Indian Defense: Pawn Push Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
479,502 games: White 42.4% / Draw 4.0% / Black 53.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 144,463144K | ||
| 90,54691K | ||
| 89,50590K | ||
| 89,21189K | ||
| Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense | 25,21525K | |
| 21,98722K | ||
| 13,18813K | ||
| 1,4721,472 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 22, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.21 The position is about equal
Best play: 2... e6 3. c4 exd5 4. cxd5 Bb4+ 5. Nc3 O-O 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4
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 48% under 1400, 44% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 794K | |
| 1400–1799 | 716K | |
| 1800–2199 | 172K | |
| 2200 and up | 4,180 | |
| Masters, over the board | 5 |
Master games
- Megaranto, S. – Zhukenov, A.
- Weiss, A. – Monacell, J.
- Plank, F. – Hangweyrer, M.
- Mills, H. – Mondino, V.
- Veres, A. – Straka, J.
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
Indian Defense: Pawn Push Variation (ECO A45, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Indian Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. d5 (2 moves).
In 479,502 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 42.4%, Black 53.6% and 4.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…d6, in 30% 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: Pawn Push Variation
2…c6 scores best for Black: 57.2%, with Black winning 55.2% and White 40.8% of 91K games. The most played answer, 2…d6, scores lowest: 53.3% in 144K games. Stockfish's first choice is 2…e6.
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: Pawn Push Variation is played less than half as often as in 2016: 0.016% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.038%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.038% | 13,566 |
| 2017 | 0.026% | 14,164 |
| 2018 | 0.023% | 17,908 |
| 2019 | 0.022% | 27,470 |
| 2020 | 0.019% | 56,394 |
| 2021 | 0.019% | 75,065 |
| 2022 | 0.019% | 70,469 |
| 2023 | 0.017% | 63,625 |
| 2024 | 0.016% | 58,328 |
| 2025 | 0.016% | 56,098 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.015% | 16,902 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Indian Defense: Pawn Push Variation (A45)”. Lichess data as of 22 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/indian-defense-pawn-push-variation