Chess opening · ECO A40

Queen's Pawn Game: Modern Defense

The Queen's Pawn Game: Modern Defense starts 1. d4 g6. It ranks #60 of the 174 openings on this site by how often rated players on Lichess reach it.

The position after 1. d4 g6. White to move.

Move by move

  1. 1. d4White pushes the d-pawn two squares to d4, staking a claim in the center.
  2. 1... g6Black advances the g-pawn to g6.

What players choose next, by rating

The three most common White moves from this position in rated Lichess games, grouped by the rating of the player making the move. Among players rated under 1200, the most popular next move is e4; among players rated 2000 and up, it is c4.

RatingMost commonSecondThird
Under 1200e4 33%e3 18%Nf3 15%
1200–1399e4 30%c4 22%e3 12%
1400–1599c4 32%e4 24%Nf3 11%
1600–1799c4 44%e4 18%Nf3 13%
1800–1999c4 49%e4 18%Nf3 14%
2000 and upc4 49%e4 26%Nf3 13%

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