Rat Defense: Small Center Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
5,943,711 games: White 52.9% / Draw 4.1% / Black 43.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,848,1111.8M | ||
| 1,200,1861.2M | ||
| 1,134,0441.1M | ||
| 648,464648K | ||
| 423,961424K | ||
| 110,260110K | ||
| 108,960109K | ||
| 84,60785K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.85 White is better
Best play: 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nbd2 Nf6 5. e5 Nfd7 6. c3 c5 7. Bd3 Nc6
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 46% under 1400, 43% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2.8M | |
| 1400–1799 | 5.5M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.9M | |
| 2200 and up | 97K | |
| Masters, over the board | 46 |
Master games
- Giri, A. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Bologan, V. – Ioannidis, E.
- Jakovenko, D. – Belezky, A.
- Shen Yang – Huang Qian
- Ochsner, B. – Fries Nielsen, J.
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
Rat Defense: Small Center Defense (ECO C00, Open Games) is a chess opening that starts 1. d4 e6 2. e4 d6.
In 5,943,711 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.9%, Black 43.0% and 4.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. Nf3, in 31% 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: Small Center Defense
3. f4 scores best for White: 57.4%, with White winning 55.5% and Black 40.7% of 648K games. The most played answer, 3. Nf3, scores lowest: 53.0% in 1.8M games. Stockfish's first choice is 3. Nf3.
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: Small Center Defense has lost ground since 2016: 0.23% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.33%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.33% | 118,696 |
| 2017 | 0.29% | 157,432 |
| 2018 | 0.25% | 198,910 |
| 2019 | 0.24% | 304,181 |
| 2020 | 0.22% | 641,908 |
| 2021 | 0.22% | 854,303 |
| 2022 | 0.22% | 828,178 |
| 2023 | 0.23% | 863,315 |
| 2024 | 0.23% | 814,421 |
| 2025 | 0.23% | 794,921 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.23% | 249,592 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Rat Defense: Small Center Defense (C00)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/rat-defense-small-center-defense