English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System
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Statistics from Lichess
4,412,148 games: White 50.0% / Draw 5.6% / Black 44.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,214,8451.2M | ||
| English Opening: Mikenas-Carls Variation | 1,212,3511.2M | |
| 801,269801K | ||
| 606,163606K | ||
| 243,229243K | ||
| 209,818210K | ||
| 56,66657K | ||
| 39,71140K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 7, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.23 The position is about equal
Best play: 3. e4 d5 4. e5 d4 5. exf6 dxc3 6. bxc3 Qxf6 7. d4 e5
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 48% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up and 40% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 286K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.6M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.8M | |
| 2200 and up | 533K | |
| Masters, over the board | 7,020 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Aronian, L.
- Carlsen, M. – Aronian, L.
- Carlsen, M. – So, W.
- Carlsen, M. – Nakamura, H.
- Caruana, F. – So, W.
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-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System (ECO A17, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen's Knight Variation, reached after 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 (2 moves).
In 4,412,148 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.0%, Black 44.4% and 5.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. g3, in 28% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Nimzo-English.
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, Hedgehog System
3. e4 (English Opening: Mikenas-Carls Variation) scores best for White: 56.6%, with White winning 53.9% and Black 40.7% of 1.2M games. The most played, 3. g3, scores 51.6% in 1.2M games, and 3. e3 scores lowest: 49.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3. e4.
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-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System peaked in 2018 at 0.2% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.16% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.15% | 52,901 |
| 2017 | 0.17% | 94,846 |
| 2018 | 0.2% | 157,746 |
| 2019 | 0.2% | 250,488 |
| 2020 | 0.19% | 560,919 |
| 2021 | 0.17% | 659,094 |
| 2022 | 0.16% | 618,551 |
| 2023 | 0.17% | 622,713 |
| 2024 | 0.16% | 582,409 |
| 2025 | 0.16% | 565,777 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.16% | 177,170 |
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 (1)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Hedgehog System (A17)”. Lichess data as of 7 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-anglo-indian-defense-hedgehog-system