Chess opening · ECO B00

St. George Defense

The St. George Defense starts 1. e4 a6. It ranks #120 of the 174 openings on this site by how often rated players on Lichess reach it.

The position after 1. e4 a6. White to move.

Move by move

  1. 1. e4White pushes the e-pawn two squares to e4, staking a claim in the center.
  2. 1... a6Black advances the a-pawn to a6.

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. d4 is the most popular next move in every rating band.

RatingMost commonSecondThird
Under 1200d4 38%Nf3 20%Bc4 15%
1200–1399d4 33%Nf3 30%Bc4 14%
1400–1599d4 39%Nf3 30%Bc4 12%
1600–1799d4 46%Nf3 29%Bc4 12%
1800–1999d4 56%Nf3 31%f4 5%
2000 and upd4 86%Nf3 14%–

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