Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Reversed Spanish
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Statistics from Lichess
862,309 games: White 51.2% / Draw 4.5% / Black 44.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 400,059400K | ||
| 168,442168K | ||
| 104,393104K | ||
| 53,66154K | ||
| 52,86953K | ||
| 33,87434K | ||
| 21,75722K | ||
| 7,2957,295 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 26, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.18 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. a3 Ba5 5. Ba2 c6 6. Nge2 d5 7. exd5 cxd5 8. d4 exd4
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% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 740K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1M | |
| 1800–2199 | 353K | |
| 2200 and up | 26K | |
| Masters, over the board | 127 |
Master games
- Mamedyarov, S. – Giri, A.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Bu, X.
- Dubov, D. – Keymer, V.
- Larsen, B. – Smyslov, V.
- Lastin, A. – Chuprov, D.
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: Stanley Variation, Reversed Spanish (ECO C26, Open Games) is a variation of the Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bc4 Bb4 (3 moves).
In 862,309 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.2%, Black 44.4% and 4.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. d3, in 46% 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: Stanley Variation, Reversed Spanish
4. Nge2 scores best for White: 56.4%, with White winning 54.2% and Black 41.3% of 168K games. The most played, 4. d3, scores 53.1% in 400K games, and 4. a3 scores lowest: 49.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. a3.
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 Vienna Game: Stanley Variation, Reversed Spanish has lost ground since 2016: 0.03% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.045%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.045% | 16,089 |
| 2017 | 0.037% | 20,600 |
| 2018 | 0.032% | 24,779 |
| 2019 | 0.031% | 39,036 |
| 2020 | 0.033% | 96,376 |
| 2021 | 0.038% | 147,737 |
| 2022 | 0.035% | 133,094 |
| 2023 | 0.034% | 126,161 |
| 2024 | 0.031% | 110,758 |
| 2025 | 0.03% | 102,498 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.028% | 30,660 |
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: Stanley Variation, Reversed Spanish (C26)”. Lichess data as of 26 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/vienna-game-stanley-variation-reversed-spanish