Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation, Fianchetto Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
12,822 games: White 51.4% / Draw 5.2% / Black 43.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,7612,761 | ||
| 2,5842,584 | ||
| 1,5711,571 | ||
| 1,4831,483 | ||
| 1,1191,119 | ||
| 1,0711,071 | ||
| 799799 | ||
| 707707 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.64 White is slightly better
Best play: 4... e6 5. Nf3 Ne4 6. Nd2 Nxc3 7. bxc3 e5 8. Bg2 Nc6 9. O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation, Fianchetto Variation (ECO A53, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 Bf5 4. g3 (4 moves).
In 12,822 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.4%, Black 43.3% and 5.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…c6, in 22% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation, Fianchetto Variation
4…e5 scores best for Black: 49.3%, with Black winning 45.4% and White 46.8% of 1,571 games. The most played, 4…c6, scores 47.3% in 2,761 games, and 4…Nc6 scores lowest: 42.9%. Stockfish's first choice is 4…e6.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation, Fianchetto Variation (A53)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/old-indian-defense-janowski-variation-fianchetto-variation