Indian Defense: London System
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Statistics from Lichess
4,019,257 games: White 49.7% / Draw 5.7% / Black 44.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,920,5331.9M | ||
| 877,549878K | ||
| 513,354513K | ||
| 237,247237K | ||
| 139,407139K | ||
| 68,86469K | ||
| 61,09861K | ||
| 60,64561K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.07 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... d5 4. e3 Bd6 5. Bg3 c5 6. dxc5 Bxc5 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. c4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 54% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 52% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 606K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.9M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.3M | |
| 2200 and up | 537K | |
| Masters, over the board | 5,380 |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
- So, W. – Karjakin, S.
- Carlsen, M. – Tomashevsky, E.
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
Indian Defense: London System (ECO A46, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Indian Defense: Knights Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bf4 (3 moves).
In 4,019,257 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.7%, Black 44.6% and 5.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…d5, in 48% 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 Indian Defense: London System
3…b6 scores best for Black: 49.3%, with Black winning 46.2% and White 47.7% of 513K games. The most played, 3…d5, scores 46.7% in 1.9M games, and 3…Be7 scores lowest: 46.5%. 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 Indian Defense: London System has gained ground since 2016: 0.14% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.12% (its peak: 0.18% in 2020).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.12% | 42,546 |
| 2017 | 0.15% | 85,145 |
| 2018 | 0.18% | 141,177 |
| 2019 | 0.17% | 206,605 |
| 2020 | 0.18% | 535,123 |
| 2021 | 0.16% | 607,143 |
| 2022 | 0.15% | 579,083 |
| 2023 | 0.16% | 592,326 |
| 2024 | 0.15% | 525,678 |
| 2025 | 0.14% | 500,141 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.14% | 151,892 |
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. “Indian Defense: London System (A46)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/indian-defense-london-system