English Opening: Anglo-Scandinavian Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
6,258,813 games: White 53.1% / Draw 4.6% / Black 42.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 4,558,1284.6M | ||
| 608,013608K | ||
| 390,390390K | ||
| Queen's Gambit | 242,543243K | |
| 211,255211K | ||
| Réti Opening | 75,45975K | |
| 61,26261K | ||
| 46,24446K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.55 White is slightly better
Best play: 2. cxd5 Nf6 3. d4 c6 4. dxc6 Nxc6 5. Nf3 e5 6. dxe5 Qxd1+
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 46% under 1400, 44% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 3.4M | |
| 1400–1799 | 5.3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 3.3M | |
| 2200 and up | 205K | |
| Masters, over the board | 55 |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Nielsen, P.
- Martinovic, S. – Stevic, H.
- Kovalenko, I. – Keymer, V.
- Sokolov, I. – Hector, J.
- Grebnev, A. – Nikitenko, M.
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-Scandinavian Defense (ECO A10, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening, reached after 1. c4 d5 (1 move).
In 6,258,813 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.1%, Black 42.3% and 4.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 2. cxd5, in 73% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are English Opening: Anglo-Scandinavian Defense, Malvinas Variation and English Opening: Anglo-Scandinavian Defense, Schulz Gambit.
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How to play against the English Opening: Anglo-Scandinavian Defense
The most played answer, 2. cxd5, also scores best for White: 56.6%, with White winning 54.2% and Black 41.1% of 4.6M games. Of the main answers, 2. Nc3 scores lowest: 51.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 2. 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-Scandinavian Defense has gained ground since 2016: 0.26% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.19%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.19% | 69,283 |
| 2017 | 0.19% | 102,790 |
| 2018 | 0.2% | 155,541 |
| 2019 | 0.23% | 281,819 |
| 2020 | 0.24% | 690,007 |
| 2021 | 0.24% | 955,876 |
| 2022 | 0.24% | 919,298 |
| 2023 | 0.24% | 918,897 |
| 2024 | 0.25% | 896,144 |
| 2025 | 0.26% | 892,622 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.26% | 279,822 |
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 (3)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Anglo-Scandinavian Defense (A10)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-anglo-scandinavian-defense