Dutch Defense: Classical Variation 6. O-O d6
Also known as Classical Dutch
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Statistics from Lichess
189,812 games: White 50.7% / Draw 6.4% / Black 42.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 140,086140K | ||
| 28,46628K | ||
| 4,4144,414 | ||
| 4,2804,280 | ||
| 3,8623,862 | ||
| 1,8981,898 | ||
| 1,7241,724 | ||
| 1,1121,112 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.56 White is slightly better
Best play: 7. b3 a5 8. Bb2 Ne4 9. Qc2 b6 10. Nbd2 Bb7 11. Ne1 d5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1,252 | |
| 1400–1799 | 18K | |
| 1800–2199 | 105K | |
| 2200 and up | 71K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,790 |
Master games
- Karjakin, S. – Nakamura, H.
- Ding Liren – Kravtsiv, M.
- Harikrishna, P. – Amin, B.
- Wojtaszek, R. – Amin, B.
- Malakhov, V. – Volkov, S.
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
Dutch Defense: Classical Variation (ECO A96, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Dutch Defense: Classical Variation, reached after 1. d4 f5 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3 e6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O d6 (6 moves).
In 189,812 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.7%, Black 42.8% and 6.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Nc3, in 74% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Dutch Defense: Classical Variation, Huisl Variation and Dutch Defense: Classical Variation, Ilyin-Zhenevsky Variation. In all, 6 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 answer 6…d6
7. b3 scores best for White: 56.4%, with White winning 53.0% and Black 40.2% of 28K games. The most played answer, 7. Nc3, scores lowest: 53.6% in 140K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 7. b3.
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
Popularity by year
This line peaked in 2018 at 0.0092% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.007% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0074% | 2,640 |
| 2017 | 0.0084% | 4,645 |
| 2018 | 0.0092% | 7,245 |
| 2019 | 0.009% | 11,287 |
| 2020 | 0.0086% | 25,319 |
| 2021 | 0.0068% | 26,775 |
| 2022 | 0.007% | 26,449 |
| 2023 | 0.0067% | 25,329 |
| 2024 | 0.007% | 25,075 |
| 2025 | 0.007% | 24,403 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0071% | 7,819 |
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 (3)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Dutch Defense: Classical Variation (A96)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/dutch-defense-classical-variation-6