Queen's Pawn Game: Chigorin Variation 2. Nc3 d5
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Statistics from Lichess
10,915,668 games: White 49.1% / Draw 4.9% / Black 46.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Rapport-Jobava System | 5,004,9825M | |
| 2,288,2892.3M | ||
| 1,235,4251.2M | ||
| 1,227,1091.2M | ||
| Queen's Pawn Game: Veresov, Richter Attack | 356,839357K | |
| 299,152299K | ||
| 157,870158K | ||
| 121,238121K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 3. Bf4 c5 4. e3 cxd4 5. exd4 a6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. h3 Bf5
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 worse this line does for Black: Black scores 50% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 52% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 10.4M | |
| 1400–1799 | 9.1M | |
| 1800–2199 | 5.4M | |
| 2200 and up | 1.3M | |
| Masters, over the board | 7,900 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Nakamura, H.
- Carlsen, M. – Nakamura, H.
- Carlsen, M. – Gukesh, D.
- Carlsen, M. – Nakamura, H.
- Firouzja, A. – Carlsen, 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 26, 2026
Overview
Queen's Pawn Game: Chigorin Variation (ECO A45, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Indian Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 (2 moves).
In 10,915,668 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.1%, Black 46.1% and 4.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. Bf4, in 46% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 2…d5
The most played answer, 3. Bf4 (Rapport-Jobava System), also scores best for White: 53.3%, with White winning 50.8% and Black 44.2% of 5M games. Of the main answers, 3. Nf3 scores lowest: 47.1%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3. Bf4.
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
This line has gained ground since 2016: 0.55% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.36%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.36% | 126,894 |
| 2017 | 0.3% | 167,645 |
| 2018 | 0.29% | 229,931 |
| 2019 | 0.33% | 409,488 |
| 2020 | 0.36% | 1,041,482 |
| 2021 | 0.36% | 1,409,243 |
| 2022 | 0.38% | 1,424,144 |
| 2023 | 0.42% | 1,591,978 |
| 2024 | 0.49% | 1,758,501 |
| 2025 | 0.55% | 1,903,869 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.59% | 643,088 |
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 (1)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Pawn Game: Chigorin Variation (A45)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-pawn-game-chigorin-variation-2