English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense Accepted
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Statistics from Lichess
201,031 games: White 52.1% / Draw 7.1% / Black 40.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 95,42195K | ||
| 78,01678K | ||
| 11,24011K | ||
| 5,1255,125 | ||
| 3,7633,763 | ||
| 3,3683,368 | ||
| 3,1963,196 | ||
| 308308 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.15 The position is about equal
Best play: 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qxc4 c5 7. O-O b5 8. Qh4 Bc6 9. a4 a6
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 44% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 45% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 4,553 | |
| 1400–1799 | 28K | |
| 1800–2199 | 97K | |
| 2200 and up | 84K | |
| Masters, over the board | 5,378 |
Master games
- Ding Liren – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Anand, V.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Aronian, L.
- Aronian, L. – Ding Liren
- Ding Liren – Aronian, L.
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
English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense Accepted (ECO A13, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, reached after 1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 dxc4 (4 moves).
In 201,031 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.1%, Black 40.8% and 7.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. O-O, in 47% 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 English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense Accepted
5. Na3 scores best for White: 57.4%, with White winning 54.0% and Black 39.2% of 11K games. The most played, 5. O-O, scores 57.2% in 95K games, and 5. Qa4+ scores lowest: 53.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. Qa4+.
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 English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense Accepted has gained ground since 2016: 0.0082% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0065% (its peak: 0.0099% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0065% | 2,322 |
| 2017 | 0.0078% | 4,320 |
| 2018 | 0.0099% | 7,761 |
| 2019 | 0.0091% | 11,364 |
| 2020 | 0.0086% | 25,076 |
| 2021 | 0.0067% | 26,317 |
| 2022 | 0.0073% | 27,426 |
| 2023 | 0.0073% | 27,518 |
| 2024 | 0.0077% | 27,624 |
| 2025 | 0.0082% | 28,372 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0086% | 9,385 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense Accepted (A13)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-agincourt-defense-catalan-defense-accepted