Chessy
Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense for Black
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bc5, you are in a direct, practical position for Black. The engine says White has a small edge, so your job is not to “refute” the opening — it is to stay solid, develop cleanly, and meet White’s most common ideas without drifting. This lesson page helps you do exactly that, then sends you into the drill so you can practise the position against an adapting engine.
Play the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense against the engine
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Play the drill and practise this position against an adapting engine. Create a free account to save your progress and return to it anytime.
Create a free account →What the position is asking of Black
This opening puts your bishop on an active square early, but the trade-off is clear: Stockfish rates the position +0.38, a small edge for White. That means you are slightly worse, so your first priority is to keep the game simple and sensible.
The good news is that this is a playable structure, not a disaster. White has several common ways to continue, and your task is to answer them with development and king safety rather than chasing tactics too soon.
The engine’s main idea
The engine’s best move here is Nf3. That tells you what White is trying to do: develop naturally and keep the pressure on your position.
The sample continuation given by the engine is Nf3 d6 Na4 Nf6. You do not need to memorise a long theory tree here. The useful lesson is that Black should be ready to support the centre, finish development, and avoid letting White dictate the whole game for free.
What White plays most often
The database shows that White most often chooses Nf3, Bc4, f4, d3, g3, or a3 from this exact position. That is useful for your drill, because you will face these ideas again and again.
Among those, Nf3 is the most common, with 1,864,538 games, and Bc4 is next with 1,388,510 games. The aggressive f4 also appears a lot, so you should expect White to mix calm development with direct attacking tries.
Watch for the common inaccuracies
Two of White’s quieter moves are marked as inaccuracies here: d3 and g3. In both cases, the better move was Nf3.
That does not mean you can relax, but it does mean you should be alert when White chooses a slower setup. If White spends time on a move that is less precise, you can often use that extra tempo to complete your own development and keep the position under control.
How to think as Black in the drill
Your mindset should be simple:
- develop pieces smoothly;
- do not overreact to every White idea;
- keep an eye on White’s quick kingside plans;
- be ready to meet the most common continuations from this exact position.
The database results are close enough to show that this is an honest opening battle. White scores 49.6%, draws 3.5%, and Black wins 46.9% across 4,455,501 games, so your chances are very real if you play carefully.
Results across 4,455,501 Lichess games
| Most-played continuation | Games | White wins |
|---|---|---|
| Nf3 | 1,864,538 | 48.6% |
| Bc4 | 1,388,510 | 50.7% |
| f4 | 441,139 | 55.0% |
| d3 | 276,958 | 47.7% |
| g3 | 69,419 | 51.3% |
| a3 | 67,800 | 45.8% |
Frequently asked questions
Is the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense good for Black?
It is playable, but the engine gives White a small edge with +0.38. That means you should expect a fight, not a free equal position. If you stay accurate and develop well, you still have practical chances.
What is White’s best move after 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bc5?
The engine’s best move is Nf3. The sample continuation given is Nf3 d6 Na4 Nf6, which shows White trying to keep up smooth development while staying active.
What should I expect White to play most often?
The most-played continuations are Nf3, Bc4, f4, d3, g3, and a3. Nf3 is the most common by far, so it is the first line you should be comfortable facing in the drill.
Which White moves are known inaccuracies here?
Both d3 and g3 are marked as inaccuracies. In each case, the better move was Nf3, so if White chooses one of those slower moves you can be alert for a chance to gain time by developing smoothly.
How many games feature the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense?
Over 4 million Lichess games have reached the Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense position. White wins 49.6%, Black wins 46.9%, with 3.5% draws — based on real rated games.