Canard Opening
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Statistics from Lichess
1,181,025 games: White 48.2% / Draw 5.1% / Black 46.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 388,142388K | ||
| 262,057262K | ||
| 239,292239K | ||
| 126,299126K | ||
| 91,78892K | ||
| 29,35629K | ||
| 12,46012K | ||
| 12,27612K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 4, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.52 Black is slightly better
Best play: 2... d5 3. Nf3 Bf5 4. e3 e6 5. Bd3 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 47% under 1400, 45% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 214K | |
| 1400–1799 | 548K | |
| 1800–2199 | 766K | |
| 2200 and up | 52K | |
| Masters, over the board | 28 |
Master games
- Giorgadze, T. – Garcia, G.
- Repka, C. – Galic, I.
- Szablowski, P. – Akesson, R.
- Fischer, T. – Georgiev, V.
- Goodman, C. – Neven, K. G.
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
Canard Opening (ECO A45, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Indian Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. f4 (2 moves).
In 1,181,025 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.2%, Black 46.7% and 5.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…d5, in 33% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Canard Opening
2…c5 scores best for Black: 52.8%, with Black winning 50.3% and White 44.7% of 92K games. The most played, 2…d5, scores 48.4% in 388K games, and 2…e6 scores lowest: 45.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 2…d5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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 Canard Opening peaked in 2018 at 0.064% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.041% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.049% | 17,398 |
| 2017 | 0.062% | 33,926 |
| 2018 | 0.064% | 50,647 |
| 2019 | 0.056% | 70,252 |
| 2020 | 0.048% | 141,297 |
| 2021 | 0.044% | 171,914 |
| 2022 | 0.043% | 161,332 |
| 2023 | 0.043% | 162,611 |
| 2024 | 0.044% | 159,143 |
| 2025 | 0.041% | 143,377 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.042% | 45,744 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Canard Opening (A45)”. Lichess data as of 4 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/canard-opening