Scandinavian Defense: Schiller-Pytel Variation
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 4. d4 c6
The Scandinavian Defense: Schiller-Pytel Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO B01, reached after 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 4. d4 c6. It is a line of the Scandinavian Defense. White is to move.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 778 times by this move order. White won 40%, 7% were drawn and Black won 53%. The most popular continuation is 5. Nf3 (62% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.64 (Stockfish, depth 50; best line 5. Be3 Nf6 6. Bd3 Bg4 7. f3 Qe6)
- ECO
- B01
- Moves
- 8 plies
- FEN
rnb1kbnr/pp2pppp/2pq4/8/3P4/2N5/PPP2PPP/R1BQKBNR w KQkq - 0 5- PGN
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 4. d4 c6
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 92 | |
| 1500-1999 | 419 | |
| 2000+ | 267 | |
| All | 778 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 5. Nf3 | 484 (62%) | |
| 5. Bc4 | 93 (12%) | |
| 5. g3 | 63 (8%) | |
| 5. Be3 | 44 (6%) | |
| 5. h3 | 32 (4%) | |
| 5. Nge2 | 18 (2%) | |
| 5. f4 | 9 (1%) | |
| 5. Bd3 | 8 (1%) |
Master games
974 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 52%, draw 20%, Black 28%). The strongest:
- GM Javokhir Sindarov (2777) – GM Yi Wei (2753) 1-0 · FIDE World Bl Team Final · 2026-06-21
- GM Veselin Topalov (2784) – GM Anatoly Karpov (2619) 1/2-1/2 · Sberbank GM Rapid · 2013-06-06
- GM Sergey Karjakin (2782) – GM Anatoly Karpov (2619) 1-0 · Sberbank GM Rapid · 2013-06-07
- GM Magnus Carlsen (2872) – Azamat Utegaliyev (2502) 1-0 · World Rapid 2019 · 2019-12-26
- GM Peter Leko (2737) – GM Anatoly Karpov (2619) 1/2-1/2 · Sberbank GM Rapid · 2013-06-05
Search all games of the Scandinavian Defense: Schiller-Pytel Variation and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- vwemby (2584) – IM filolog (2710) 0-1 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 0s
- MothToTheFlame (2629) – sachkachmayni (2616) 0-1 · 2026-09-06 · 180 + 0s
- blindcrocodile (2560) – Boreminator (2545) 1/2-1/2 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Scandinavian Defense: Gubinsky-Melts Defense 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6
More Scandinavian Defense lines (all)
- Scandinavian Defense (1. e4 d5) B01
- Scandinavian Defense (1… d5 2. b3) B01
- Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack B01
- Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Collijn Variation B01
- Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System B01
- Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack B01
- Scandinavian Defense: Blackburne Gambit B01
- Scandinavian Defense: Blackburne-Kloosterboer Gambit B01
- Scandinavian Defense: Boehnke Gambit B01
- Scandinavian Defense: Bronstein Variation B01
- Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation B01
- Scandinavian Defense: Grünfeld Variation B01
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.