Scandinavian Defense (B01): win rates at club level
1.e4 d5, playing as black. Data from 11,721 Lichess blitz games at 1600-1800.
The position
The idea
Black challenges the center immediately, and after the common exd5 Qxd5 Nc3, accepts losing a tempo when the queen gets kicked in exchange for simple, low-theory development: get the pieces out, castle, and play a normal middlegame without memorizing long forcing lines. It’s a practical, low-maintenance choice rather than a theoretically ambitious one, which is exactly why it appeals to players who don’t want to study opening theory for hours.
How it scores at your rating
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| Rating band | Games | White / draw / Black | Score for black |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1400-1600 | 10,029 | 48.4%Win rate: 95 percent confidence interval 47.4 to 49.4 percent, 10,029 games. / 3.5%Draw rate: 95 percent confidence interval 3.1 to 3.9 percent, 10,029 games. / 48.2%Loss rate: 95 percent confidence interval 47.2 to 49.2 percent, 10,029 games. | 49.9%Score for black: 95 percent confidence interval 48.9 to 50.9 percent, 10,029 games. |
| 1600-1800 | 11,721 | 48.3%Win rate: 95 percent confidence interval 47.4 to 49.2 percent, 11,721 games. / 4.2%Draw rate: 95 percent confidence interval 3.8 to 4.6 percent, 11,721 games. / 47.5%Loss rate: 95 percent confidence interval 46.6 to 48.4 percent, 11,721 games. | 49.6%Score for black: 95 percent confidence interval 48.7 to 50.5 percent, 11,721 games. |
| 1800-2000 | 8,562 | 48.0%Win rate: 95 percent confidence interval 46.9 to 49.1 percent, 8,562 games. / 4.5%Draw rate: 95 percent confidence interval 4.1 to 4.9 percent, 8,562 games. / 47.5%Loss rate: 95 percent confidence interval 46.4 to 48.6 percent, 8,562 games. | 49.8%Score for black: 95 percent confidence interval 48.8 to 50.8 percent, 8,562 games. |
| 2000+ | 4,182 | 48.6%Win rate: 95 percent confidence interval 47.1 to 50.1 percent, 4,182 games. / 5.1%Draw rate: 95 percent confidence interval 4.4 to 5.8 percent, 4,182 games. / 46.3%Loss rate: 95 percent confidence interval 44.8 to 47.8 percent, 4,182 games. | 48.8%Score for black: 95 percent confidence interval 47.3 to 50.3 percent, 4,182 games. |
What white actually plays next
Top replies at 1600-1800:
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| Move | Games | Played | Win / draw / loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| exd5 | 8,766 | 74.8% | 48.4%Win rate: 95 percent confidence interval 47.3 to 49.4 percent, 8,766 games. / 4.3%Draw rate: 95 percent confidence interval 3.9 to 4.8 percent, 8,766 games. / 47.3%Loss rate: 95 percent confidence interval 46.2 to 48.3 percent, 8,766 games. |
| e5 | 1,278 | 10.9% | 47.4%Win rate: 95 percent confidence interval 44.7 to 50.2 percent, 1,278 games. / 4.1%Draw rate: 95 percent confidence interval 3.1 to 5.3 percent, 1,278 games. / 48.5%Loss rate: 95 percent confidence interval 45.8 to 51.3 percent, 1,278 games. |
| Nf3 | 673 | 5.7% | 49.3%Win rate: 95 percent confidence interval 45.6 to 53.1 percent, 673 games. / 3.9%Draw rate: 95 percent confidence interval 2.6 to 5.6 percent, 673 games. / 46.8%Loss rate: 95 percent confidence interval 43.1 to 50.6 percent, 673 games.Wide interval, small sample: treat this number cautiously. |
| Nc3 | 382 | 3.3% | 49.5%Win rate: 95 percent confidence interval 44.5 to 54.5 percent, 382 games. / 5.0%Draw rate: 95 percent confidence interval 3.2 to 7.6 percent, 382 games. / 45.5%Loss rate: 95 percent confidence interval 40.6 to 50.6 percent, 382 games.Wide interval, small sample: treat this number cautiously. |
| d4 | 240 | 2.0% | 51.2%Win rate: 95 percent confidence interval 45.0 to 57.5 percent, 240 games. / 3.8%Draw rate: 95 percent confidence interval 2.0 to 7.0 percent, 240 games. / 45.0%Loss rate: 95 percent confidence interval 38.8 to 51.3 percent, 240 games.Wide interval, small sample: treat this number cautiously. |
| d3 | 109 | 0.9% | 45.0%Win rate: 95 percent confidence interval 35.9 to 54.3 percent, 109 games. / 4.6%Draw rate: 95 percent confidence interval 2.0 to 10.3 percent, 109 games. / 50.5%Loss rate: 95 percent confidence interval 41.2 to 59.7 percent, 109 games.Wide interval, small sample: treat this number cautiously. |
Common mistakes at 1600-1800
No move at this band is both common and clearly low-scoring, controlling for rating gap. Players at this rating aren’t making an obvious mistake here.
Model games
Real games from the Lichess masters database.
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| White | Black | Result | Year | Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caruana (2805) | Carlsen (2876) | ½-½ | 2015 | View game |
| Caruana (2801) | Carlsen (2877) | 0-1 | 2014 | View game |
| Caruana (2808) | Carlsen (2857) | ½-½ | 2016 | View game |
| Vachier Lagrave (2780) | Carlsen (2872) | ½-½ | 2019 | View game |
| Nepomniachtchi (2773) | Carlsen (2870) | 0-1 | 2019 | View game |
Build a repertoire from here
See the full move tree for players in your rating band: 1600-1800 repertoire explorer (black) →