Scandinavian Defense: Lasker Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
292,800 games: White 53.8% / Draw 4.6% / Black 41.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 190,442190K | ||
| 54,68955K | ||
| 36,83637K | ||
| 7,9427,942 | ||
| 772772 | ||
| 717717 | ||
| 439439 | ||
| 263263 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.15 White is better
Best play: 6... Bxf3 7. Qxf3 c6 8. Bd2 Nbd7 9. O-O-O e6 10. a3 Qb6 11. Bf4
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 White: White scores 52% under 1400, 55% at 2200 and up and 64% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 39K | |
| 1400–1799 | 110K | |
| 1800–2199 | 174K | |
| 2200 and up | 53K | |
| Masters, over the board | 602 |
Master games
- Volokitin, A. – Bauer, C.
- Motylev, A. – Azarov, S.
- Karpov, A. – Larsen, B.
- Motylev, A. – Horvath, C.
- Safarli, E. – Bauer, C.
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: Lasker 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 Bg4 6. h3 (6 moves).
In 292,800 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.8%, Black 41.6% and 4.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Bh5, in 65% 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 Scandinavian Defense: Lasker Variation
The most played answer, 6…Bh5, also scores best for Black: 45.7%, with Black winning 43.4% and White 52.0% of 190K games. Of the main answers, 6…Qh5 scores lowest: 39.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 6…Bxf3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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: Lasker Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.012% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0093%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0093% | 3,329 |
| 2017 | 0.01% | 5,682 |
| 2018 | 0.012% | 9,435 |
| 2019 | 0.011% | 13,801 |
| 2020 | 0.012% | 34,677 |
| 2021 | 0.011% | 41,715 |
| 2022 | 0.011% | 40,971 |
| 2023 | 0.011% | 41,043 |
| 2024 | 0.012% | 42,534 |
| 2025 | 0.012% | 41,062 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.013% | 13,847 |
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. “Scandinavian Defense: Lasker Variation (B01)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/scandinavian-defense-lasker-variation