Modern Defense: Two Knights Variation, Suttles Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
713,292 games: White 48.5% / Draw 4.8% / Black 46.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 221,002221K | ||
| 148,428148K | ||
| 104,772105K | ||
| 51,08051K | ||
| 43,48143K | ||
| 39,80940K | ||
| 37,71838K | ||
| 18,51019K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.57 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. h3 Nf6 6. a4 O-O 7. Be2 Nbd7 8. O-O Qc7 9. Be3 b6
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 50% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up and 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 92K | |
| 1400–1799 | 396K | |
| 1800–2199 | 393K | |
| 2200 and up | 74K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,289 |
Master games
- Giri, A. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Naiditsch, A. – Aronian, L.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Andreikin, D.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Andreikin, D.
- Svidler, P. – Bologan, V.
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: Two Knights Variation, Suttles Variation (ECO B06, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Modern Defense: Standard Line, reached after 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 d6 (4 moves).
In 713,292 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.5%, Black 46.7% and 4.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Be3, in 31% 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: Two Knights Variation, Suttles Variation
5. h3 scores best for White: 56.0%, with White winning 53.2% and Black 41.3% of 40K games. The most played, 5. Be3, scores 50.1% in 221K games, and 5. Bd3 scores lowest: 47.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. h3.
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: Two Knights Variation, Suttles Variation dipped to 0.025% of Lichess games in 2021 and has recovered since: 0.03% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.029% | 10,249 |
| 2017 | 0.028% | 15,623 |
| 2018 | 0.028% | 21,940 |
| 2019 | 0.027% | 34,191 |
| 2020 | 0.025% | 74,221 |
| 2021 | 0.025% | 98,342 |
| 2022 | 0.026% | 98,341 |
| 2023 | 0.028% | 104,173 |
| 2024 | 0.03% | 107,130 |
| 2025 | 0.03% | 103,701 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.03% | 33,079 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Modern Defense: Two Knights Variation, Suttles Variation (B06)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/modern-defense-two-knights-variation-suttles-variation