Owen Defense
Also known as Queen's Fianchetto Defense
The Owen Defense (1.e4 b6) is an offbeat reply to 1.e4. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
27,534,742 games: White 50.6% / Draw 4.2% / Black 45.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 12,924,50012.9M | ||
| 7,071,2647.1M | ||
| 2,178,2612.2M | ||
| 1,856,0861.9M | ||
| 1,280,6441.3M | ||
| 635,414635K | ||
| 306,833307K | ||
| 226,184226K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 3, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.88 White is better
Best play: 2. d4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Bd3 dxe4 5. Bxe4 c6 6. Ne5 Nf6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 48% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up and 40% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 13.3M | |
| 1400–1799 | 26.5M | |
| 1800–2199 | 12.8M | |
| 2200 and up | 639K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,940 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Radjabov, T.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Radjabov, T.
- Giri, A. – Radjabov, T.
- So, W. – Artemiev, V.
- Karjakin, S. – Kamsky, G.
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
Description
The Owen Defense (1.e4 b6) is an offbeat reply to 1.e4. Black fianchettoes the queen's bishop to b7, where it presses on e4 and joins the fight for the centre from a distance, instead of occupying it with pawns.
Origins
It is named after the Rev. John Owen, a 19th-century vicar and strong amateur player who used 1...b6 regularly, including two games against Paul Morphy in 1858 (he won one and lost one). Earlier examples appear in the 17th-century writings of Gioachino Greco. Isidor Gunsberg played it with success in 1889, Bent Larsen and Michael Basman revived it in the 1970s, and more recently Tony Miles and Pavel Blatný have used it, and Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura have played it in online blitz.
The idea
Black lets White build a big pawn centre with d4, then attacks it with the bishop on b7, ...e6 and ...c5. The price is space: White can take the centre with pawns and gain a spatial advantage.
Main lines
After 1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7:
- 3.Bd3 e6 4.Nf3 c5 5.c3: historically the main line, with White supporting e4 with the bishop.
- 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 Bb4 5.Bd3 Nf6: Black pins the knight and increases the pressure on e4.
- 3.Nf3, the Smith Gambit, leaving e4 to Black's bishop.
Other tries include 2...Ba6, the Guatemala Defense, and the Matovinsky Gambit 3.Bd3 f5, which Christian Bauer calls "simply suicidal".
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Rarely played, so opponents are often unprepared.
- Flexible: Black can choose between ...e6 and ...c5 set-ups and a double fianchetto.
- Less theory than the main defences to 1.e4.
Weaknesses
- It has a dubious reputation in opening theory: White gets the centre and more space for free.
- According to grandmaster Christian Bauer, Black may suffer against a well-prepared opponent.
Who should play it
The Owen suits players who like to counterattack a pawn centre and want an offbeat weapon, especially in faster games. It is a risky choice against strong, well-prepared opponents.
The numbers
On Lichess White wins 49.8–51% and Black 43.5–46.5%: Black does best under 1800 (46.2–46.5%) and worst from 2200 up (43.5%). There are only about 1,900 master games, too few to draw firm conclusions.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Owen Defense
The most played answer, 2. d4, also scores best for White: 53.9%, with White winning 51.9% and Black 44.0% of 12.9M games. Of the main answers, 2. Bc4 scores lowest: 50.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 2. d4.
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 Owen Defense has stayed between 0.97% and 1.1% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (1.1% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1.1% | 396,738 |
| 2017 | 1.1% | 605,994 |
| 2018 | 1.0% | 801,186 |
| 2019 | 1.0% | 1,292,788 |
| 2020 | 0.97% | 2,837,050 |
| 2021 | 1.0% | 4,026,188 |
| 2022 | 1.1% | 4,094,886 |
| 2023 | 1.1% | 4,172,107 |
| 2024 | 1.1% | 3,951,564 |
| 2025 | 1.1% | 3,741,336 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 1.1% | 1,153,110 |
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 (6)
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Owen's Defence, version of 9 November 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Owen Defense (B00)”. Lichess data as of 3 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/owen-defense