Vienna Game: Paulsen Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
625,111 games: White 54.6% / Draw 5.0% / Black 40.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 263,162263K | ||
| 196,732197K | ||
| 55,08955K | ||
| 35,40235K | ||
| 21,73122K | ||
| 20,73821K | ||
| 5,8455,845 | ||
| 5,7105,710 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 3, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.02 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... a5 4. Bg2 Bc5 5. Nge2 Nge7 6. O-O O-O 7. d3 d6 8. h3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the better this line does for White: White scores 51% under 1400, 55% at 2200 and up and 54% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 159K | |
| 1400–1799 | 266K | |
| 1800–2199 | 374K | |
| 2200 and up | 103K | |
| Masters, over the board | 615 |
Master games
- Mamedyarov, S. – Carlsen, M.
- Mamedov, R. – Carlsen, M.
- Radjabov, T. – Aronian, L.
- Shirov, A. – Anand, V.
- Artemiev, V. – Aronian, L.
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: Paulsen Variation (ECO C25, Open Games) is a variation of the Vienna Game: Max Lange Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 (3 moves).
In 625,111 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.6%, Black 40.4% and 5.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Nf6, in 42% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played is Vienna Game: Paulsen Variation, Mariotti Gambit.
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: Paulsen Variation
3…Bc5 scores best for Black: 45.1%, with Black winning 42.6% and White 52.4% of 197K games. The most played, 3…Nf6, scores 41.5% in 263K games, and 3…d6 scores lowest: 40.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 3…a5.
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: Paulsen Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.027% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.018%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.018% | 6,256 |
| 2017 | 0.019% | 10,229 |
| 2018 | 0.021% | 16,872 |
| 2019 | 0.022% | 27,255 |
| 2020 | 0.026% | 74,912 |
| 2021 | 0.023% | 91,267 |
| 2022 | 0.024% | 90,787 |
| 2023 | 0.024% | 88,885 |
| 2024 | 0.023% | 83,677 |
| 2025 | 0.027% | 92,831 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.029% | 31,816 |
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 (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Vienna Game: Paulsen Variation (C25)”. Lichess data as of 3 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/vienna-game-paulsen-variation