Modern Defense 3. Nc3 d6
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Statistics from Lichess
4,295,398 games: White 48.3% / Draw 5.0% / Black 46.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Averbakh System | 2,540,6712.5M | |
| 1,042,0931M | ||
| 209,101209K | ||
| 192,782193K | ||
| 113,633114K | ||
| 86,68787K | ||
| 27,87528K | ||
| 22,14622K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.52 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. e4 Nf6 5. Be2 O-O 6. h3 e5 7. d5 Na6 8. Be3 c6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 49% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up and 46% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 252K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.7M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.7M | |
| 2200 and up | 436K | |
| Masters, over the board | 4,866 |
Master games
- Nakamura, H. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Anand, V. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Kramnik, V. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Le Quang, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Grischuk, A. – Morozevich, 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 26, 2026
Overview
Modern Defense (ECO A41, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Queen's Pawn Game: Modern Defense, reached after 1. d4 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 (3 moves).
In 4,295,398 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.3%, Black 46.7% and 5.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. e4, in 59% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Modern Defense: Averbakh System. In all, 3 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 3…d6
The most played answer, 4. e4 (Averbakh System), also scores best for White: 51.3%, with White winning 48.8% and Black 46.2% of 2.5M games. Of the main answers, 4. Nf3 scores lowest: 50.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. e4.
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
This line peaked in 2018 at 0.19% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.16% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.16% | 56,832 |
| 2017 | 0.18% | 97,358 |
| 2018 | 0.19% | 147,533 |
| 2019 | 0.18% | 224,333 |
| 2020 | 0.17% | 492,318 |
| 2021 | 0.16% | 622,327 |
| 2022 | 0.17% | 622,696 |
| 2023 | 0.17% | 624,027 |
| 2024 | 0.16% | 589,324 |
| 2025 | 0.16% | 563,897 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.17% | 182,965 |
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)
All 3 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Modern Defense (A41)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/modern-defense-3