Barnes Opening: Walkerling
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Statistics from Lichess
109,651 games: White 41.9% / Draw 3.7% / Black 54.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 35,52636K | ||
| 16,78417K | ||
| 14,87215K | ||
| 13,96714K | ||
| 13,51114K | ||
| 4,0154,015 | ||
| 3,7973,797 | ||
| 3,6573,657 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 5, 2026
Engine evaluation
−1.29 Black is better
Best play: 3... d5 4. exd5 Nxd5 5. d3 Bc5 6. Qe2 Nc6 7. Nc3 Nxc3 8. bxc3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Barnes Opening: Walkerling (ECO C20, Open Games) is a chess opening that starts 1. f3 e5 2. e4 Nf6 3. Bc4.
In 109,651 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 41.9%, Black 54.4% and 3.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Bc5, in 32% 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 Barnes Opening: Walkerling
3…d5 scores best for Black: 61.4%, with Black winning 59.4% and White 36.6% of 15K games. The most played, 3…Bc5, scores 56.0% in 36K games, and 3…Nc6 scores lowest: 54.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Barnes Opening: Walkerling (C20)”. Lichess data as of 5 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/barnes-opening-walkerling