The Hungarian Defense is 1. 2. 3. : instead of sending your bishop to c5, you keep it on e7, where it clears f8 so you can castle early. In N = 28,187 Lichess games between 900 and 1700 (September 2026 data), your opponent scores 49.4% with White, so you take slightly more than half the points.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
2 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
At your level the most common reply is 4., in 24 of every 100 games, and it's also the move that scores best for your opponent. Among online players rated 2200+, the top choice is 4., in 32 of every 100, and after they follow up with 5.. After , only 9 of every 100 opponents at your level play 6., against 33 of every 100 strong players. After 6., public players answer in 64 of every 100 games, strong players in 94. The Hungarian is more than twice as common at 1500 to 1700 as at 900 to 1100. It holds up less well at the top: on Lichess above 2200 you score 46 of every 100.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23.6% | 52.1% | 31.6% | no data | |
| 21.1% | 48.6% | 15.7% | no data | |
| 19.7% | 48.9% | 32.5% | no data | |
| 15.9% | 49.6% | 6.4% | no data | |
| 15.4% | 51.0% | 13.2% | no data | |
| 1.2% | 49.9% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.6% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77.1% | 48.1% | 91.6% | no data | |
| 17.4% | 49.7% | 8.4% | no data | |
| 2.5% | 53.1% | no data | no data | |
| 0.9% | 42.7% | no data | no data | |
| 0.8% | 58.2% | no data | no data | |
| 0.8% | 58.5% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29.4% | 47.3% | 34.2% | no data | |
| 22.5% | 52.6% | 28.0% | no data | |
| 18.9% | 47.7% | 8.3% | no data | |
| 13.2% | 50.5% | 25.0% | no data | |
| 8.8% | 49.5% | 4.4% | no data | |
| 4.6% | 42.4% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 69.4% | 48.7% | 78.1% | 87.9% | |
| 21.6% | 49.4% | 21.2% | 12.1% | |
| 3.7% | 48.8% | 0.5% | no data | |
| 3.4% | 49.1% | 0.3% | no data | |
| 1.0% | 53.7% | no data | no data | |
| 0.7% | 60.2% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27.1% | 47.4% | 18.5% | 21.6% | |
| 22.3% | 51.7% | 24.1% | no data | |
| 12.8% | 42.8% | no data | no data | |
| 12.8% | 48.3% | 4.9% | no data | |
| 9.0% | 52.6% | 33.2% | 58.6% | |
| 8.6% | 47.6% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 11.8% | 9.9% | |
| no data | no data | 2.9% | no data | |
| no data | no data | no data | 5.4% | |
| no data | no data | no data | 4.5% |
Strong players follow 4. 5. 6. 7. . Everything revolves around the bishop on c4, which has been aiming at f7 since move three. With you give up active play with your own bishop. In return you keep e5 solid, castle quickly and end up offering a bishop trade on e6, right on the c4 to f7 diagonal.
develops and hits e4, which no white piece defends after 4.. That's why 5. comes next: the pawn protects e4 and opens the diagonal for the c1 bishop. With e4 covered there's nothing to win there, so tucks your king away. The bishop on e7 has already cleared f8 and the knight has cleared g8.
6. puts the rook behind e4, which now has two defenders. Your reply, , props up e5 with a pawn, since until then only the c6 knight was holding it against the knight on f3. It also opens the diagonal for your c8 bishop, which can now come out to e6.
7. prepares a retreat for the c4 bishop. With the pawn on a4, the a2 square is free, so if the bishop has to move it stays on the same diagonal toward f7. The a4 pawn also covers b5, so your b-pawn can't go there to chase the bishop without being lost.
completes the plan. Your bishop steps into the diagonal and offers a trade: the c4 bishop is defended only by the d3 pawn, yours only by the f7 pawn. If your opponent takes on e6 and you recapture with the f-pawn, the f-file is half-open for your rook on f8 and the new e6 pawn covers d5 and f5. If they don't trade, you can take on c4 yourself: after the d3 pawn recaptures, they're left with two pawns on the c-file.
At your level this sequence rarely plays out in full. After , your opponent picks 6. or 6. far more often than 6.. Earlier still, the move you'll face most is 4., opening the center before castling. Four of the mistakes on this page come from there. The rule is simple: against 4., take with before you bring out the g8 knight.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 1,300 | 32.5% | |
| 418 | 91.6% | |
| 564 | 34.2% | |
| 1,873 | 78.8% | |
| 1,426 | 35.1% | |
| 487 | 94.3% | |
| 429 | 52.7% | |
| 232 | 40.5% |
After 4. 5., recapturing with invites a knight trade: 6. 7. hits f7 and the e5 pawn, which nothing defends anymore. blocks the diagonal, but 8. wins the pawn and attacks your rook on h8. 53 of every 100 players choose it; you score 49 with it and 54 with .
53 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 3.2 pawns of advantage. It scores 48.8%; scores 54.1%.
After 4. 5., leaves you a pawn up, but 6. develops. With your knight on g8 you can't castle, and the c4 bishop eyes f7: in the refutation you end up playing . It's an inaccuracy, yet at this level it costs you: you score 33 of every 100 with it and 46 with , hitting the bishop.
50 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1 pawn of advantage. It scores 32.8%; scores 45.9%.
After 4., e5 is attacked twice and defended only by the c6 knight. doesn't fix that: 5. takes the pawn and hits your knight. If it goes to g4, 6. threatens mate on f7. After , 7. kicks the knight and you're still a pawn down. 4 of every 100 play it; you score 40, against 48 with .
4 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 3.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 39.8%; scores 47.6%.
After 5., looks like it wins the pawn back, but 6. attacks the undefended knight on e4 and threatens mate on f7. saves your king, and 7. picks up the knight. 90 of every 100 players reach for it here, and you score 37. is the lesser evil: the real mistake was .
90 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 3.5 pawns of advantage.
After 4. 5., nothing defends the e4 pawn: there's no knight on c3 and no pawn on d3. grabs it right away. If you castle, 6. arrives in time: after 7. material is level. It's an inaccuracy that costs little at your level: 65 of every 100 play it, and you score 49 against 55 with .
65 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 48.8%; scores 54.7%.
After 4. 5., castling with allows 6., which wins the pawn and hits your knight. After 7., the bishop holds e5 and your opponent stays a pawn up. With , if your opponent recaptures, forks knight and bishop. 6 of every 100 play it and you score 48, so at your level it often goes unpunished.
6 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.3 pawns of advantage.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 19,413 | ||
| Not castled | 2,470 | |
| Not castled | 1,968 | |
| 1,641 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 1,126 |
| 835 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | ||
| 1 |
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · C50
203 amateur games · White's score: 50.7%