Mikenas Defense: Cannstatter Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
40,554 games: White 55.3% / Draw 3.3% / Black 41.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 25,48625K | ||
| 6,3866,386 | ||
| 3,1553,155 | ||
| 2,5432,543 | ||
| 914914 | ||
| 658658 | ||
| 491491 | ||
| 313313 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.88 White is clearly better
Best play: 4. g4 Qf6 5. e3 Qg6 6. Bd3 e4 7. Bf1 Nf3+ 8. Nxf3 exf3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Mikenas Defense: Cannstatter Variation (ECO A40, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Mikenas Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nc6 2. c4 e5 3. d5 Nd4 (3 moves).
In 40,554 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 55.3%, Black 41.4% and 3.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. e3, in 63% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Mikenas Defense: Cannstatter Variation
The most played answer, 4. e3, also scores best for White: 57.8%, with White winning 56.2% and Black 40.6% of 25K games. Of the main answers, 4. e4 scores lowest: 54.0%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. g4.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Mikenas Defense: Cannstatter Variation (A40)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/mikenas-defense-cannstatter-variation