Rat Defense: Accelerated Gurgenidze
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Statistics from Lichess
335,708 games: White 50.8% / Draw 4.7% / Black 44.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 94,82395K | ||
| 76,20576K | ||
| 71,70972K | ||
| 16,14816K | ||
| 15,05815K | ||
| 10,46210K | ||
| 8,8188,818 | ||
| 7,7337,733 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.75 White is better
Best play: 4. h3 Bg7 5. f4 b5 6. Nf3 Nd7 7. Bd3 Bb7 8. O-O 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 49% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 49% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 25K | |
| 1400–1799 | 105K | |
| 2200 and up | 61K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,117 |
Master games
- Niemann, H. M. – Carlsen, M.
- Van Foreest, J. – Carlsen, M.
- Tari, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Christiansen, J. – Carlsen, M.
- Bareev, E. – Gurevich, 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
Rat Defense: Accelerated Gurgenidze (ECO B06, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Modern Defense, reached after 1. e4 g6 2. d4 d6 3. Nc3 c6 (3 moves).
In 335,708 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.8%, Black 44.5% and 4.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Nf3, in 28% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Rat Defense: Accelerated Gurgenidze
4. f4 scores best for White: 54.2%, with White winning 51.8% and Black 43.3% of 72K games. The most played answer, 4. Nf3, scores lowest: 51.7% in 95K games. Stockfish's first choice is 4. 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 Rat Defense: Accelerated Gurgenidze dipped to 0.011% of Lichess games in 2021 and has recovered since: 0.015% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.013% | 4,668 |
| 2017 | 0.012% | 6,461 |
| 2018 | 0.014% | 11,323 |
| 2019 | 0.013% | 16,764 |
| 2020 | 0.012% | 35,933 |
| 2021 | 0.011% | 42,450 |
| 2022 | 0.012% | 44,645 |
| 2023 | 0.012% | 46,503 |
| 2024 | 0.015% | 52,073 |
| 2025 | 0.015% | 51,810 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.015% | 16,909 |
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. “Rat Defense: Accelerated Gurgenidze (B06)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/rat-defense-accelerated-gurgenidze