Scandinavian Defense win rate

White scored 51.3% (margin 0.3 points) in 86,344 rated games of the Scandinavian Defense, ECO B01, played between players within 100 rating points on 1 September 2026. It ranked number 5 of 117 openings by popularity and made up 5.3% of all games.

49.1%

46.6%

White wins 49.1%
Draws 4.3%
Black wins 46.6%

86,344 games

How often does White win in the Scandinavian Defense?

White won 49.2% of the 86,344 games, 4.3% were drawn and Black won 46.6%. White's score of 51.3% is no clear difference from White's score across all openings (51.9%): the gap of 0.6 points is larger than the margin of 0.3 points but under the 1 point treated as clear.

Results of 86,344 Scandinavian Defense games, 1 September 2026.
Result	Games	Share
White wins	42,440	49.2%
Draws	3,677	4.3%
Black wins	40,227	46.6%

Does the Scandinavian Defense score differently at different ratings?

White's score is highest at under 1200 (52.3%) and lowest at 2000 and above (49.7%). That spread of 2.6 points is larger than the two margins added together, so the score does differ between these rating bands.

Players rated under 1200 choose the Scandinavian Defense most often relative to their other openings, in 6.1 percent of their games.

White's score in the Scandinavian Defense by the lower rating of the two players, 1 September 2026.
Rating band	Games	Share of the band	White score	Margin (points)
under 1200	16,863	6.1%	52.3%	0.7
1200 to 1599	33,160	5.7%	51.5%	0.5
1600 to 1999	31,645	5.2%	50.8%	0.5
2000 and above	4,676	3.0%	49.7%	1.4

How does the Scandinavian Defense do in blitz, rapid and classical?

The time control changes who tends to win, because the clock matters more in faster games. Rows with fewer than 1,500 games are left out.

White's score in the Scandinavian Defense by time control, 1 September 2026.
Time control	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Blitz	65,170	50.8%	0.4
Rapid	20,685	52.8%	0.7

What are the most played lines of the Scandinavian Defense?

The most played named line is the Mieses-Kotroc Variation, with 20,671 games and a White score of 53.3%. The table lists the ten most played lines that reached 300 games; a line below that is counted in the last row.

Named lines of the Scandinavian Defense, most played first, 1 September 2026.
Line	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Mieses-Kotroc Variation	20,671	53.3%	0.7
Valencian Variation	11,461	52.1%	0.9
Main Line	10,385	50.5%	0.9
Modern Variation	9,250	49.7%	1.0
Gubinsky-Melts Defense	1,719	50.6%	2.3
Boehnke Gambit	1,632	51.7%	2.4
Main Line, Mieses Variation	1,322	48.3%	2.6
Icelandic-Palme Gambit	1,320	48.0%	2.6
Panov Transfer	1,227	44.4%	2.7
Blackburne Gambit	1,118	49.9%	2.9
Main line and less played lines	22,490	50.6%	0.6

How were these opening statistics measured?

Rated Blitz, Rapid and Classical games on 1 September 2026 between players within 100 rating points, banded by the lower rating. A score is wins plus half the draws, with a 95 percent margin. The hub page explains the method in full.

Frequently asked questions

What is the win rate of the Scandinavian Defense?

White won 49.2%, drew 4.3% and lost 46.6% of 86,344 games, a White score of 51.3% with a margin of 0.3 points. These are games on Lichess on 1 September 2026.

Is the Scandinavian Defense good for White?

At these ratings White's score was no clear difference from White's score across all openings (51.9%): the gap of 0.6 points is larger than the margin of 0.3 points but under the 1 point treated as clear. A difference of a point or two is small, and the side that picks an opening also picks which games reach it, so the number describes what happened at these ratings and is not a ruling on the opening.

What is the most popular line of the Scandinavian Defense?

The Mieses-Kotroc Variation was the most played named line, with 20,671 games, which is 23.9% of the Scandinavian Defense games.

Sources

Lichess open database, standard rated games (CC0), file for September 2026, read 2026-10-22

Related guides and tools

Last updated 2026-10-22.

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