Barnes Opening
Also known as Gedult's Opening
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Statistics from Lichess
1,649,598 games: White 43.8% / Draw 4.3% / Black 51.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 532,071532K | ||
| 469,629470K | ||
| 141,435141K | ||
| 122,639123K | ||
| 85,70486K | ||
| 71,99872K | ||
| 69,10069K | ||
| 49,09049K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 5, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.77 Black is better
Best play: 1... e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. e4 Bc5 4. Bc4 d6 5. d3 a5 6. a3
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 41% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.6M | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 897K | |
| 2200 and up | 144K | |
| Masters, over the board | 12 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Duda, J.
- Carlsen, M. – Lalith, B.
- Schneider, I. – Van Wely, L.
- Van Foreest, L. – Beerdsen, T.
- Aldrovandi, C. – Cocozza, M.
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
Barnes Opening (ECO A00, Flank Openings) is a chess opening that starts 1. f3.
In 1,649,598 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 43.8%, Black 51.9% and 4.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 1…d5, in 32% of those games.
It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are Barnes Opening: Hammerschlag and Barnes Opening: Gedult Gambit.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Barnes Opening
1…e5 scores best for Black: 55.7%, with Black winning 53.7% and White 42.3% of 470K games. The most played, 1…d5, scores 53.9% in 532K games, and 1…Nf6 scores lowest: 53.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 1…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 Barnes Opening has gained ground since 2016: 0.065% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.05%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.05% | 17,755 |
| 2017 | 0.052% | 28,586 |
| 2018 | 0.058% | 45,892 |
| 2019 | 0.055% | 69,230 |
| 2020 | 0.06% | 175,942 |
| 2021 | 0.064% | 251,610 |
| 2022 | 0.065% | 245,686 |
| 2023 | 0.067% | 253,717 |
| 2024 | 0.066% | 236,255 |
| 2025 | 0.065% | 226,041 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.068% | 74,191 |
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 (4)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Barnes Opening (A00)”. Lichess data as of 5 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/barnes-opening