Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
293,582 games: White 46.8% / Draw 5.8% / Black 47.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 85,49785K | ||
| 71,29771K | ||
| 68,17768K | ||
| 22,28422K | ||
| 15,91316K | ||
| 7,2067,206 | ||
| 6,5626,562 | ||
| 5,3855,385 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.68 White is slightly better
Best play: 6. Bd2 Nbd7 7. Bc4 c6 8. Qe2 Qc7 9. Bb3 e6 10. Nh4 Bg6
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 50% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 43% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 100K | |
| 1400–1799 | 184K | |
| 1800–2199 | 150K | |
| 2200 and up | 46K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,061 |
Master games
- Firouzja, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Dominguez Perez, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Anand, V. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Karjakin, S. – Mamedyarov, S.
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: Classical Variation (ECO B01, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Scandinavian Defense: Main Line, Mieses Variation, reached after 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bf5 (5 moves).
In 293,582 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.8%, Black 47.4% and 5.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Bd2, in 29% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Scandinavian Defense: Grünfeld Variation.
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: Classical Variation
6. Ne5 scores best for White: 58.6%, with White winning 55.7% and Black 38.5% of 22K games. The most played, 6. Bd2, scores 48.0% in 85K games, and 6. Be2 scores lowest: 47.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 6. Bd2.
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: Classical Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.013% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.01%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.01% | 3,725 |
| 2017 | 0.01% | 5,645 |
| 2018 | 0.0092% | 7,208 |
| 2019 | 0.0089% | 11,046 |
| 2020 | 0.01% | 29,612 |
| 2021 | 0.012% | 46,400 |
| 2022 | 0.011% | 40,681 |
| 2023 | 0.011% | 39,569 |
| 2024 | 0.013% | 45,197 |
| 2025 | 0.013% | 44,655 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.014% | 14,815 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation (B01)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/scandinavian-defense-classical-variation