Amar Opening
Also known as Paris Opening
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Statistics from Lichess
409,967 games: White 46.6% / Draw 4.9% / Black 48.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 177,615178K | ||
| 80,98181K | ||
| 27,29027K | ||
| 23,63124K | ||
| 22,74123K | ||
| 18,30718K | ||
| 14,87615K | ||
| 12,22412K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 5, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.54 Black is slightly better
Best play: 1... d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nf4 c5 4. e3 Nc6 5. Bb5 e6 6. O-O
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 better this line does for White: White scores 39% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 628K | |
| 1400–1799 | 311K | |
| 1800–2199 | 236K | |
| 2200 and up | 44K | |
| Masters, over the board | 29 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Dreev, A.
- Pechac, J. – Motylev, A.
- Ider, B. – Moussard, J.
- Ider, B. – Castellanos Rodriguez, R.
- Rivas Pastor, M. – Reshevsky, S. H.
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 27, 2026
Overview
Amar Opening (ECO A00, Flank Openings) is a chess opening that starts 1. Nh3.
In 409,967 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.6%, Black 48.5% and 4.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 1…d5, in 43% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Amar Opening: Paris Gambit. In all, 2 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Amar Opening
1…e5 scores best for Black: 52.3%, with Black winning 50.0% and White 45.4% of 81K games. The most played, 1…d5, scores 51.4% in 178K games, and 1…e6 scores lowest: 49.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 1…d5.
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 Amar Opening peaked in 2018 at 0.025% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.015% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.015% | 5,408 |
| 2017 | 0.016% | 9,029 |
| 2018 | 0.025% | 19,399 |
| 2019 | 0.018% | 22,154 |
| 2020 | 0.017% | 49,161 |
| 2021 | 0.016% | 63,134 |
| 2022 | 0.015% | 54,849 |
| 2023 | 0.016% | 59,220 |
| 2024 | 0.016% | 57,253 |
| 2025 | 0.015% | 52,518 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.012% | 12,721 |
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
Variations (1)
All 2 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Amar Opening (A00)”. Lichess data as of 5 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/amar-opening