The Fischer Defense is 1. 2. 3. : you take the gambit pawn and, before propping it up with your g-pawn, cover e5 with the d6 pawn so the f3 knight can't use that square. In N = 33,294 Lichess games between 900 and 1700 (September 2026 data), you score 44.8% with Black.
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.
3 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
Against , opponents rated 900 to 1700 split almost evenly: 4. in 48 of every 100 games and 4. in 46. After 4., the d2 pawn still blocks the c1 bishop, so f4 isn't under attack yet. Strong players pick 4. in 55 of every 100. The real gap is in your reply. After 4., players at your level choose in 35 of every 100 games and in only 14, while strong players go for in 84 of every 100. After , your opponent usually continues 5., in 48 of every 100, or 5., in 21. Against players rated 2200+ on Lichess you score 53 of every 100.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47.5% | 56.2% | 54.6% | 100.0% | |
| 45.7% | 54.3% | 39.7% | no data | |
| 2.0% | 52.7% | 3.8% | no data | |
| 1.5% | 56.5% | no data | no data | |
| 1.3% | 51.4% | no data | no data | |
| 1.0% | 57.1% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.8% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35.4% | 58.4% | no data | no data | |
| 16.8% | 56.9% | 12.7% | no data | |
| 14.3% | 50.6% | 83.3% | 100.0% | |
| 8.4% | 54.1% | no data | no data | |
| 8.2% | 53.4% | no data | no data | |
| 3.7% | 55.9% | 3.9% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47.7% | 51.1% | 40.5% | no data | |
| 20.8% | 52.7% | 29.4% | no data | |
| 13.1% | 50.4% | 3.1% | no data | |
| 8.8% | 51.3% | 12.9% | no data | |
| 4.6% | 49.2% | no data | no data | |
| 2.3% | 40.3% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 14.1% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30.5% | 55.4% | no data | no data | |
| 19.5% | 43.0% | no data | no data | |
| 14.5% | 47.7% | 38.5% | no data | |
| 13.3% | 47.0% | 9.6% | no data | |
| 11.2% | 50.7% | 51.9% | no data | |
| 7.7% | 49.0% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100.0% | 50.3% | 70.3% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 16.2% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 13.5% | no data |
Strong players follow 4. 5. 6. 7.. It all revolves around the f4 pawn you grabbed on move two. Your opponent wants it back with the c1 bishop and wants the f-file open toward your king. You want to keep it behind a pawn chain on h6 and g5, and turn the g7 bishop against their center.
4. takes the center and, by moving the d2 pawn, opens the diagonal for the c1 bishop, which now hits f4. That's why comes right away: the g5 pawn defends f4. This is where pays off. Your d6 pawn covers e5, so the f3 knight can't jump there to attack f7.
5. aims straight at f7, which only your king defends. puts the bishop on the long diagonal, where it hits d4, held by the queen and the f3 knight. It also clears f8 so you can castle later.
6. brings the rook to f1, on the same file as your f4 pawn. Only the f3 knight stands between them: as soon as it moves, the rook joins the attack on the pawn. gives g5 a second defender, the h6 pawn, on top of your queen, and the h6, g5, f4 chain is complete.
7. is the answer to your g7 bishop. With a pawn on c3, d4 has three defenders: queen, knight and pawn. The structure you end up with is typical of this defense. You're a pawn up on f4, backed by g5 and h6. Your opponent has the e4 and d4 center, the c4 bishop aimed at f7 and the f1 rook behind the knight.
At your level this sequence almost never plays out in full. After 4., only 14 of every 100 players with Black choose . After , , or , nothing defends f4 and your opponent wins it back with 5.. All six mistakes on this page start from that position. The rule is simple: against 4., play first and bring your pieces out after.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 397 | 55.4% | |
| 211 | 83.9% | |
| 163 | 40.5% | |
| 52 | 51.9% | |
| 37 | 70.3% | |
| 42 | 69.0% | |
| 35 | 85.7% |
After 4., hits e4 but leaves f4 undefended. 5. covers e4, holds the pawn, and 6. attacks it again alongside the c1 bishop. After 7. , f4 has two attackers and a single defender. 17 of every 100 players choose it; you score 43, against 49 with .
17 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.3 pawns of advantage. It scores 43.1%; scores 49.4%.
After 4. 5., your opponent has already won the pawn back. makes it worse: 6. develops the queen with no loss of time and protects the f4 bishop. After 7. 8. , the queen on f3 eyes f7 down the f-file. 41 of every 100 play it; you score 36, against 45 with .
41 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.2 pawns of advantage. It scores 36.0%; scores 45.3%.
After 4., hits d4, already defended twice, and leaves f4 alone. 5. wins the pawn back. Your knight goes the long way round, 6. , and the bishop drops back with 7.. You lose time and the pawn. 8 of every 100 play it; you score 47, against 49 with , so it often goes unpunished.
8 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.6%; scores 49.4%.
After 4., gets ready to castle but does nothing for f4. 5. wins the pawn back, and after 6. 7. your opponent has pawns on e4 and d4, all four minor pieces out, and material level again. 8 of every 100 play it; you score 46, against 49 with , so it often goes unpunished.
8 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 45.9%; scores 49.4%.
After 4. 5., the bishop pins your knight to your king. breaks the pin, but f4 is still hanging and 6. picks it up. would have defended the pawn first and dealt with the pin later. 83 of every 100 players choose it here, and you score 45 with it.
83 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2 pawns of advantage.
After 4., prepares the g-pawn advance, but it's too slow: the c1 bishop already hits f4, and 5. takes it. After 6. 7. , that pawn no longer defends anything. All it does is kick the bishop. 4 of every 100 play it; you score 44, against 49 with .
4 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.2 pawns of advantage. It scores 44.1%; scores 49.4%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 12,850 | ||
| Not castled | 8,092 | |
| 4,591 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 2,189 |
| 1,918 | ||
| Not castled | 984 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Not castled | 2 | |
| 2 | ||
| 2 | ||
| Not castled | 1 | |
| Not castled | 1 | |
| Not castled | 1 |
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C34
561 amateur games · White's score: 55.1%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C34
3 amateur games · White's score: 0.0%