English Opening: Mikenas-Carls Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
1,283,576 games: White 53.8% / Draw 5.3% / Black 40.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 490,398490K | ||
| 198,215198K | ||
| 195,426195K | ||
| English Opening: Mikenas-Carls, Sicilian | 135,342135K | |
| 72,20372K | ||
| 46,11346K | ||
| 44,79345K | ||
| 34,47634K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 7, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.19 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. e5 d4 6. exf6 dxc3 7. dxc3 Qxf6 8. Nf3
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 better this line does for White: White scores 52% under 1400, 57% at 2200 and up and 61% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 69K | |
| 1400–1799 | 307K | |
| 1800–2199 | 808K | |
| 2200 and up | 267K | |
| Masters, over the board | 3,550 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Aronian, L.
- Carlsen, M. – Aronian, L.
- Carlsen, M. – Nakamura, H.
- Caruana, F. – So, W.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Nakamura, H.
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: Mikenas-Carls Variation (ECO A18, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, reached after 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. e4 (3 moves).
In 1,283,576 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.8%, Black 40.8% and 5.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…d5, in 38% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played is English Opening: Mikenas-Carls, Sicilian. In all, 4 named lines continue from it.
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: Mikenas-Carls Variation
3…c5 (English Opening: Mikenas-Carls, Sicilian) scores best for Black: 46.3%, with Black winning 43.5% and White 50.8% of 135K games. The most played, 3…d5, scores 45.8% in 490K games, and 3…Bb4 scores lowest: 38.9%. Stockfish's first choice is 3…d5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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: Mikenas-Carls Variation peaked in 2018 at 0.063% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.049% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.042% | 15,011 |
| 2017 | 0.051% | 28,085 |
| 2018 | 0.063% | 49,118 |
| 2019 | 0.059% | 73,460 |
| 2020 | 0.052% | 152,477 |
| 2021 | 0.047% | 183,034 |
| 2022 | 0.048% | 181,619 |
| 2023 | 0.049% | 183,783 |
| 2024 | 0.048% | 172,406 |
| 2025 | 0.049% | 170,790 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.049% | 53,729 |
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: Mikenas-Carls Variation (A18)”. Lichess data as of 7 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-mikenas-carls-variation