Modern Defense: Norwegian Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
473,969 games: White 46.7% / Draw 4.7% / Black 48.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 194,344194K | ||
| 150,052150K | ||
| 55,55256K | ||
| 22,21722K | ||
| 13,53314K | ||
| 10,80011K | ||
| 9,9489,948 | ||
| 4,7524,752 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 21, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.27 White is better
Best play: 3. e5 Nh5 4. Nf3 c6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bc4 d5 7. Bd3 Ng7
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 44% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 287K | |
| 1400–1799 | 204K | |
| 1800–2199 | 251K | |
| 2200 and up | 119K | |
| Masters, over the board | 243 |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Adams, M. – Carlsen, M.
- Predke, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – McShane, L. J.
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: Norwegian Defense (ECO B06, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Modern Defense, reached after 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Nf6 (2 moves).
In 473,969 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.7%, Black 48.6% and 4.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. Nc3, in 41% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Modern Defense: Norwegian Defense, Norwegian 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: Norwegian Defense
3. e5 scores best for White: 50.3%, with White winning 48.2% and Black 47.7% of 150K games. The most played answer, 3. Nc3, scores lowest: 49.5% in 194K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 3. e5.
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: Norwegian Defense is played more than twice as often as in 2016: 0.02% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0076%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0076% | 2,718 |
| 2017 | 0.0095% | 5,201 |
| 2018 | 0.0094% | 7,382 |
| 2019 | 0.02% | 25,337 |
| 2020 | 0.02% | 58,583 |
| 2021 | 0.018% | 72,017 |
| 2022 | 0.019% | 70,139 |
| 2023 | 0.018% | 66,348 |
| 2024 | 0.019% | 67,554 |
| 2025 | 0.02% | 69,206 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.021% | 22,968 |
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)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Modern Defense: Norwegian Defense (B06)”. Lichess data as of 21 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/modern-defense-norwegian-defense