English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Keres Defense
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
28,685 games: White 49.0% / Draw 8.5% / Black 42.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 8,9988,998 | ||
| 6,5056,505 | ||
| 3,9983,998 | ||
| 3,0693,069 | ||
| 2,7752,775 | ||
| 1,3741,374 | ||
| 717717 | ||
| 292292 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.34 White is slightly better
Best play: 8. d4 O-O 9. e4 Ndb4 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. a3 Qxd1 12. Rxd1 Nc2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Keres Defense (ECO A14, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Neo-Catalan Declined, reached after 1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O c5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Nc3 Nc6 (7 moves).
In 28,685 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.0%, Black 42.5% and 8.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. d4, in 31% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Keres Defense
The most played answer, 8. d4, also scores best for White: 58.8%, with White winning 53.9% and Black 36.4% of 8,998 games. Of the main answers, 8. e4 scores lowest: 46.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 8. 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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Keres Defense (A14)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-agincourt-defense-keres-defense