Lasker Simul Special
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
309,424 games: White 44.8% / Draw 4.6% / Black 50.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 216,228216K | ||
| 34,91535K | ||
| 24,98725K | ||
| 9,1329,132 | ||
| 5,3465,346 | ||
| 3,6993,699 | ||
| 2,9952,995 | ||
| 2,4402,440 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.38 White is slightly better
Best play: 2. Nf3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. O-O Nf6 5. c4 g6 6. Nc3 Bg7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the better this line does for Black: Black scores 47% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 67K | |
| 1400–1799 | 128K | |
| 1800–2199 | 166K | |
| 2200 and up | 68K | |
| Masters, over the board | 27 |
Master games
- Ivanisevic, I. – Fedoseev, V.
- Kasimdzhanov, R. – Moradiabadi, E.
- Azmaiparashvili, Z. – Vlassov, N.
- Chandra, A. – Ipatov, A.
- McShane, L. J. – Vlassov, N.
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
Lasker Simul Special (ECO A00, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Hungarian Opening, reached after 1. g3 h5 (1 move).
In 309,424 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.8%, Black 50.6% and 4.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 2. Bg2, in 70% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Hungarian Opening: Van Kuijk Gambit.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Lasker Simul Special
2. Nf3 scores best for White: 53.7%, with White winning 51.1% and Black 43.8% of 25K games. The most played answer, 2. Bg2, scores lowest: 46.2% in 216K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 2. 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 Lasker Simul Special has gained ground since 2016: 0.014% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0086%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0086% | 3,074 |
| 2017 | 0.01% | 5,558 |
| 2018 | 0.012% | 9,654 |
| 2019 | 0.011% | 14,281 |
| 2020 | 0.011% | 32,535 |
| 2021 | 0.011% | 42,164 |
| 2022 | 0.011% | 41,481 |
| 2023 | 0.012% | 44,871 |
| 2024 | 0.013% | 47,066 |
| 2025 | 0.014% | 48,003 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.014% | 15,604 |
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 (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Lasker Simul Special (A00)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/lasker-simul-special