English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Fianchetto Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
739,496 games: White 49.8% / Draw 6.1% / Black 44.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 232,914233K | ||
| 156,715157K | ||
| 142,055142K | ||
| 121,618122K | ||
| 48,29248K | ||
| 18,27818K | ||
| 10,73511K | ||
| 5,4955,495 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 24, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.12 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nc7 6. e3 e5 7. Nge2 Nc6 8. O-O
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 White: White scores 56% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 56% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 69K | |
| 1400–1799 | 251K | |
| 1800–2199 | 450K | |
| 2200 and up | 129K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,833 |
Master games
- Grischuk, A. – Caruana, F.
- Aronian, L. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Aronian, L. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Aronian, L. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Carlsen, M. – Dubov, D.
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: Symmetrical Variation, Fianchetto Variation (ECO A34, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen's Knight Variation, reached after 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. g3 (3 moves).
In 739,496 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.8%, Black 44.1% and 6.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Nc6, in 31% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Rubinstein 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: Symmetrical Variation, Fianchetto Variation
3…d5 scores best for Black: 50.6%, with Black winning 47.4% and White 46.2% of 122K games. The most played, 3…Nc6, scores 46.0% in 233K games, and 3…d6 scores lowest: 44.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 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: Symmetrical Variation, Fianchetto Variation peaked in 2019 at 0.034% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.028% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.025% | 8,807 |
| 2017 | 0.028% | 15,586 |
| 2018 | 0.032% | 25,251 |
| 2019 | 0.034% | 42,365 |
| 2020 | 0.033% | 97,230 |
| 2021 | 0.028% | 111,404 |
| 2022 | 0.026% | 99,350 |
| 2023 | 0.027% | 101,280 |
| 2024 | 0.027% | 96,678 |
| 2025 | 0.028% | 97,477 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.029% | 32,112 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Fianchetto Variation (A34)”. Lichess data as of 24 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-symmetrical-variation-fianchetto-variation