Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack
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Statistics from Lichess
190,842 games: White 50.8% / Draw 4.7% / Black 44.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 102,144102K | ||
| Goteborg System | 27,44427K | |
| 23,11623K | ||
| 18,42018K | ||
| 9,2639,263 | ||
| 4,0854,085 | ||
| 2,5692,569 | ||
| 904904 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.26 White is better
Best play: 5. Nf3 Bb4 6. Bd2 exd4 7. Nxd4 Qe5+ 8. Qe2 Qxe2+ 9. Bxe2 Nf6
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 43% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 199K | |
| 1400–1799 | 205K | |
| 1800–2199 | 91K | |
| 2200 and up | 8,021 | |
| Masters, over the board | 57 |
Master games
- Gao Rui – Fang, Y.
- Ljubicic, F. – Popovic, M. T.
- Almasi, Z. – Laszlo, J.
- Djurhuus, R. – Lendwai, R.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Angelov, K.
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
Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack (ECO B01, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Scandinavian Defense: Main Line, reached after 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 e5 (4 moves).
In 190,842 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 5. dxe5, in 54% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System and Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack. In all, 3 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack
5. Nf3 (Goteborg System) scores best for White: 57.1%, with White winning 55.0% and Black 40.9% of 27K games. The most played, 5. dxe5, scores 53.2% in 102K games, and 5. Bd2 scores lowest: 50.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. 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 Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack has lost ground since 2016: 0.0075% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.012%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.012% | 4,301 |
| 2017 | 0.01% | 5,484 |
| 2018 | 0.0071% | 5,603 |
| 2019 | 0.0066% | 8,246 |
| 2020 | 0.0074% | 21,642 |
| 2021 | 0.0075% | 29,483 |
| 2022 | 0.007% | 26,158 |
| 2023 | 0.0063% | 23,828 |
| 2024 | 0.0071% | 25,556 |
| 2025 | 0.0075% | 26,141 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0081% | 8,853 |
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)
All 3 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack (B01)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/scandinavian-defense-anderssen-counterattack