Borg Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
1,112,492 games: White 51.7% / Draw 3.4% / Black 44.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 680,199680K | ||
| 128,525129K | ||
| 93,77694K | ||
| 89,28889K | ||
| 33,52334K | ||
| 13,83514K | ||
| 13,66414K | ||
| 10,67011K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 5, 2026
Engine evaluation
+2.16 White is clearly better
Even so, Black scores 46.6% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 2. d4 h6 3. Nc3 d6 4. h4 gxh4 5. Nf3 c6 6. Nxh4 Nf6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the better this line does for Black: Black scores 43% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.4M | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.2M | |
| 1800–2199 | 549K | |
| 2200 and up | 41K | |
| Masters, over the board | 42 |
Master games
- Shirov, A. – Vovk, O.
- Pavlovic, M. – Umansky, M.
- Nunn, J. D. – Basman, M. J.
- Speelman, J. S. – Basman, M. J.
- Ostojic, P. – Basman, M. J.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Borg Defense (ECO B00, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the King's Pawn Game, reached after 1. e4 g5 (1 move).
In 1,112,492 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.7%, Black 44.9% and 3.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 2. d4, in 61% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Borg Defense: Borg Gambit and Borg Defense: Zilbermints Gambit.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Borg Defense
2. Nc3 scores best for White: 54.7%, with White winning 53.0% and Black 43.5% of 89K games. The most played, 2. d4, scores 54.1% in 680K games, and 2. Bc4 scores lowest: 50.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 2. d4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Borg Defense has gained ground since 2016: 0.057% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.044%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.044% | 15,786 |
| 2017 | 0.042% | 22,842 |
| 2018 | 0.036% | 28,609 |
| 2019 | 0.041% | 50,934 |
| 2020 | 0.036% | 106,360 |
| 2021 | 0.036% | 142,608 |
| 2022 | 0.037% | 138,949 |
| 2023 | 0.041% | 154,823 |
| 2024 | 0.046% | 163,512 |
| 2025 | 0.057% | 196,382 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.062% | 67,880 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (3)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Borg Defense (B00)”. Lichess data as of 5 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/borg-defense