Rat Defense: English Rat
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Statistics from Lichess
1,515,769 games: White 44.1% / Draw 6.6% / Black 49.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 709,620710K | ||
| 281,109281K | ||
| 209,495209K | ||
| 179,039179K | ||
| 114,693115K | ||
| 12,34912K | ||
| 6,2706,270 | ||
| 585585 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 9, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.36 White is slightly better
Best play: 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e4 5. Nfd2 c6 6. Nc3 d5 7. Qa4 Bd7
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 better this line does for Black: Black scores 45% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 55% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 516K | |
| 1400–1799 | 560K | |
| 1800–2199 | 913K | |
| 2200 and up | 299K | |
| Masters, over the board | 4,324 |
Master games
- Dreev, A. – Aronian, L.
- Fedoseev, V. – Mamedov, R.
- Dreev, A. – Svidler, P.
- Karpov, A. – Anand, V.
- Laznicka, V. – Rapport, R.
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: English Rat (ECO A41, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Old Indian Defense, reached after 1. d4 d6 2. c4 e5 (2 moves).
In 1,515,769 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.1%, Black 49.3% and 6.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. dxe5, in 47% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Rat Defense: English Rat, Lisbon Gambit and Rat Defense: English Rat, Pounds Gambit.
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: English Rat
3. Nf3 scores best for White: 51.9%, with White winning 48.9% and Black 45.0% of 179K games. The most played answer, 3. dxe5, scores lowest: 44.8% in 710K games. Stockfish's first choice is 3. e3.
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: English Rat dipped to 0.051% of Lichess games in 2021 and has recovered since: 0.063% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.065% | 23,273 |
| 2017 | 0.068% | 37,410 |
| 2018 | 0.071% | 55,652 |
| 2019 | 0.067% | 83,659 |
| 2020 | 0.062% | 181,497 |
| 2021 | 0.051% | 198,094 |
| 2022 | 0.053% | 199,577 |
| 2023 | 0.055% | 206,084 |
| 2024 | 0.057% | 204,909 |
| 2025 | 0.063% | 219,385 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.069% | 76,128 |
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 (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Rat Defense: English Rat (A41)”. Lichess data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/rat-defense-english-rat