Modern Defense: Standard Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
5,247,438 games: White 52.2% / Draw 4.7% / Black 43.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,843,1161.8M | ||
| Modern Defense: Two Knights Variation | 1,180,5161.2M | |
| Modern Defense: Pseudo-Austrian Attack | 903,149903K | |
| 327,923328K | ||
| 216,933217K | ||
| 176,577177K | ||
| 125,564126K | ||
| 109,985110K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.72 White is better
Best play: 4. Be3 Nf6 5. Qd2 c6 6. Nf3 Qa5 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O Bg4
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, 47% at 2200 and up and 46% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 453K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.5M | |
| 1800–2199 | 3.1M | |
| 2200 and up | 1.2M | |
| Masters, over the board | 20K |
Master games
- So, W. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Caruana, F.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Caruana, F.
- Caruana, F. – Aronian, L.
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: Standard Defense (ECO B06, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Modern Defense: Standard Line, reached after 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 (3 moves).
In 5,247,438 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.2%, Black 43.1% and 4.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Be3, in 35% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Modern Defense: Two Knights Variation and Modern Defense: Pseudo-Austrian Attack. 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 play against the Modern Defense: Standard Defense
4. Bg5 scores best for White: 57.5%, with White winning 55.3% and Black 40.3% of 328K games. The most played, 4. Be3, scores 55.0% in 1.8M games, and 4. Nf3 scores lowest: 52.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 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: Standard Defense has gained ground since 2016: 0.21% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.17%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.17% | 59,317 |
| 2017 | 0.21% | 114,710 |
| 2018 | 0.23% | 180,985 |
| 2019 | 0.21% | 264,414 |
| 2020 | 0.21% | 613,714 |
| 2021 | 0.19% | 733,791 |
| 2022 | 0.19% | 724,198 |
| 2023 | 0.2% | 756,788 |
| 2024 | 0.21% | 741,882 |
| 2025 | 0.21% | 728,002 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.22% | 243,694 |
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 (2)
All 3 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Modern Defense: Standard Defense (B06)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/modern-defense-standard-defense