Philidor Defense: Lion Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
1,526,950 games: White 45.6% / Draw 5.5% / Black 49.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 503,803504K | ||
| 478,059478K | ||
| 157,499157K | ||
| 95,37995K | ||
| 54,81455K | ||
| 49,21349K | ||
| 40,47840K | ||
| 40,21840K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 20, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.47 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. h3 c6 6. g4 h6 7. a4 Be7 8. Be3 Qa5 9. Qd2 a6
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 50% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 44% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 154K | |
| 1400–1799 | 471K | |
| 1800–2199 | 808K | |
| 2200 and up | 424K | |
| Masters, over the board | 12K |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Caruana, F.
- Karjakin, S. – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Caruana, F.
- Gukesh, D. – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
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
Philidor Defense: Lion Variation (ECO C41, Open Games) is a variation of the Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 (4 moves).
In 1,526,950 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.6%, Black 49.0% and 5.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. dxe5, in 33% of those games.
It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Lion's Claw, with Bc4 and h6 and Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Bishop Sacrifice. In all, 5 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Philidor Defense: Lion Variation
5. Bc4 scores best for White: 51.2%, with White winning 48.1% and Black 45.7% of 478K games. The most played, 5. dxe5, scores 46.3% in 504K games, and 5. d5 scores lowest: 42.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 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 Philidor Defense: Lion Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.064% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.046%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.046% | 16,330 |
| 2017 | 0.057% | 31,384 |
| 2018 | 0.064% | 50,556 |
| 2019 | 0.06% | 75,239 |
| 2020 | 0.068% | 197,779 |
| 2021 | 0.055% | 216,338 |
| 2022 | 0.055% | 206,838 |
| 2023 | 0.055% | 207,355 |
| 2024 | 0.056% | 199,618 |
| 2025 | 0.064% | 222,318 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.07% | 76,861 |
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 (4)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Philidor Defense: Lion Variation (C41)”. Lichess data as of 20 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/philidor-defense-lion-variation