Alekhine Defense: Maróczy Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
1,965,009 games: White 45.6% / Draw 5.0% / Black 49.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 691,762692K | ||
| 587,967588K | ||
| 332,499332K | ||
| 101,352101K | ||
| 98,61799K | ||
| 65,09665K | ||
| 48,08148K | ||
| 12,03512K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.01 The position is about equal
Best play: 2... e5 3. f4 exf4 4. Bxf4 Nc6 5. Be2 Bc5 6. Nc3 d5 7. e5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for White: White scores 52% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 47% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.4M | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.2M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.2M | |
| 2200 and up | 181K | |
| Masters, over the board | 492 |
Master games
- Nakamura, H. – Degraeve, J.
- Artemiev, V. – Bortnyk, O.
- Azmaiparashvili, Z. – Minasian, A.
- Ponkratov, P. – Gupta, A.
- Ponkratov, P. – Markus, R.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 26, 2026
Overview
Alekhine Defense: Maróczy Variation (ECO B02, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Alekhine Defense, reached after 1. e4 Nf6 2. d3 (2 moves).
In 1,965,009 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.6%, Black 49.3% and 5.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…e5, in 35% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Alekhine Defense: Maróczy Variation
2…d5 scores best for Black: 53.1%, with Black winning 50.5% and White 44.3% of 588K games. The most played, 2…e5, scores 52.0% in 692K games, and 2…e6 scores lowest: 50.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 2…e5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Alekhine Defense: Maróczy Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.073% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.089%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.089% | 31,943 |
| 2017 | 0.089% | 48,906 |
| 2018 | 0.091% | 71,598 |
| 2019 | 0.086% | 107,215 |
| 2020 | 0.079% | 232,486 |
| 2021 | 0.073% | 283,639 |
| 2022 | 0.075% | 279,776 |
| 2023 | 0.075% | 280,786 |
| 2024 | 0.074% | 264,647 |
| 2025 | 0.073% | 251,939 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.072% | 78,570 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Alekhine Defense: Maróczy Variation (B02)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/alekhine-defense-maroczy-variation