Old Indian Defense: Ukrainian Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
402,052 games: White 43.4% / Draw 6.8% / Black 49.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 179,307179K | ||
| 90,58091K | ||
| Old Indian Defense: Two Knights Variation | 68,31168K | |
| 27,58628K | ||
| 18,23018K | ||
| 14,08414K | ||
| 2,3312,331 | ||
| 486486 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 26, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.54 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. Nf3 exd4 5. Nxd4 Be7 6. g3 d5 7. Bg2 dxc4 8. Qa4+ c6
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 better this line does for Black: Black scores 45% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up and 45% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 76K | |
| 1400–1799 | 119K | |
| 1800–2199 | 233K | |
| 2200 and up | 103K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,840 |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – McShane, L. J.
- Shankland, S. – Rapport, R.
- Svidler, P. – Jobava, B.
- Tomashevsky, E. – McShane, L. J.
- Aronian, L. – Demchenko, A.
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
Old Indian Defense: Ukrainian Variation (ECO A54, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Old Indian Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 e5 (3 moves).
In 402,052 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 43.4%, Black 49.8% and 6.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. dxe5, in 45% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Old Indian Defense: Two Knights Variation and Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Old Indian Defense: Ukrainian Variation
4. Nf3 (Old Indian Defense: Two Knights Variation) scores best for White: 52.2%, with White winning 48.9% and Black 44.5% of 68K games. The most played answer, 4. dxe5, scores lowest: 43.6% in 179K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. Nf3.
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 Old Indian Defense: Ukrainian Variation dipped to 0.013% of Lichess games in 2021 and has recovered since: 0.019% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.017% | 6,204 |
| 2017 | 0.017% | 9,617 |
| 2018 | 0.019% | 14,834 |
| 2019 | 0.018% | 22,267 |
| 2020 | 0.016% | 45,697 |
| 2021 | 0.013% | 50,059 |
| 2022 | 0.013% | 49,376 |
| 2023 | 0.014% | 52,315 |
| 2024 | 0.016% | 55,579 |
| 2025 | 0.019% | 64,524 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.021% | 22,847 |
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. “Old Indian Defense: Ukrainian Variation (A54)”. Lichess data as of 26 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/old-indian-defense-ukrainian-variation