The Mikenas Defense is 1. : you bring the knight out before any pawn and aim it at d4, the pawn your opponent just pushed. Across 57,457 Lichess games rated 900 to 1700 (September 2026 data), you score 44%. Online players rated over 2200 score 48 out of 100 with it. It's a rare choice: it turns up in about 2 out of 1000 games at your level.
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.
4 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After , opponents at your level answer 2. in 27 out of 100 games, 2. in 16, and 2. and 2. in 13 each. Among strong players, 2. climbs to 36 and 2. to 22.5. That push hits your knight and is the evaluation's top choice, giving your opponent a 0.86-pawn edge; you score 42 out of 100 against it. Against 2., the most common choice at your level is , at 57 out of 100, and you score 46 with it. Strong players pick it in 46 out of 100 games and go for in 35. After 3., players at your level mostly take with , 38 out of 100, while strong players prefer , 63.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26.9% | 56.7% | 36.0% | no data | |
| 16.3% | 56.7% | 6.2% | no data | |
| 13.3% | 55.6% | 19.1% | no data | |
| 13.2% | 57.8% | 22.5% | no data | |
| 11.9% | 54.4% | no data | no data | |
| 5.7% | 54.8% | 6.0% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 4.8% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56.7% | 53.9% | 46.2% | no data | |
| 17.6% | 55.6% | 7.9% | no data | |
| 7.1% | 56.1% | 4.5% | no data | |
| 5.9% | 56.0% | 35.2% | no data | |
| 5.7% | 57.5% | 3.5% | no data | |
| 2.0% | 57.4% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.7% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28.7% | 53.6% | 12.5% | no data | |
| 24.8% | 55.0% | 27.1% | no data | |
| 14.8% | 51.2% | no data | no data | |
| 11.2% | 57.3% | 34.7% | 100.0% | |
| 7.0% | 54.6% | 15.7% | no data | |
| 4.2% | 52.8% | 3.2% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 2.6% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37.6% | 59.0% | 3.2% | no data | |
| 20.2% | 55.0% | 14.8% | no data | |
| 18.8% | 56.3% | 6.9% | no data | |
| 11.3% | 53.5% | 63.3% | no data | |
| 6.8% | 58.5% | 1.5% | no data | |
| 2.5% | 54.6% | 10.2% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36.0% | 54.3% | 18.6% | no data | |
| 27.9% | 54.5% | 28.9% | no data | |
| 16.8% | 57.3% | 46.3% | no data | |
| 5.0% | 47.2% | no data | no data | |
| 4.5% | 43.8% | 3.7% | no data | |
| 3.4% | 52.1% | 0.7% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.1% | no data |
The strong-player line is 2. 3. 4. 5. . It's all about the d4 pawn. Your c6 knight has been hitting it since move one, and your bishop goes after the f3 knight that defends it. You end up trading that bishop for the knight and taking back on d5 with your queen, which leaves d4 attacked twice and defended once.
stakes out the center and stops the d4 pawn from reaching d5, where it would kick your knight. 3. attacks your pawn. doesn't defend it; it attacks the f3 knight instead. At that point d4 has two defenders, the d1 queen and that knight, and one attacker, your c6 knight.
4., the choice of 46 out of 100 strong players, wins your d5 pawn, but the white pawn left there has no defender and your d8 queen is attacking it. Before taking it back, , played in 90 out of 100 games, removes the piece guarding d4. After 5., chosen by more than 6 in 10 strong players, the d5 pawn is still hanging. Your opponent is left with two pawns on the f-file and a half-open g-file in front of the kingside.
, played by every strong player in the sample, wins the pawn back. Now your queen and your c6 knight both hit d4, and only the d1 queen defends it. From d5 your queen also eyes f3, held only by the e2 pawn, and a2, covered only by the a1 rook.
At your level the game rarely gets there. After 3., just 11 out of 100 players choose , and you score 46 with it. When you do, your opponent usually answers 4., 36 out of 100, propping up d4 with a pawn. And after 4., 80 out of 100 players at your level grab back right away with , against 1 in 10 strong players. With the knight still on f3, d4 keeps both its defenders, and 5. hits your queen. Trade on f3 first, then bring the queen in.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 3,735 | 36.0% | |
| 2,542 | 46.2% | |
| 2,630 | 34.8% | |
| 1,428 | 63.3% | |
| 855 | 46.3% | |
| 395 | 90.4% | |
| 349 | 62.5% | |
| 218 | 100.0% |
After 2., attacks the undefended e4 pawn, but leaves your knights exposed to your opponent's pawns. 3. kicks the c6 knight, and after 4. 5. the other one is back home. hits e4 with a pawn. Almost 9 out of 100 players choose it; you score 43.7 with it and 48.5 with .
9 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.5 pawns of advantage. It scores 43.7%; scores 48.5%.
After 2., puts a pawn where the f3 knight and the d4 pawn both attack it, with only your c6 knight defending. 3. kicks that knight, and after 4. 5. you're a pawn down. 6 out of 100 players choose it. You score 42.5 with it and 46.1 with .
6 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.2 pawns of advantage. It scores 42.5%; scores 46.1%.
After 2. 3., offers a pawn that the f3 knight and the d4 pawn both attack, guarded only by your knight. After 4. 5. you're a pawn down. 5 out of 100 players choose it, and at your level it seldom costs much: you score 45.6 with it and 47.7 with .
5 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 45.6%; scores 47.7%.
After 2. 3., takes the f6 square from your g8 knight and develops nothing. After 4. 5. 6. , you've moved the f-pawn twice just so the knight can reach f6. 4 out of 100 players choose it, and at your level it isn't punished: you score 48.1 with it and 47.7 with .
4 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 48.1%; scores 47.7%.
After 2., ignores the center, and 3. kicks your knight. After 4. 5. , your knight is back home while your opponent has pawns on d5 and e4 and two pieces out. hits e4 with a pawn. 2 out of 100 players choose it. You score 39.5 with it and 48.5 with .
2 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.2 pawns of advantage. It scores 39.5%; scores 48.5%.
After 2., grabs a pawn that the d1 queen defends. After 3. you've given up the knight for a pawn, and after 4. 5. you're still a piece down. cuts the f4 bishop's diagonal toward c7. 3 out of 100 players choose it. You score 29.5 with it and 47.4 with .
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 4.5 pawns of advantage. It scores 29.5%; scores 47.4%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 15,017 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 11,711 |
| Not castled | 8,895 | |
| Not castled | 5,803 | |
| 4,681 | ||
| 3,668 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Not castled | Not castled | 1 |
| Not castled | 1 | |
| 1 |
1. 2. 3. · A40
1,112 amateur games · White's score: 56.2%
1. 2. 3. · A40
791 amateur games · White's score: 46.5%
1. 2. 3. 4. · A40
99 amateur games · White's score: 61.1%