English Opening: Anglo-Scandinavian Defense
Chess opening · ECO A10 · 2 half-moves
1. c4 d5
The English Opening: Anglo-Scandinavian Defense is reached after 1. c4 d5. It is White's move in the position shown.
It branches from the English Opening with 1… d5.
How often it is played
The English Opening: Anglo-Scandinavian Defense and its variations appeared in 0.28% of games — 8,343 of 3,000,000 rated games sampled from Lichess in September 2026. That makes it number 144 of the openings listed here.
Results
White won 53%, 3.1% were drawn and Black won 44%. 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 +0.75 — 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 |
|---|---|---|
| English Opening: King's English Variation | 1. c4 e5 | 0.87% |
| English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense | 1. c4 Nf6 | 0.46% |
| English Opening: Agincourt Defense | 1. c4 e6 | 0.38% |
Main continuations
| Variation | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| English Opening: Anglo-Scandinavian Defense, Malvinas Variation | 1. c4 d5 2. cxd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 | 0.03% |
| English Opening: Anglo-Scandinavian Defense, Schulz Gambit | 1. c4 d5 2. cxd5 Nf6 | 0.02% |
| English Opening: Anglo-Scandinavian Defense, Löhn Gambit | 1. c4 d5 2. cxd5 e6 | 0.01% |
Check your own games
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