Scandinavian Defense: Valencian Variation, Main Line
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Statistics from Lichess
846,812 games: White 49.1% / Draw 6.3% / Black 44.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 421,505422K | ||
| 152,257152K | ||
| 95,06195K | ||
| 79,78680K | ||
| 47,08547K | ||
| 19,02819K | ||
| 14,68915K | ||
| 7,4917,491 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.91 White is better
Best play: 6. h3 Bxf3 7. Qxf3 c6 8. g4 Qxd4 9. Be3 Qd8 10. g5 Nd5
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 45% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up and 40% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 198K | |
| 1400–1799 | 624K | |
| 1800–2199 | 436K | |
| 2200 and up | 46K | |
| Masters, over the board | 323 |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Djukic, N.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Rakhmanov, A.
- Karjakin, S. – Iotov, V.
- Dominguez Perez, L. – Pichot, A.
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: Valencian Variation, Main Line (ECO B01, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Scandinavian Defense: Valencian Variation, reached after 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd8 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 (5 moves).
In 846,812 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.1%, Black 44.6% and 6.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Be2, in 50% 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: Valencian Variation, Main Line
6. h3 scores best for White: 55.5%, with White winning 52.4% and Black 41.4% of 152K games. The most played, 6. Be2, scores 51.2% in 422K games, and 6. Bg5 scores lowest: 51.2%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. h3.
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: Valencian Variation, Main Line has stayed between 0.029% and 0.035% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.033% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.035% | 12,405 |
| 2017 | 0.029% | 15,818 |
| 2018 | 0.03% | 23,201 |
| 2019 | 0.03% | 37,232 |
| 2020 | 0.033% | 97,588 |
| 2021 | 0.033% | 131,043 |
| 2022 | 0.034% | 126,858 |
| 2023 | 0.034% | 127,332 |
| 2024 | 0.032% | 116,369 |
| 2025 | 0.033% | 112,801 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.031% | 34,533 |
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: Valencian Variation, Main Line (B01)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/scandinavian-defense-valencian-variation-main-line