English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Anglo-Grünfeld Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
278,696 games: White 52.5% / Draw 6.4% / Black 41.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 94,04194K | ||
| 58,72959K | ||
| 36,30936K | ||
| 20,53421K | ||
| 17,81618K | ||
| 15,56116K | ||
| 11,84212K | ||
| 9,4809,480 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.30 White is slightly better
Best play: 4... c5 5. d4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 g6 7. Rb1 Bg7 8. e4 O-O 9. Be2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 55% under 1400, 56% at 2200 and up and 59% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 19K | |
| 1400–1799 | 98K | |
| 1800–2199 | 171K | |
| 2200 and up | 44K | |
| Masters, over the board | 804 |
Master games
- Morozevich, A. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Andreikin, D. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Duda, J. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Andreikin, D. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Vitiugov, N. – Areshchenko, A.
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: Anglo-Indian Defense, Anglo-Grünfeld Variation (ECO A16, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: Anglo-Grünfeld Defense, reached after 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. Nf3 (4 moves).
In 278,696 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.5%, Black 41.1% and 6.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Nxc3, in 34% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played is English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense. In all, 3 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-Indian Defense, Anglo-Grünfeld Variation
4…g6 scores best for Black: 47.8%, with Black winning 43.6% and White 48.1% of 59K games. The most played, 4…Nxc3, scores 42.9% in 94K games, and 4…Bg4 scores lowest: 41.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 4…c5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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-Indian Defense, Anglo-Grünfeld Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.011% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0087% (its peak: 0.012% in 2019).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0087% | 3,109 |
| 2017 | 0.0099% | 5,440 |
| 2018 | 0.012% | 9,113 |
| 2019 | 0.012% | 15,430 |
| 2020 | 0.012% | 34,511 |
| 2021 | 0.011% | 41,171 |
| 2022 | 0.011% | 39,568 |
| 2023 | 0.011% | 40,003 |
| 2024 | 0.011% | 37,733 |
| 2025 | 0.011% | 36,463 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.011% | 11,810 |
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)
Transpositions
All 3 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Anglo-Grünfeld Variation (A16)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-anglo-indian-defense-anglo-grunfeld-variation