Scandinavian Defense: Modern Variation 2…Nf6 3. d4
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Statistics from Lichess
6,052,623 games: White 49.0% / Draw 5.0% / Black 46.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Scandinavian Defense: Marshall Variation | 3,255,0793.3M | |
| Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Gambit | 1,236,4941.2M | |
| 623,589624K | ||
| 488,988489K | ||
| 262,870263K | ||
| 100,331100K | ||
| Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation | 43,18143K | |
| 11,32911K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.67 White is slightly better
Best play: 3... Qxd5 4. Nc3 Qd6 5. Nf3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O a6 8. Ne5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 52% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up and 58% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 338K | |
| 1400–1799 | 2.1M | |
| 1800–2199 | 4M | |
| 2200 and up | 597K | |
| Masters, over the board | 3,695 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Short, N. D.
- Leko, P. – Morozevich, A.
- Wang, H. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Anand, V. – Kamsky, G.
- Leko, P. – Kasimdzhanov, R.
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: Modern 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 (3 moves).
In 6,052,623 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.0%, Black 46.0% and 5.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Nxd5, in 54% of those games.
It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are Scandinavian Defense: Marshall Variation and Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Gambit. In all, 16 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 answer 3. d4
3…Bg4 (Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Gambit) scores best for Black: 53.5%, with Black winning 50.9% and White 44.0% of 1.2M games. The most played answer, 3…Nxd5, scores lowest: 47.4% in 3.3M games. Stockfish's first choice is 3…Qxd5.
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
This line has gained ground since 2016: 0.26% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.2%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.2% | 71,056 |
| 2017 | 0.26% | 140,368 |
| 2018 | 0.27% | 208,267 |
| 2019 | 0.24% | 299,549 |
| 2020 | 0.21% | 621,431 |
| 2021 | 0.21% | 802,780 |
| 2022 | 0.23% | 850,247 |
| 2023 | 0.23% | 881,680 |
| 2024 | 0.24% | 875,491 |
| 2025 | 0.26% | 900,514 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.27% | 297,534 |
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 (4)
All 16 named lines that continue from here
- B01 Scandinavian Defense: Kádas Gambit 4 moves
- B01 Scandinavian Defense: Marshall Variation 3 moves
- B01 Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Gambit 3 moves
- B01 Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation 3 moves
- B01 Scandinavian Defense: Kiel Variation 4 moves
- B01 Scandinavian Defense: Modern Variation, Gipslis Variation 4 moves
- B01 Scandinavian Defense: Modern Variation, Wing Gambit 4 moves
- B01 Banker Variation 5 moves
- B01 Classical Variation 4 moves
- B01 Correspondence Refutation 5 moves
- B01 Elbow Variation 4 moves
- B01 Jadoul Variation 6 moves
- B01 Lusophobe Variation 5 moves
- B01 Melbourne Shuffle Variation 6 moves
- B01 Wuss Variation 4 moves
- B01 Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation 4 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Scandinavian Defense: Modern Variation (B01)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/scandinavian-defense-modern-variation-2