English Defense
Chess opening · ECO A40 · 2 half-moves
1. d4 b6
The English Defense is reached after 1. d4 b6. It is White's move in the position shown.
It branches from the Queen's Pawn Game with 1… b6.
How often it is played
The English Defense and its variations appeared in 0.58% of games — 17,380 of 3,000,000 rated games sampled from Lichess in September 2026. That makes it number 79 of the openings listed here.
Results
White won 49%, 3.3% were drawn and Black won 47%. These are games between players of every strength and time control, so they say how the opening does in practice rather than how sound it is.
What the engine thinks
Stockfish, at depth 18, evaluates the position at +0.99 — a clear edge for White. Positive numbers favour White; see reading the evaluation bar.
Similar openings
The most-played alternatives — what else could have been chosen around the move where this opening begins.
| Opening | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Defense | 1. d4 Nf6 | 5.1% |
| Queen's Gambit | 1. d4 d5 2. c4 | 4.5% |
| Queen's Pawn Game: Zukertort Variation | 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 | 2.3% |
Main continuations
| Variation | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| English Defense: Eastbourne Gambit | 1. d4 b6 2. c4 Bb7 3. Nc3 e5 | 0.00% |
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