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Scandinavian Defense (1.e4 d5)
How do Scandinavian Defense games actually end? Across 111,932 Lichess games that reached the position after 1.e4 d5, White won 49.7%, 4.3% were drawn and Black won 46.0%. Below: the main line move by move, the most played continuations (the favorite is 2.exd5), the rating effect and the opening's history.
The main line, move by move
| Move | Position name | Games | White | Draws | Black |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.e4 | King's Pawn Game | 1,601,410 | 49.2% | 4.3% | 46.4% |
| 1...d5 | Scandinavian Defense | 111,932 | 49.7% | 4.3% | 46.0% |
| 2.exd5 | - | 87,380 | 50.8% | 4.5% | 44.7% |
| 2...Qxd5 | Scandinavian Defense: Mieses-Kotroc Variation | 56,374 | 52.9% | 4.6% | 42.5% |
| 3.Nc3 | - | 41,003 | 52.5% | 4.6% | 42.9% |
The 5 most common continuations (for White)
| Move | Variation | Games | White | Draws | Black |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.exd5 | - | 87,380 | 50.8% | 4.5% | 44.7% |
| 2.e5 | - | 13,422 | 45.3% | 3.6% | 51.1% |
| 2.Nf3 | - | 3,711 | 49.1% | 4.5% | 46.4% |
| 2.Nc3 | - | 2,893 | 49.9% | 4.3% | 45.9% |
| 2.d4 | - | 1,785 | 53.2% | 3.6% | 43.1% |
How rating changes the same position
| Rating band (average of the pair) | Games | White | Draws | Black |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1600-1799 | 68,843 | 50.1% | 3.9% | 46.0% |
| 2200-2499 | 1,678 | 48.5% | 8.0% | 43.5% |
The story of the opening
The Scandinavian competes for the title of oldest defense on written record: the first documented game of modern chess, in the Valencian poem Scachs d'amor from around 1475, opens with 1.e4 d5. The current name came centuries later, from analysis by Scandinavian masters at the end of the 19th century. The concept could not be more direct: challenge the e4 pawn on move one and settle the center immediately.
The price has been known forever: after 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 the black queen comes out early and loses a tempo. The elite treats it as an occasional weapon, but it had its gala moment: Viswanathan Anand played it against Kasparov in the 1995 World Championship in New York, the first Scandinavian in a modern title match. At club level it remains hugely popular, because the game enters territory Black knows better as early as move two.
Compare it with every other opening in the opening statistics archive, or visit its neighbors: Pirc Defense and Alekhine's Defense. Nerd aside: chess notation is a 64 square code, cousin to the ones living next door, like binary and Morse.
Source: the Lichess open game database (database.lichess.org, CC0 data), months 2014-06, 2015-01, 2016-01, snapshot of 2026-07-09: blitz, rapid and classical games with the players' average rating between 1600 and 2199, aggregated by move sequence. Variation names and ECO codes: lichess-org/chess-openings (CC0).
Last updated: · Methodology and sources