Scandinavian Defense: Marshall Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
3,254,164 games: White 50.1% / Draw 5.2% / Black 44.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,544,8551.5M | ||
| 1,182,6511.2M | ||
| 154,111154K | ||
| 130,643131K | ||
| 81,51782K | ||
| 54,59055K | ||
| 38,07438K | ||
| 16,73617K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.60 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. Nf3 Bf5 5. Bd3 Bxd3 6. Qxd3 e6 7. c4 Nf6 8. Nc3 Nbd7
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 49% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 42% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 214K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.1M | |
| 2200 and up | 283K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,497 |
Master games
- Leko, P. – Morozevich, A.
- Wang, H. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Anand, V. – Kamsky, G.
- Yu, Y. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Polgar, J. – Kamsky, G.
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
Scandinavian Defense: Marshall Variation (ECO B01, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Scandinavian Defense: Modern Variation, reached after 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Nxd5 (3 moves).
In 3,254,164 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.1%, Black 44.8% and 5.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. c4, in 47% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Scandinavian Defense: Modern Variation, Gipslis Variation and Scandinavian Defense: Richter 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: Marshall Variation
4. Nf3 scores best for White: 53.2%, with White winning 50.5% and Black 44.1% of 1.2M games. The most played answer, 4. c4, scores lowest: 53.0% in 1.5M games. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. 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: Marshall Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.14% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.11%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.11% | 40,267 |
| 2017 | 0.14% | 78,683 |
| 2018 | 0.15% | 116,070 |
| 2019 | 0.13% | 168,366 |
| 2020 | 0.12% | 346,123 |
| 2021 | 0.11% | 433,155 |
| 2022 | 0.12% | 444,295 |
| 2023 | 0.12% | 469,960 |
| 2024 | 0.13% | 464,359 |
| 2025 | 0.14% | 480,675 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.14% | 157,056 |
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 (3)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Scandinavian Defense: Marshall Variation (B01)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/scandinavian-defense-marshall-variation