicilian Defense: Bowdler Attack and its variations appeared in 0.82% of games — 24,539 of 3,000,000 rated games sampled from Lichess in September 2026. That makes it number 62 of the openings listed here.
Results
White won 46%, 3.2% were drawn and Black won 50%. These are games between players of every strength and time control, so they say how the opening does in practice rather than how sound it is.
What the engine thinks
Stockfish, at depth 18, evaluates the position at -0.04 — which is level. Positive numbers favour White; see reading the evaluation bar.
Similar openings
The most-played alternatives — what else could have been chosen around the move where this opening begins.
| Opening | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian | 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 | 2.1% |
| Sicilian Defense: French Variation | 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 | 1.3% |
| Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations | 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 | 1.2% |
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