English Opening: Anglo-Scandinavian Defense, Malvinas Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
832,019 games: White 53.1% / Draw 4.5% / Black 42.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 227,900228K | ||
| 226,732227K | ||
| 197,382197K | ||
| 47,24747K | ||
| 41,28741K | ||
| 39,56640K | ||
| 18,75619K | ||
| 15,67816K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.78 White is better
Best play: 4. d4 e5 5. dxe5 Nc6 6. e4 Bb4 7. Bd2 Qxe5 8. Nf3 Qe7
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 | 223K | |
| 1400–1799 | 584K | |
| 1800–2199 | 471K | |
| 2200 and up | 29K | |
| Masters, over the board | 7 |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Nielsen, P.
- Cvitan, O. – Bajramovic, H.
- Needleman, G. – Uelf, M.
- Domogaev, S. – Ruchkin, Y.
- Bosboom, M. – Colijn, S.
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-Scandinavian Defense, Malvinas Variation (ECO A10, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: Anglo-Scandinavian Defense, reached after 1. c4 d5 2. cxd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 (3 moves).
In 832,019 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.1%, Black 42.4% and 4.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. g3, in 27% 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-Scandinavian Defense, Malvinas Variation
The most played answer, 4. g3, also scores best for White: 56.7%, with White winning 54.4% and Black 41.0% of 228K games. Of the main answers, 4. e4 scores lowest: 54.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. 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-Scandinavian Defense, Malvinas Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.036% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.024%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.024% | 8,470 |
| 2017 | 0.023% | 12,866 |
| 2018 | 0.026% | 20,320 |
| 2019 | 0.03% | 37,631 |
| 2020 | 0.029% | 85,916 |
| 2021 | 0.031% | 122,270 |
| 2022 | 0.032% | 121,220 |
| 2023 | 0.033% | 122,665 |
| 2024 | 0.035% | 123,752 |
| 2025 | 0.036% | 123,613 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.036% | 39,738 |
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-Scandinavian Defense, Malvinas Variation (A10)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-anglo-scandinavian-defense-malvinas-variation