Modern Defense: Bishop Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
874,895 games: White 50.1% / Draw 4.2% / Black 45.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 321,281321K | ||
| 284,181284K | ||
| 70,29770K | ||
| 65,16465K | ||
| 44,23444K | ||
| 31,59532K | ||
| 21,33121K | ||
| 12,09712K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.24 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... c5 4. d5 b5 5. Be2 Qa5+ 6. Bd2 b4 7. Na3 Qd8 8. Nc4
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 50% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 195K | |
| 1400–1799 | 590K | |
| 1800–2199 | 485K | |
| 2200 and up | 43K | |
| Masters, over the board | 159 |
Master games
- Topalov, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Peng Zhaoqin – Malakhov, V.
- Rozentalis, E. – Cicak, S.
- Khamrakulov, D. – Dzhumaev, M.
- Ivanovic, B. – Todorcevic, M.
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
Modern Defense: Bishop Attack (ECO B06, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Modern Defense, reached after 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Bc4 (3 moves).
In 874,895 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.1%, Black 45.7% and 4.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…d6, in 37% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Modern Defense: Bishop Attack, Bücker 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 Modern Defense: Bishop Attack
3…c5 scores best for Black: 51.1%, with Black winning 49.0% and White 46.9% of 65K games. The most played, 3…d6, scores 47.9% in 321K games, and 3…b6 scores lowest: 45.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…c5.
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 Modern Defense: Bishop Attack has stayed between 0.032% and 0.036% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.033% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.032% | 11,594 |
| 2017 | 0.036% | 19,567 |
| 2018 | 0.034% | 27,084 |
| 2019 | 0.036% | 44,617 |
| 2020 | 0.033% | 97,653 |
| 2021 | 0.033% | 130,515 |
| 2022 | 0.034% | 127,781 |
| 2023 | 0.034% | 127,976 |
| 2024 | 0.034% | 123,140 |
| 2025 | 0.033% | 115,806 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.032% | 34,989 |
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. “Modern Defense: Bishop Attack (B06)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/modern-defense-bishop-attack