Vienna Game: Mengarini Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
281,937 games: White 47.3% / Draw 4.4% / Black 48.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 101,018101K | ||
| 74,31674K | ||
| 45,92946K | ||
| 18,57919K | ||
| 11,87612K | ||
| 11,41611K | ||
| 5,9205,920 | ||
| 3,1433,143 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.04 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... Nc6 4. Nf3 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Bb5 Nxc3 7. bxc3 Bd6 8. d4
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, 51% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 283K | |
| 1400–1799 | 407K | |
| 1800–2199 | 94K | |
| 2200 and up | 4,744 | |
| Masters, over the board | 86 |
Master games
- Firouzja, A. – Anand, V.
- Aronian, L. – Wojtaszek, R.
- Jacobson, B. – Sargsyan, S.
- Pauwels, C. – Efremov, A. G.
- Moiseenko, V. – Batchuluun, T.
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
Vienna Game: Mengarini Variation (ECO C26, Open Games) is a variation of the Vienna Game: Falkbeer Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. a3 (3 moves).
In 281,937 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.3%, Black 48.3% and 4.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Bc5, in 36% 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 Vienna Game: Mengarini Variation
3…d5 scores best for Black: 54.3%, with Black winning 52.0% and White 43.5% of 46K games. The most played, 3…Bc5, scores 50.5% in 101K games, and 3…Nc6 scores lowest: 50.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 3…Nc6.
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 Vienna Game: Mengarini Variation is played less than half as often as in 2016: 0.0093% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.027%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.027% | 9,562 |
| 2017 | 0.016% | 8,962 |
| 2018 | 0.012% | 9,675 |
| 2019 | 0.013% | 15,835 |
| 2020 | 0.012% | 33,992 |
| 2021 | 0.012% | 45,757 |
| 2022 | 0.01% | 39,287 |
| 2023 | 0.01% | 37,482 |
| 2024 | 0.0095% | 33,991 |
| 2025 | 0.0093% | 32,151 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0094% | 10,290 |
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. “Vienna Game: Mengarini Variation (C26)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/vienna-game-mengarini-variation