Modern Defense: Three Pawns Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
2,677,895 games: White 49.9% / Draw 4.1% / Black 45.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,207,9371.2M | ||
| 448,277448K | ||
| 308,931309K | ||
| 188,308188K | ||
| 181,607182K | ||
| 140,207140K | ||
| 63,59664K | ||
| 48,77349K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.42 White is slightly better
Best play: 3... c5 4. d5 d6 5. a4 a6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. Bc4 e6 8. Nge2
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 White: White scores 51% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 175K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.2M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.7M | |
| 2200 and up | 121K | |
| Masters, over the board | 407 |
Master games
- Bareev, E. – Speelman, J. S.
- Bareev, E. – Speelman, J. S.
- Pavlovic, M. – Bologan, V.
- Felgaer, R. – Anton Guijarro, D.
- Corrales Jimenez, F. – Naroditsky, D.
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: Three Pawns Attack (ECO B06, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Modern Defense, reached after 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. f4 (3 moves).
In 2,677,895 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.9%, Black 45.9% and 4.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…d6, in 45% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Pterodactyl Defense: Austrian, Pteranodon and Pterodactyl Defense: Austrian, Austriadactylus Western.
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: Three Pawns Attack
3…c5 scores best for Black: 54.3%, with Black winning 52.2% and White 43.6% of 309K games. The most played, 3…d6, scores 47.5% in 1.2M games, and 3…b6 scores lowest: 45.4%. 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: Three Pawns Attack has stayed between 0.095% and 0.11% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.11% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.099% | 35,351 |
| 2017 | 0.11% | 60,745 |
| 2018 | 0.11% | 88,295 |
| 2019 | 0.11% | 143,058 |
| 2020 | 0.099% | 289,408 |
| 2021 | 0.095% | 371,631 |
| 2022 | 0.1% | 375,226 |
| 2023 | 0.1% | 382,820 |
| 2024 | 0.11% | 388,262 |
| 2025 | 0.11% | 376,909 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.11% | 117,973 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Modern Defense: Three Pawns Attack (B06)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/modern-defense-three-pawns-attack