Indian Defense: Seirawan Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
825,637 games: White 46.5% / Draw 5.1% / Black 48.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 283,409283K | ||
| 183,822184K | ||
| 126,838127K | ||
| 112,946113K | ||
| 60,01160K | ||
| 28,65029K | ||
| 13,92814K | ||
| 4,6994,699 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.01 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... h6 4. Bxf6 Qxf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Rc1 O-O 7. e3 c5 8. dxc5
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 51% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 156K | |
| 1400–1799 | 663K | |
| 1800–2199 | 415K | |
| 2200 and up | 26K | |
| Masters, over the board | 298 |
Master games
- Ivanchuk, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Erigaisi, A. – So, W.
- Grischuk, A. – Karjakin, S.
- Praggnanandhaa, R. – Harikrishna, P.
- Praggnanandhaa, R. – Bjerre, J. B.
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: Seirawan Attack (ECO E00, Indian Defenses) is a chess opening that starts 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Bg5.
In 825,637 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.5%, Black 48.5% and 5.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Be7, in 34% 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: Seirawan Attack
3…c5 scores best for Black: 56.0%, with Black winning 53.7% and White 41.7% of 60K games. The most played answer, 3…Be7, scores lowest: 49.6% in 283K games. Stockfish's first choice is 3…h6.
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: Seirawan Attack has lost ground since 2016: 0.026% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.046%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.046% | 16,499 |
| 2017 | 0.042% | 22,909 |
| 2018 | 0.044% | 34,274 |
| 2019 | 0.039% | 48,523 |
| 2020 | 0.037% | 108,630 |
| 2021 | 0.033% | 130,654 |
| 2022 | 0.032% | 120,624 |
| 2023 | 0.031% | 114,724 |
| 2024 | 0.028% | 99,914 |
| 2025 | 0.026% | 88,845 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.024% | 26,164 |
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: Seirawan Attack (E00)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/indian-defense-seirawan-attack