B01

Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation 4. Nf3 g6

Chess diagram: Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation after 4…g6

Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.

Statistics from Lichess

300,107 games: White 47.0% / Draw 6.3% / Black 46.7%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
	131,342131K
	52,88753K
	51,34551K
	22,42322K
	13,86114K
	11,85012K
	6,2706,270
	2,2002,200

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.86 White is better

Best play: 5. c4 Nb6 6. a4 a5 7. c5 Nd5 8. Bc4 Bg7 9. Qb3 c6

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 48% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 39% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

Players	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400	5,743
1400–1799	51K
1800–2199	182K
2200 and up	81K
Masters, over the board	1,131

Master games

Wang, H. – Nepomniachtchi, I. 0–1, 2012
Nepomniachtchi, I. – Smagin, S. 1–0, 2011
Bologan, V. – Smagin, S. ½–½, 2004
De Firmian, N. E. – Azmaiparashvili, Z. 1–0, 1996
Peng, X. – Adianto, U. 0–1, 2000

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: Richter Variation (ECO B01, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Scandinavian Defense: Marshall Variation, reached after 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Nxd5 4. Nf3 g6 (4 moves).

In 300,107 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.0%, Black 46.7% and 6.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. c4, in 44% of those games.

Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.

Write a description or report a mistake

What would you like to send? A description of this line A mistake on this page (moves, name, statistics…)

Markdown supported (headings ###, bold, lists, links). Submissions are reviewed before publishing.

Your name (optional) Your email (optional, not published)

Description

How to answer 4…g6

5. Bc4 scores best for White: 51.0%, with White winning 48.1% and Black 46.1% of 51K games. The most played, 5. c4, scores 50.6% in 131K games, and 5. Bd3 scores lowest: 48.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. c4.

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

This line peaked in 2018 at 0.015% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.011% in 2025.

0.01%0.011%0.015%

Numbers by year

Year	Share of games	Games
2016	0.01%	3,686
2017	0.014%	7,615
2018	0.015%	11,537
2019	0.013%	15,772
2020	0.012%	36,075
2021	0.011%	43,541
2022	0.012%	44,130
2023	0.012%	43,307
2024	0.011%	40,148
2025	0.011%	37,594
2026 (Jan–Apr)	0.011%	12,459

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: Richter Variation (B01)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/scandinavian-defense-richter-variation-2