chessgames.com
Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players · Kibitzing
Sicilian, Kan (B41)
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 a6

Number of games in database: 2857
Years covered: 1914 to 2025
Overall record:
   White wins 35.5%
   Black wins 33.4%
   Draws 31.2%

Popularity graph, by decade

Explore this opening  |  Search for sacrifices in this opening.
PRACTITIONERS
With the White Pieces With the Black Pieces
Dragoljub Velimirovic  22 games
Dominguez Perez  16 games
Anna Muzychuk  15 games
Normunds Miezis  29 games
Pia Cramling  21 games
Ilia Smirin  20 games
NOTABLE GAMES [what is this?]
White Wins Black Wins
Fischer vs H Rossetto, 1959
Kasparov vs F Vallejo Pons, 2002
Y Hou vs N Dzagnidze, 2014
E Torre vs Karpov, 1977
Dominguez Perez vs D Andreikin, 2011
Ehlvest vs Kasparov, 1991
<< previous chapter next chapter >>

 page 1 of 115; games 1-25 of 2,857  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. R Scott vs Ed. Lasker ½-½781914Hampstead CC chB41 Sicilian, Kan
2. Reti vs Tartakower 1-066191419th DSB Congress, MannheimB41 Sicilian, Kan
3. H Weenink vs G de Brie  1-0271920VAS-UtrechtB41 Sicilian, Kan
4. Hromadka vs Tarrasch 1-0271922Bad PistyanB41 Sicilian, Kan
5. K Opocensky vs Saemisch ½-½561922Bad PistyanB41 Sicilian, Kan
6. Spielmann vs Tartakower ½-½221922Teplitz-SchonauB41 Sicilian, Kan
7. Levenfish vs F Duz-Khotimirsky 1-0261923USSR ChampionshipB41 Sicilian, Kan
8. Spielmann vs Tartakower  ½-½361923ViennaB41 Sicilian, Kan
9. T Gruber vs G Patay  ½-½301923ViennaB41 Sicilian, Kan
10. N Grigoriev vs B Verlinsky  1-04319245th Ch MoscowB41 Sicilian, Kan
11. G Geiler vs Ilya Maizelis  0-1451925Moscow-chB41 Sicilian, Kan
12. Spielmann vs Tartakower 1-0311925MarienbadB41 Sicilian, Kan
13. E Jacobson vs A Nogues Acuna  1-0321927London OlympiadB41 Sicilian, Kan
14. Euwe vs R Grau  ½-½521927London OlympiadB41 Sicilian, Kan
15. G Thomas vs G M Norman  1-0311928Hastings 1927/28B41 Sicilian, Kan
16. Milner-Barry vs K H Bancroft  1-024192852nd Oxford - Cambridge Varsity mB41 Sicilian, Kan
17. K Nieukerke vs H Kamstra  ½-½361929NED Team-ch 1928/29B41 Sicilian, Kan
18. H Kracke vs W Schalk  1-0411932International corrB41 Sicilian, Kan
19. Kashdan vs J Brunner  1-0311932Mexico CityB41 Sicilian, Kan
20. Alekhine vs W Baljet  0-1371933Simul, 50bB41 Sicilian, Kan
21. Alekhine vs P W Onnen 1-0521933Blindfold simul, 10bB41 Sicilian, Kan
22. Alekhine vs A Lee Jones 0-1541933Simul, 28bB41 Sicilian, Kan
23. F Bohatirchuk vs B Ratner  1-0371934Kiev Training tournamentB41 Sicilian, Kan
24. Kashdan vs R J Slater  1-0361936New York State-chB41 Sicilian, Kan
25. Marshall vs D Polland 1-0321937Marshall Chess Club ChampionshipB41 Sicilian, Kan
 page 1 of 115; games 1-25 of 2,857  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 3 OF 4 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Dec-09-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Eggman: <<Is the Sicilian Kan a new modern name for the Paulsen Variation or is it something different?>>

The Kan and the Paulsen are one and the same.

Dec-09-05  KingG: <The beauty of the Kan is that there are no sharp lines that are effective against it.> That's why i hate the Kan.
Dec-09-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Eric Schiller: <eggman> I disagree. The Paulsen involves ...Nc6 and ...Qc7, which is just one direction in the Kan. Many other options are available in the pure Kan. Here are some non-Paulsen lines: MoveList Name ECO FEN OpeningID
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation. B41


click for larger view

.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation. Modern Variation B42


click for larger view

.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Bc5 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation. Polugaevsky Variation B42


click for larger view

.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 g6 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation. Swiss Cheese Variation B42


click for larger view

.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.c4 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation. Maroczy Bind Reti Variation B41


click for larger view

.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.c4 g6 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation. Maroczy Bind Hedgehog Variation B41


click for larger view

.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Bd3 Nc6 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation. Maroczy Bind Bronstein Variation B41


click for larger view

.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation. Knight Variation B43


click for larger view

.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 b5 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation. Wing Attack B43


click for larger view

Dec-09-05  Averageguy: <Akavall>Against that setup black should get an easy game with a quick ...d5. The English Attack piece configuration is strong against the Najdorf as black has a harder time getting ...d5 in but against a Sicilian with ...e6 instead of ...d6 the move ...d5 will come alot faster.
Dec-09-05  Akavall: Can you give a variation? If black queen goes to c7(and it usually does), d5 won't come very quickly.
Dec-10-05  refutor: <akavall> I Cheparinov vs D Bocharov, 2005 it is a B48 not a B41 but it's not a difficult transposition
Dec-10-05  Akavall: <refutor> Thanks, black did play d7-d5 in one move. But the game still remained sharp. I only took a quick glance, and perhaps I am missing something, but I would be fine with the position Cheparinov had.
Jan-14-06  MJW: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 Bb4! 7. Qd2 Nf6 8. f3 d5!
Mar-13-06  mediciii4: How is "kan" pronounce btw?
Mar-13-06  jamesmaskell: "kan" is pronounced literally as is.
Apr-16-06  LluviaSean: Ilia Abramovich Kan never won a game with his namesake opening.
Apr-16-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Eric Schiller: That's simply not true, Kan defeated Estrin in the 1955 Soviet Championship Semifinals. He probably won quite a few more games with his opening that simply aren't in databases yet. Rusbase might have more examples.
Jun-12-06  e4Newman: Anyone ever see white play 5.c4 followed by an eventual e5?
Jun-12-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <e4newman>

Opening Explorer

Looks like e5 would take a lot of preparation, if Black played to prevent it.

Jun-12-06  Marvol: If you go through some lines you will find a white e5 somewhere, eventually. Look for lines where black does not explicitly try to block e5 (by Qc7 e.g.). You can already see these lines are rare - mostly black prevents or dissuades e5.

This one for instance scores very poorly for white **massive link follows** Opening Explorer

10/50/40 for black.

Jul-15-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  oao2102: What do people think about:

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5. a4

Jan-22-07  Minty: <oao2102> 5. a4 doesn't seem to do anything useful. At best it seems to allow black easy equality:

5. a4 Nf6 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. Nxc6 dxc6 8. O-O e5=

May-07-07  pacey: I am new to the sicilian, can someone explain to me what a hedgehog structure is? is it the same as the schevenigen strcture? thanks
May-07-07  sitzkrieg: I don't think there is much difference in the setup for black, white has however a pawn on c4. If you play Scheveninger with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 white can go for it with 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 Nf6 7.N1c3

Aug-19-07  Minty: As far as I'm aware, the hedgehog structure generally involves black hiding behind a row of pawns on a6, b6, d6 and e6, usually with Queen on c7, bishops on b7 and e7, and knights on f6 and d7. Or sometimes the kingside bishop is fianchettoed as well. I think the idea is that the row of pawns on the 3rd rank are like a hedgehog's spines, stopping white from playing things like Nd5, Nb5, e4-e5, etc.
Nov-29-08  Cactus: Has anyone ever read Taimanov's Paulsen book? If so, could they please offer an opinion on it?
Jan-16-09  rodrigo170988: Am I the only one who has the impression that Kasparov played the Hedgehog?? Look at his Scheveningens and Najdorfs (when he plays ...e6), it's pure Hedgehog style!
Oct-26-13  Wyatt Gwyon: Question for you guys: I've played the French exclusively for probably 12 years. Getting sick of it, and looking to pick up another opening against e4. I'm rated about 1825. What are your thoughts on the Kan? How long you think it would take with reasonable effort to obtain enough knowledge to employ it in tournaments?
Oct-26-13  SimonWebbsTiger: @<Wyatt>

It's a fine opening. It's quite flexible (there are junctures where one can transpose into the Paulsen or Scheveningen, for example) and has the added advantage of avoiding English Attack set ups. Don't play it, though, if you don't like Hedgehog structures, which occur quite often.

Swedish GM Johan Hellsten's "Play the Kan", published by Everyman Chess (2008), is a terrific book on the variation.

Oct-26-13  parisattack: "Play the Kan" an excellent book, offering a specific Kan repertoire. some others on the Kan:

Winning with the Kan - Mortazavi
Sicilian Kan - Emms
Sicilian Kann(sic)/Paulsen- Taimanov - Chess Digest
Sicilian: Paulsen - Taimanov

One big difference for me between the French and Kan - the number of possible candidate moves for Black from say moves 5-10 is much higher for the Kan - sometimes almost bewildering.

A danger is getting a static/lifeless position - that has happened to me quite a few times. This seems especially true in the Taimanov-like lines with ...Nc6 when White exchanges on c6...both the resulting pawn structures (...bc:, ...dc:) seem lifeless for Black to me.

I especially like that the Kan is a 'whole board' game for Black. He can get play on the Q-side, the center and the K-side.

Jump to page #    (enter # from 1 to 4)
search thread:   
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 3 OF 4 ·  Later Kibitzing>

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

  1. No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
  2. No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
  3. No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
  4. Nothing in violation of United States law.
  5. No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
  6. No trolling.
  7. The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
  8. Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.

Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.

Blow the Whistle

See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator.


NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific opening only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

Home | About | Login | Logout | F.A.Q. | Profile | Preferences | Premium Membership | Kibitzer's Café | Biographer's Bistro | New Kibitzing | Chessforums | Tournament Index | Player Directory | Notable Games | World Chess Championships | Opening Explorer | Guess the Move | Game Collections | ChessBookie Game | Chessgames Challenge | Store | Privacy Notice | Contact Us

Copyright 2001-2025, Chessgames Services LLC