English Opening: Anglo-Dutch Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
2,229,165 games: White 49.8% / Draw 5.2% / Black 45.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,248,2961.2M | ||
| 352,018352K | ||
| Dutch Defense | 259,724260K | |
| 112,230112K | ||
| 105,066105K | ||
| 43,35943K | ||
| 35,43635K | ||
| Hickmann Gambit | 23,29323K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.46 White is slightly better
Best play: 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 d6
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 46% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 44% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 287K | |
| 1400–1799 | 907K | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.4M | |
| 2200 and up | 260K | |
| Masters, over the board | 4,679 |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Firouzja, A.
- Carlsen, M. – Nakamura, H.
- Aronian, L. – Ponomariov, R.
- Karjakin, S. – Nakamura, H.
- Tomashevsky, E. – Nakamura, H.
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 Opening: Anglo-Dutch Defense (ECO A10, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening, reached after 1. c4 f5 (1 move).
In 2,229,165 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.8%, Black 45.0% and 5.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 2. Nc3, in 56% of those games.
It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are English Opening: Anglo-Dutch Defense, Hickmann Gambit and English Opening: Anglo-Dutch Variation, Ferenc Gambit. In all, 5 named lines continue from it.
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: Anglo-Dutch Defense
2. g3 scores best for White: 54.5%, with White winning 51.6% and Black 42.7% of 352K games. The most played, 2. Nc3, scores 52.3% in 1.2M games, and 2. e3 scores lowest: 50.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 2. Nf3.
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: Anglo-Dutch Defense has stayed between 0.081% and 0.098% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.085% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.081% | 29,054 |
| 2017 | 0.091% | 49,970 |
| 2018 | 0.095% | 74,292 |
| 2019 | 0.098% | 122,614 |
| 2020 | 0.095% | 277,155 |
| 2021 | 0.085% | 333,355 |
| 2022 | 0.083% | 310,959 |
| 2023 | 0.082% | 306,952 |
| 2024 | 0.082% | 293,066 |
| 2025 | 0.085% | 296,636 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.089% | 97,317 |
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 (4)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Anglo-Dutch Defense (A10)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-anglo-dutch-defense