Dutch Defense: Fianchetto Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
594,802 games: White 51.2% / Draw 6.3% / Black 42.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 472,148472K | ||
| 61,70862K | ||
| 25,04325K | ||
| 17,65118K | ||
| 8,9388,938 | ||
| 3,5343,534 | ||
| 1,7221,722 | ||
| 1,3011,301 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.43 White is slightly better
Best play: 2... e6 3. c4 Nf6 4. Nf3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Bxd2+ 6. Qxd2 b6 7. Bg2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 55% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up and 58% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 50K | |
| 1400–1799 | 148K | |
| 1800–2199 | 351K | |
| 2200 and up | 145K | |
| Masters, over the board | 12K |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Grischuk, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Karjakin, S. – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – Vachier Lagrave, 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
Dutch Defense: Fianchetto Attack (ECO A81, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Dutch Defense, reached after 1. d4 f5 2. g3 (2 moves).
In 594,802 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.2%, Black 42.6% and 6.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…Nf6, in 79% of those games.
It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are Dutch Defense: Semi-Leningrad Variation and Dutch Defense: Blackburne 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 play against the Dutch Defense: Fianchetto Attack
The most played answer, 2…Nf6, also scores best for Black: 46.0%, with Black winning 42.8% and White 50.8% of 472K games. Of the main answers, 2…e6 scores lowest: 44.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 2…e6.
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 Dutch Defense: Fianchetto Attack has lost ground since 2016: 0.023% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.033%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.033% | 11,846 |
| 2017 | 0.033% | 18,138 |
| 2018 | 0.033% | 25,794 |
| 2019 | 0.029% | 36,049 |
| 2020 | 0.026% | 75,503 |
| 2021 | 0.021% | 80,656 |
| 2022 | 0.021% | 77,515 |
| 2023 | 0.02% | 75,445 |
| 2024 | 0.021% | 76,106 |
| 2025 | 0.023% | 79,849 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.024% | 25,855 |
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)
Transpositions
All 6 named lines that continue from here
- A81 Dutch Defense: Blackburne Variation 4 moves
- A81 Dutch Defense: Leningrad Variation, Carlsbad Variation 4 moves
- A81 Dutch Defense: Leningrad, Basman System 5 moves
- A81 Dutch Defense: Semi-Leningrad Variation 3 moves
- A89 Dutch Defense: Leningrad Variation, Matulovic Variation 7 moves
- A88 Dutch Defense: Leningrad Variation, Warsaw Variation 7 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Dutch Defense: Fianchetto Attack (A81)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/dutch-defense-fianchetto-attack