Scandinavian Defense: Valencian Variation

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd8

Scandinavian Defense: Valencian Variation after 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd8 87654321abcdefgh

The Scandinavian Defense: Valencian Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO B01, reached after 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd8. It is a line of the Scandinavian Defense. White is to move. 2 named lines continue from this position.

In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 90,388 times by this move order. White won 50%, 5% were drawn and Black won 45%. The most popular continuation is 4. Nf3 (42% of games).

Engine evaluation: +0.58 (Stockfish, depth 55; best line 4. d4 e6 5. Nf3 Be7 6. Bd3 Nf6)

ECO
B01
Moves
6 plies
FEN
rnbqkbnr/ppp1pppp/8/8/8/2N5/PPPP1PPP/R1BQKBNR w KQkq - 2 4
PGN
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd8

Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess

Results by rating

Average ratingGamesWhite / draw / Black
0-149936,31552%44%
1500-199949,18750%45%
2000+4,88649%44%
All90,38850%45%

Most played moves

MoveGamesWhite / draw / Black
4. Nf337,749 (42%)50%45%
4. d428,061 (31%)52%43%
4. Bc413,395 (15%)50%46%
4. d32,708 (3%)48%47%
4. Bb5+2,119 (2%)49%47%
4. Be21,313 (1%)44%49%
4. Qf31,089 (1%)51%45%
4. g3990 (1%)49%45%

Master games

3,362 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 47%, draw 20%, Black 33%). The strongest:

Search all games of the Scandinavian Defense: Valencian Variation and its sub-variations

Highest-rated Lichess games

Comes from

Scandinavian Defense: Mieses-Kotroc Variation 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5

Continuations

More Scandinavian Defense lines (all)

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.