English Defense 2. c4 b6
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Statistics from Lichess
2,141,430 games: White 49.7% / Draw 4.5% / Black 45.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,325,7481.3M | ||
| 345,076345K | ||
| 231,698232K | ||
| 77,74778K | ||
| 76,21776K | ||
| 28,47528K | ||
| 19,99620K | ||
| 13,63014K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.44 White is slightly better
Best play: 3. e4 Bb4+ 4. Nc3 Bb7 5. f3 f5 6. exf5 Nh6 7. fxe6 Nf5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 47% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 50% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 274K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.2M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.2M | |
| 2200 and up | 171K | |
| Masters, over the board | 4,653 |
Master games
- Kasparov, G. – Morozevich, A.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Ding Liren
- Ding Liren – Rapport, R.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Kramnik, V. – Ivanchuk, V.
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 26, 2026
Overview
English Defense (ECO A40, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Horwitz Defense, reached after 1. d4 e6 2. c4 b6 (2 moves).
In 2,141,430 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.7%, Black 45.8% and 4.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. Nc3, in 62% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are English Defense: Perrin Variation and English Defense: Poli Gambit.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 2…b6
3. Nf3 scores best for White: 54.0%, with White winning 51.4% and Black 43.4% of 345K games. The most played answer, 3. Nc3, scores lowest: 51.3% in 1.3M games. Stockfish's first choice is 3. e4.
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
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.079% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.099%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.099% | 35,492 |
| 2017 | 0.11% | 59,760 |
| 2018 | 0.11% | 84,135 |
| 2019 | 0.097% | 120,879 |
| 2020 | 0.082% | 240,052 |
| 2021 | 0.079% | 307,480 |
| 2022 | 0.081% | 305,957 |
| 2023 | 0.081% | 304,455 |
| 2024 | 0.08% | 285,491 |
| 2025 | 0.079% | 272,379 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.077% | 84,589 |
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 (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Defense (A40)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-defense-2