English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense 5. e3 e6
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Statistics from Lichess
20,876 games: White 47.7% / Draw 8.6% / Black 43.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Pillsbury Variation | 6,8036,803 | |
| 3,6333,633 | ||
| 2,8592,859 | ||
| 2,0682,068 | ||
| 1,8011,801 | ||
| 1,2051,205 | ||
| 686686 | ||
| 387387 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.13 The position is about equal
Best play: 6. d4 cxd4 7. exd4 Nxc3 8. bxc3 Qc7 9. Bb2 Nd7 10. Rc1 b6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense (ECO A17, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Anglo-Grünfeld Variation, reached after 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. Nf3 c5 5. e3 e6 (5 moves).
In 20,876 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.7%, Black 43.7% and 8.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. d4, 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 answer 5…e6
6. Qc2 scores best for White: 57.1%, with White winning 53.4% and Black 39.3% of 1,205 games. The most played, 6. d4, scores 52.3% in 6,803 games, and 6. Bb5+ scores lowest: 48.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 6. 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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense (A17)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-anglo-indian-defense-2