Modern Defense: Standard Defense
Chess opening · ECO B06 · 6 half-moves
1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6
The Modern Defense: Standard Defense is reached after 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6. It is White's move in the position shown.
It branches from the Modern Defense: Standard Line with 3… d6.
How often it is played
The Modern Defense: Standard Defense and its variations appeared in 0.21% of games — 6,270 of 3,000,000 rated games sampled from Lichess in September 2026. That makes it number 179 of the openings listed here.
Results
White won 51%, 3.7% were drawn and Black won 45%. 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 +0.76 — 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 |
|---|---|---|
| King's Knight Opening | 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 | 15% |
| Sicilian Defense | 1. e4 c5 | 9.6% |
| French Defense | 1. e4 e6 | 6.4% |
Main continuations
| Variation | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| Modern Defense: Two Knights Variation | 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Nf3 | 0.09% |
| Modern Defense: Pseudo-Austrian Attack | 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. f4 | 0.02% |
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