The Modern Defense is 1. : you put your bishop on g7, let White take the center and then hit it from the long diagonal. According to Lichess (September 2026, N = 559,871 public games), you score 49.1% with it. It shows up in 1.8% of games. Strong players follow 2. 3. 4., the line covered here.
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.
38 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After 1. , the public spreads its replies: 2. in 38 of every 100 games, 2. in 29 and 2. in 11. Among strong players, 2. rises to 76 of every 100. Your is the choice of nearly 9 in 10 in both groups. The biggest gap comes next: strong players answer with 3. in 54 of every 100 games, the public in just 7. At your level you will mostly face 3., in 41 of every 100, and 3., in 26 of every 100. After 3. , strong players go 4. in 44 of every 100, while the public prefers 4., in 48 of every 100.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38.2% | 51.4% | 76.4% | 100.0% | |
| 29.1% | 50.8% | 8.2% | no data | |
| 10.7% | 51.2% | no data | no data | |
| 7.2% | 51.6% | 6.5% | no data | |
| 3.9% | 51.7% | 1.3% | no data | |
| 2.8% | 50.4% | 1.2% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 3.7% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87.6% | 50.9% | 88.9% | 94.9% | |
| 5.4% | 51.7% | 3.2% | 3.7% | |
| 1.6% | 53.0% | no data | no data | |
| 1.1% | 52.5% | no data | no data | |
| 1.1% | 57.3% | 4.6% | 1.3% | |
| 0.9% | 55.0% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.2% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.6% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.6% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40.6% | 51.7% | 19.7% | 30.5% | |
| 25.7% | 48.2% | no data | no data | |
| 6.9% | 54.6% | 54.1% | 60.5% | |
| 6.8% | 50.4% | 5.9% | 1.4% | |
| 6.6% | 52.4% | 5.0% | no data | |
| 4.3% | 50.4% | 6.5% | 7.6% | |
| no data | no data | 4.0% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39.3% | 52.8% | 55.2% | 76.2% | |
| 22.5% | 53.8% | 2.8% | no data | |
| 10.2% | 54.5% | no data | no data | |
| 6.5% | 59.7% | no data | no data | |
| 5.7% | 54.4% | 18.3% | 14.6% | |
| 5.3% | 52.5% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 13.4% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 4.4% | 5.8% | |
| no data | no data | 3.4% | 3.4% |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47.5% | 51.9% | 13.7% | 10.5% | |
| 19.9% | 56.3% | 43.5% | 78.4% | |
| 9.0% | 53.5% | 19.1% | 11.1% | |
| 7.4% | 53.4% | no data | no data | |
| 4.1% | 51.6% | 2.8% | no data | |
| 3.9% | 53.7% | 6.3% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 3.6% | no data |
Your whole plan revolves around the bishop on g7. With and you place it on the long diagonal, where it already eyes d4, a pawn guarded only by the queen on d1. That is what 97 of every 100 strong online players do, and 99 of every 100 in over-the-board events. You do not claim the center with pawns. You let White build it and then go after it with the bishop and your pawns.
With 3. White guards e4 with the knight. You continue with , which does two jobs. The pawn covers e5: if White pushes to e5, your pawn and your bishop both hit that pawn, and only the d4 pawn defends it. On top of that, opens the diagonal for your c8 bishop, which can now come out to g4 or f5.
The strong players' line goes on with 4. and 5.. The e3 bishop adds a defender to d4 against your g7 bishop, and bishop and queen line up on the c1–h6 diagonal. That setup lets White bring the bishop to h6, backed by the queen, to trade it for your g7 bishop. With the queen off d1, White also has queenside castling available.
Your answer is to gain space on the queenside with and . The order matters: if you push the pawn to b5 without , the c3 knight and the f1 bishop both attack it and nothing defends it. With the pawn on b5 you free b7 for your other bishop, which points at e4 from there. You also threaten to push on to b4 and kick the c3 knight, the piece that guards e4. If White castles long, that advance also heads straight for the king. Among strong players, 43 of every 100 choose , and after 5., 89 of every 100 follow up with .
At your level, plenty of opponents skip all this and play 3.. The pawn blocks your bishop's diagonal on e5, and only the d4 pawn defends it. That is when hits e5 with pawn and bishop together, to reopen the diagonal before White can shore it up.
Plan played in 99% of the 425 over-the-board games rated 2300+ with this structure.
Online, 2200+: 96.8% of 31,978. Over the board, 2300+: 98.8% of 425; the alternative, : 0.1% and 0.0%; the alternative, : 0.0% and 0.0%; the alternative, : 0.0% and 0.0%; the alternative, : 0.0% and 0.0%.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 24,356 | 76.7% | |
| 22,972 | 89.0% | |
| 20,409 | 54.3% | |
| 12,458 | 55.6% | |
| 10,096 | 44.1% | |
| 4,476 | 42.6% | |
| 1,803 | 55.1% | |
| 974 | 89.0% |
After 3., leaves the e5 pawn alone and shuts your c8 bishop in behind the pawns on d7 and e6. White props it up with 4., and e5 now has two defenders and keeps the g7 diagonal closed. 26 of every 100 play it. You score 50 of every 100; with , which hits e5 right away, 54.
26 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 49.9%; scores 53.8%.
After 2., nothing White has defends e4, and attacks it at once. With you give White time for 3.: three pawns in the center, and after 4. the e5 pawn shuts your bishop's diagonal. Nearly 9 in 10 choose it. You score 48 of every 100; with , 55.
88 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 48.5%; scores 54.9%.
After 3., prepares against e4, but 4. guards that pawn, and White carries on with 5. and 6. while your b7 bishop achieves nothing. About 1 in 10 play it. At your level it is rarely punished: you score 47 of every 100, and 49 with .
11 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 47.2%; scores 49.1%.
After 2. 3., queen and bishop both hit f7, which only your king defends. blocks the f-file, but 4. attacks the knight: if it moves away, the queen mates on f7, and on d5 the bishop takes it. After 5. you are a knight for a pawn down. Play , blocking the diagonal to f7.
10 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 4.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 44.3%; scores 52.9%.
After 3., lets White grab space: 4. 5. hits your knight, and after 6. the d5 pawn controls c6 and e6 and your knight sits back. At your level it goes unpunished: you score 46 of every 100, the same as with .
23 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.2%; scores 45.6%.
After 3., puts the knight where 4. can reach it, a pawn backed by d4 and the f3 knight. On it gets hit by 5.; you hold it with , and 6. goes after that pawn. At your level it is rarely punished: you score 47 of every 100; with , 49.
6 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.8%; scores 49.1%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 266,882 | ||
| Not castled | 66,442 | |
| 61,263 | ||
| Not castled | 59,018 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 43,793 |
| 23,526 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 207 | ||
| 81 | ||
| Not castled | 33 | |
| Not castled | 32 | |
| Not castled | 19 | |
| 19 |
1. 2. 3. 4. · 27,905 amateur games · 30 over the board
After 3. , White develops the other knight with 4.: 27,905 public games.
1. 2. 3. · 16,559 amateur games · 2 over the board
Against 3. you play to bring your other bishop to b7: 16,559 public games.
1. 2. 3. · 13,221 amateur games · 40 over the board
With 3. White guards e4 with the knight: 13,221 public games.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 11,828 amateur games · 16 over the board
After 3. , 4. shores up d4 against your g7 bishop, and you score 51 of every 100.
1. 2. 3. · 11,237 amateur games · 3 over the board
With 3. White puts three pawns in the center: 11,237 public games.
1. 2. 3. · 9,022 amateur games · 153 over the board
After 3., your covers e5: 9,022 public games and 153 strong over-the-board games.
1. 2. 3. · 7,600 amateur games
With 3. White's bishop aims at f7: 7,600 public games.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 4,298 amateur games · 33 over the board
Reached via 1. 2. 3. 4., with White pawns on c4, d4 and e4.
1. 2. 3. · 3,653 amateur games · 2 over the board
Against 3. you play , heading the bishop for b7: 3,653 public games.
1. 2. · B06
2,992 amateur games · White's score: 56.8%
1. 2. 3. 4. · B06
1,933 amateur games · White's score: 54.4%
1. 2. 3. 4. · A42
1,267 amateur games · White's score: 48.9%
1. 2. 3. · B06
663 amateur games · White's score: 48.4%
1. 2. 3. · B06
539 amateur games · White's score: 52.9%
1. 2. 3. · A41
467 amateur games · White's score: 54.2%
1. 2. · B06
435 amateur games · White's score: 68.5%
1. 2. 3. · B06
347 amateur games · White's score: 46.5%
1. 2. 3. · B06
289 amateur games · White's score: 50.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. · A42
179 amateur games · White's score: 49.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · A42
153 amateur games · White's score: 57.5%
1. 2. 3. 4. · B06
60 amateur games · White's score: 47.5%
1. 2. 3. · A40
42 amateur games · White's score: 52.4%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · B06
21 amateur games · White's score: 54.8%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · A04
16 amateur games · White's score: 62.5%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · A40
15 amateur games · White's score: 66.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. · A04
9 amateur games · White's score: 33.3%
1. 2. 3. 4. · B27
8 amateur games · White's score: 12.5%
1. 2. 3. 4. · A04
6 amateur games · White's score: 50.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · B06
2 amateur games · White's score: 50.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · B06
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · B06
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · B06
1. 2. 3. 4. · A41
It holds up at your level. In 559,871 public Lichess games White scores 51 of every 100, so you score 49, and the result barely moves between 900 and 1700. Strong over-the-board players do worse with it: White scores 66 of every 100 there. With best play White answers 2. and is only 0.58 of a pawn better.
The strong players' line is 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. . Your g7 bishop presses d4, the d6 pawn covers e5, and the a6 and b5 pawns gain queenside space, with the idea of pushing on to b4 to kick the c3 knight.
It is the reply to 1.. After 2., nearly 9 in 10 follow with . You put the bishop on the long diagonal and leave the center to White's pawns, then pressure it with the bishop, with and with your queenside pawns. The most common variation is the Two Knights Variation, with 27,905 public games.