English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Scandinavian Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
829,946 games: White 54.6% / Draw 5.3% / Black 40.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 454,076454K | ||
| 115,771116K | ||
| 100,002100K | ||
| 82,27682K | ||
| 38,27038K | ||
| 29,84230K | ||
| 2,7792,779 | ||
| 2,1672,167 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.58 White is slightly better
Best play: 3. cxd5 c6 4. dxc6 Nxc6 5. Nc3 e5 6. d3 Bb4 7. e4 Bg4
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 45% under 1400, 42% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 147K | |
| 1400–1799 | 360K | |
| 1800–2199 | 512K | |
| 2200 and up | 104K | |
| Masters, over the board | 201 |
Master games
- Nakamura, H. – Anand, V.
- Kramnik, V. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Huebner, R. – Savon, V. A.
- Landa, K. – L'Ami, E.
- Vaibhav, S. – Stany, G.
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, Scandinavian Defense (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 d5 (2 moves).
In 829,946 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.6%, Black 40.1% and 5.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. cxd5, in 55% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Scandinavian Defense, Exchange Variation.
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, Scandinavian Defense
The most played answer, 3. cxd5, also scores best for White: 59.3%, with White winning 56.7% and Black 38.0% of 454K games. Of the main answers, 3. e3 scores lowest: 54.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3. cxd5.
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, Scandinavian Defense peaked in 2018 at 0.04% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.032% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.035% | 12,502 |
| 2017 | 0.036% | 19,794 |
| 2018 | 0.04% | 31,699 |
| 2019 | 0.039% | 48,122 |
| 2020 | 0.034% | 99,114 |
| 2021 | 0.03% | 117,443 |
| 2022 | 0.03% | 112,544 |
| 2023 | 0.03% | 114,427 |
| 2024 | 0.031% | 110,669 |
| 2025 | 0.032% | 111,662 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.034% | 36,775 |
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, Scandinavian Defense (A15)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-anglo-indian-defense-scandinavian-defense