Nimzowitsch Defense: Scandinavian Variation, Advance Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
2,771,758 games: White 49.0% / Draw 4.1% / Black 46.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,782,2831.8M | ||
| 445,991446K | ||
| 346,921347K | ||
| 55,13455K | ||
| 37,57038K | ||
| 18,74619K | ||
| 17,86818K | ||
| 12,65613K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.45 White is slightly better
Best play: 3... Bf5 4. c3 e6 5. Be2 f6 6. f4 Nh6 7. Nf3 Be7 8. O-O
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 54% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 55% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2.8M | |
| 1400–1799 | 2.9M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.3M | |
| 2200 and up | 145K | |
| Masters, over the board | 495 |
Master games
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Rapport, R.
- Karjakin, S. – Dubov, 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
Nimzowitsch Defense: Scandinavian Variation, Advance Variation (ECO B00, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Nimzowitsch Defense: Scandinavian Variation, reached after 1. e4 Nc6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 (3 moves).
In 2,771,758 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.0%, Black 46.9% and 4.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Bf5, in 64% 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 Nimzowitsch Defense: Scandinavian Variation, Advance Variation
The most played answer, 3…Bf5, also scores best for Black: 50.1%, with Black winning 48.0% and White 47.8% of 1.8M games. Of the main answers, 3…e6 scores lowest: 44.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…Bf5.
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 Nimzowitsch Defense: Scandinavian Variation, Advance Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.1% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.15%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.15% | 51,977 |
| 2017 | 0.13% | 71,966 |
| 2018 | 0.11% | 88,486 |
| 2019 | 0.11% | 137,994 |
| 2020 | 0.1% | 305,875 |
| 2021 | 0.11% | 419,691 |
| 2022 | 0.1% | 390,252 |
| 2023 | 0.11% | 397,303 |
| 2024 | 0.11% | 388,104 |
| 2025 | 0.1% | 361,540 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.1% | 110,548 |
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. “Nimzowitsch Defense: Scandinavian Variation, Advance Variation (B00)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/nimzowitsch-defense-scandinavian-variation-advance-variation