Mexican Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
664,335 games: White 47.0% / Draw 4.9% / Black 48.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 325,925326K | ||
| 171,839172K | ||
| 115,293115K | ||
| 26,01926K | ||
| 8,7408,740 | ||
| 5,3015,301 | ||
| 4,0654,065 | ||
| 3,5963,596 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 6, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.48 White is slightly better
Best play: 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 h6 7. Bxf6 Qxf6
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 Black: Black scores 43% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 45% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 404K | |
| 1400–1799 | 369K | |
| 1800–2199 | 361K | |
| 2200 and up | 129K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,041 |
Master games
- Akobian, V. – Caruana, F.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Bauer, C.
- Giri, A. – Fressinet, L.
- Ding, L. – Fressinet, L.
- Kasparov, G. – Yermolinsky, A.
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
Mexican Defense (ECO A50, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Indian Defense: Normal Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 Nc6 (2 moves).
In 664,335 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.0%, Black 48.1% and 4.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. Nc3, in 49% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Mexican Defense: Horsefly Gambit.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Mexican Defense
3. Nf3 scores best for White: 53.3%, with White winning 50.1% and Black 43.6% of 172K games. The most played answer, 3. Nc3, scores lowest: 47.5% in 326K games. Stockfish's first choice is 3. Nc3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White'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 Mexican Defense has lost ground since 2016: 0.024% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.037%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.037% | 13,140 |
| 2017 | 0.034% | 18,970 |
| 2018 | 0.032% | 25,373 |
| 2019 | 0.029% | 35,613 |
| 2020 | 0.027% | 78,407 |
| 2021 | 0.024% | 94,370 |
| 2022 | 0.026% | 97,161 |
| 2023 | 0.025% | 92,788 |
| 2024 | 0.025% | 88,032 |
| 2025 | 0.024% | 81,933 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.023% | 25,722 |
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. “Mexican Defense (A50)”. Lichess data as of 6 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/mexican-defense