Hungarian Opening: Slav Formation
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Statistics from Lichess
2,714,580 games: White 48.1% / Draw 5.5% / Black 46.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 586,133586K | ||
| 562,883563K | ||
| 404,418404K | ||
| 292,678293K | ||
| 256,182256K | ||
| 210,775211K | ||
| 150,148150K | ||
| 67,37967K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 8, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.17 The position is about equal
Best play: 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. h3 Bxf3 5. Bxf3 e5 6. O-O Bc5 7. d3 a5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 48% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up and 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 682K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.6M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.5M | |
| 2200 and up | 238K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,417 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Grischuk, A.
- Morozevich, A. – Gelfand, B.
- Nakamura, H. – Eljanov, P.
- Bartel, M. – Aronian, L.
- Duda, J. – Wojtaszek, R.
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 26, 2026
Overview
Hungarian Opening: Slav Formation (ECO A00, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Hungarian Opening, reached after 1. g3 d5 2. Bg2 c6 (2 moves).
In 2,714,580 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.1%, Black 46.4% and 5.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. Nf3, in 22% 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 Hungarian Opening: Slav Formation
3. c4 scores best for White: 53.2%, with White winning 50.3% and Black 43.9% of 211K games. The most played, 3. Nf3, scores 52.4% in 586K games, and 3. e3 scores lowest: 48.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 3. Nf3.
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
The Hungarian Opening: Slav Formation has gained ground since 2016: 0.12% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.088%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.088% | 31,268 |
| 2017 | 0.099% | 54,218 |
| 2018 | 0.1% | 79,970 |
| 2019 | 0.097% | 121,118 |
| 2020 | 0.097% | 283,557 |
| 2021 | 0.094% | 368,772 |
| 2022 | 0.1% | 381,727 |
| 2023 | 0.11% | 403,576 |
| 2024 | 0.11% | 412,265 |
| 2025 | 0.12% | 403,432 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.12% | 127,471 |
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. “Hungarian Opening: Slav Formation (A00)”. Lichess data as of 8 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/hungarian-opening-slav-formation