Dutch Defense: Rubinstein Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
1,713,569 games: White 47.3% / Draw 5.2% / Black 47.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,208,2911.2M | ||
| 317,895318K | ||
| 61,36861K | ||
| 58,67159K | ||
| 19,95920K | ||
| 18,23718K | ||
| 12,52413K | ||
| 4,1314,131 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 7, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.43 White is slightly better
Best play: 3... Nf6 4. a3 d6 5. e3 g6 6. b4 Bg7 7. Bb2 O-O 8. Be2
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 53% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 58% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 131K | |
| 1400–1799 | 657K | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.1M | |
| 2200 and up | 162K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,011 |
Master games
- Onischuk, A. – Radjabov, T.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Vaganian, R. A.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Bareev, E.
- Gareev, T. – Rapport, R.
- Onischuk, A. – Akobian, V.
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: Rubinstein Variation (ECO A84, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Dutch Defense: Classical Variation, reached after 1. d4 f5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 (3 moves).
In 1,713,569 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.3%, Black 47.5% and 5.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Nf6, in 71% 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: Rubinstein Variation
3…Bb4 scores best for Black: 51.8%, with Black winning 49.4% and White 45.9% of 318K games. The most played answer, 3…Nf6, scores lowest: 50.0% in 1.2M games. Stockfish's first choice is 3…Nf6.
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: Rubinstein Variation peaked in 2018 at 0.084% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.071% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.073% | 26,074 |
| 2017 | 0.08% | 44,216 |
| 2018 | 0.084% | 66,265 |
| 2019 | 0.074% | 92,467 |
| 2020 | 0.066% | 192,322 |
| 2021 | 0.054% | 212,794 |
| 2022 | 0.063% | 237,467 |
| 2023 | 0.065% | 246,126 |
| 2024 | 0.065% | 233,256 |
| 2025 | 0.071% | 245,648 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.077% | 84,862 |
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: Rubinstein Variation (A84)”. Lichess data as of 7 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/dutch-defense-rubinstein-variation