Dutch Defense: Hopton Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
794,833 games: White 54.6% / Draw 4.6% / Black 40.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 320,209320K | ||
| 217,549218K | ||
| 136,637137K | ||
| 39,27539K | ||
| 24,68925K | ||
| 22,94423K | ||
| 11,93312K | ||
| 9,3389,338 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.53 White is slightly better
Best play: 2... g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e3 d6 6. Bc4 c6 7. O-O
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 57% under 1400, 55% at 2200 and up and 59% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 69K | |
| 1400–1799 | 249K | |
| 1800–2199 | 502K | |
| 2200 and up | 124K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,632 |
Master games
- Morozevich, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Grischuk, A. – Topalov, V.
- Grischuk, A. – Nakamura, H.
- Vidit, S. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Xiong, J. – Nakamura, H.
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: Hopton Attack (ECO A80, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Dutch Defense, reached after 1. d4 f5 2. Bg5 (2 moves).
In 794,833 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.6%, Black 40.8% and 4.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…Nf6, in 40% 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 Dutch Defense: Hopton Attack
2…g6 scores best for Black: 47.7%, with Black winning 44.9% and White 49.5% of 137K games. The most played, 2…Nf6, scores 42.2% in 320K games, and 2…h6 scores lowest: 41.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 2…g6.
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: Hopton Attack dipped to 0.026% of Lichess games in 2021 and has recovered since: 0.034% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.034% | 12,250 |
| 2017 | 0.034% | 18,900 |
| 2018 | 0.036% | 27,991 |
| 2019 | 0.033% | 40,788 |
| 2020 | 0.03% | 86,888 |
| 2021 | 0.026% | 103,339 |
| 2022 | 0.029% | 107,467 |
| 2023 | 0.03% | 113,762 |
| 2024 | 0.032% | 113,706 |
| 2025 | 0.034% | 116,637 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.035% | 38,195 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Dutch Defense: Hopton Attack (A80)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/dutch-defense-hopton-attack