Creepy Crawly Formation: Classical Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
154,019 games: White 45.7% / Draw 4.2% / Black 50.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 44,43844K | ||
| 41,09941K | ||
| 15,39215K | ||
| 10,08110K | ||
| 9,9949,994 | ||
| 8,9638,963 | ||
| 6,8166,816 | ||
| 4,2734,273 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.42 Black is slightly better
Best play: 3. e3 Be6 4. d4 Nc6 5. dxe5 Nxe5 6. Nf3 Bd6 7. Nxe5 Bxe5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Creepy Crawly Formation: Classical Defense (ECO A00, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Clemenz Opening, reached after 1. h3 d5 2. a3 e5 (2 moves).
In 154,019 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.7%, Black 50.1% and 4.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. e3, in 29% 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 Creepy Crawly Formation: Classical Defense
3. g3 scores best for White: 50.4%, with White winning 48.2% and Black 47.4% of 10K games. The most played, 3. e3, scores 48.4% in 44K games, and 3. d3 scores lowest: 47.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 3. e3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White'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. “Creepy Crawly Formation: Classical Defense (A00)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/creepy-crawly-formation-classical-defense