English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Old Indian Formation
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Statistics from Lichess
506,176 games: White 51.0% / Draw 5.9% / Black 43.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 161,743162K | ||
| 159,782160K | ||
| 120,735121K | ||
| 24,02324K | ||
| 21,24521K | ||
| 8,1948,194 | ||
| 6,7966,796 | ||
| 1,5111,511 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 24, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.59 White is slightly better
Best play: 3. d4 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. e4 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O exd4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for Black: Black scores 49% under 1400, 44% at 2200 and up and 41% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 40K | |
| 1400–1799 | 132K | |
| 1800–2199 | 310K | |
| 2200 and up | 111K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,957 |
Master games
- So, W. – Caruana, F.
- Wojtaszek, R. – Caruana, F.
- Kasparov, G. – Adams, M.
- Kramnik, V. – Adams, M.
- Bu Xiangzhi – Rakhmanov, 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, Old Indian Formation (ECO A15, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, King's Knight Variation, reached after 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d6 (2 moves).
In 506,176 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.0%, Black 43.1% and 5.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. d4, in 32% of those games.
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, Old Indian Formation
3. g3 scores best for White: 54.5%, with White winning 51.5% and Black 42.4% of 121K games. The most played, 3. d4, scores 54.2% in 162K games, and 3. Nc3 scores lowest: 53.9%. Stockfish's first choice is 3. 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
Popularity by year
The English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Old Indian Formation peaked in 2018 at 0.025% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.021% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.017% | 6,117 |
| 2017 | 0.02% | 11,102 |
| 2018 | 0.025% | 19,362 |
| 2019 | 0.023% | 28,464 |
| 2020 | 0.02% | 59,824 |
| 2021 | 0.018% | 69,150 |
| 2022 | 0.018% | 68,474 |
| 2023 | 0.019% | 69,584 |
| 2024 | 0.019% | 69,335 |
| 2025 | 0.021% | 71,257 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.022% | 24,212 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Old Indian Formation (A15)”. Lichess data as of 24 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-anglo-indian-defense-old-indian-formation