Godiva Variation

The Godiva Variation arises from the Open Sicilian after 2...Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qb6. Instead of developing a minor piece with 4...Nf6 or striking with 4...e5, Black brings the queen out at once. On b6 it attacks the centralized knight a second time, adding to the pressure from the c6-knight, and it also eyes the b2-pawn and the a7-g1 diagonal. The drawback is familiar: an early queen move can lose time once White develops with tempo against it, and Black's kingside pieces remain at home.

White's most frequent answer is 5. Nxc6, which resolves the tension and asks how Black will recapture. The retreat 5. Nb3 is the next most common choice and keeps pieces on the board, while 5. c3 simply supports the knight. The engine gives White a slight edge, but the line is rarely seen at a high level, and in online games Black has scored marginally better than White.