Modern Defense: Mongredien Defense, with Nc3
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Statistics from Lichess
391,557 games: White 55.8% / Draw 4.1% / Black 40.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 115,667116K | ||
| 115,404115K | ||
| 52,18852K | ||
| 18,25218K | ||
| 18,07218K | ||
| 17,76818K | ||
| 12,45412K | ||
| 8,6988,698 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.25 White is better
Best play: 4. Be3 Bb7 5. Qd2 d6 6. O-O-O a6 7. h4 Nf6 8. f3 b5
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 worse this line does for Black: Black scores 47% under 1400, 41% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 90K | |
| 1400–1799 | 254K | |
| 1800–2199 | 219K | |
| 2200 and up | 22K | |
| Masters, over the board | 26 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Kamsky, G.
- Popovic, D. – Milov, V.
- Vega Gutierrez, S. – Kamsky, G.
- Kosteniuk, A. – Huang Qian
- Pikula, D. – Safarli, E.
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: Mongredien Defense, with Nc3 (ECO B06, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Modern Defense: Standard Line, reached after 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 b6 (3 moves).
In 391,557 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 55.8%, Black 40.2% and 4.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Nf3, in 30% 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 Modern Defense: Mongredien Defense, with Nc3
4. Be3 scores best for White: 59.5%, with White winning 57.5% and Black 38.5% of 115K games. The most played answer, 4. Nf3, scores lowest: 56.8% in 116K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. Be3.
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 Modern Defense: Mongredien Defense, with Nc3 dipped to 0.014% of Lichess games in 2021 and has recovered since: 0.016% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.015% | 5,235 |
| 2017 | 0.015% | 8,429 |
| 2018 | 0.015% | 11,418 |
| 2019 | 0.015% | 18,750 |
| 2020 | 0.014% | 40,264 |
| 2021 | 0.014% | 53,508 |
| 2022 | 0.015% | 55,074 |
| 2023 | 0.016% | 59,214 |
| 2024 | 0.016% | 59,008 |
| 2025 | 0.016% | 55,654 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.016% | 17,964 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Modern Defense: Mongredien Defense, with Nc3 (B06)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/modern-defense-mongredien-defense-with-nc3