English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Rubinstein Variation 6. Bg2 Nc7
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Statistics from Lichess
98,148 games: White 43.8% / Draw 6.9% / Black 49.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 79,80880K | ||
| 8,3278,327 | ||
| 5,7175,717 | ||
| 1,3911,391 | ||
| 1,0971,097 | ||
| 974974 | ||
| 220220 | ||
| 143143 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.20 The position is about equal
Best play: 7. d3 e5 8. Nd2 Be7 9. Bxc6+ bxc6 10. b3 O-O 11. Bb2 Bh3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Rubinstein Variation (ECO A34, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, reached after 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. g3 Nc6 6. Bg2 Nc7 (6 moves).
In 98,148 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 43.8%, Black 49.3% and 6.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. O-O, in 81% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 6…Nc7
7. a3 scores best for White: 56.6%, with White winning 52.0% and Black 38.8% of 5,717 games. The most played, 7. O-O, scores 46.9% in 80K games, and 7. d3 scores lowest: 44.9%. Stockfish's first choice is 7. d3.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Rubinstein Variation (A34)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-symmetrical-variation-rubinstein-variation-2