Philidor Defense: Steinitz Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
931,183 games: White 49.5% / Draw 4.4% / Black 46.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 772,408772K | ||
| 27,94028K | ||
| 27,87528K | ||
| 21,47521K | ||
| 18,95419K | ||
| 18,84419K | ||
| 13,25013K | ||
| 7,5327,532 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.12 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... Nf6 5. d3 c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. Re1 O-O 8. a4 h6 9. Na3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 51% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 90K | |
| 1400–1799 | 578K | |
| 1800–2199 | 537K | |
| 2200 and up | 16K | |
| Masters, over the board | 22 |
Master games
- Shaposhnikov, E. – Fridman, D.
- Minasian, A. – Chabanon, J. L.
- Makarichev, S. – Beltran Rueda, S.
- Tseshkovsky, V. – Frog, I.
- Cherniaev, A. – Sbarra, 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: Steinitz Variation (ECO C41, Open Games) is a variation of the Philidor Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 Be7 4. c3 (4 moves).
In 931,183 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.5%, Black 46.1% and 4.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Nf6, in 83% of those games.
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Popularity by year
The Philidor Defense: Steinitz Variation has stayed between 0.031% and 0.038% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.037% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.031% | 10,969 |
| 2017 | 0.037% | 20,320 |
| 2018 | 0.035% | 27,154 |
| 2019 | 0.035% | 43,411 |
| 2020 | 0.033% | 97,799 |
| 2021 | 0.035% | 137,281 |
| 2022 | 0.036% | 135,656 |
| 2023 | 0.037% | 140,545 |
| 2024 | 0.038% | 135,344 |
| 2025 | 0.037% | 127,523 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.036% | 39,573 |
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. “Philidor Defense: Steinitz Variation (C41)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/philidor-defense-steinitz-variation