London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
53,502 games: White 51.1% / Draw 6.0% / Black 42.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 16,11216K | ||
| 12,04012K | ||
| 5,0605,060 | ||
| 4,6284,628 | ||
| 3,9833,983 | ||
| 3,7133,713 | ||
| 3,2483,248 | ||
| 2,1412,141 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.19 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... a6 6. dxc5 Qxc5 7. Nd2 e6 8. e4 dxe4 9. g3 e5 10. Bg5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation (ECO D02, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a chess opening that starts 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 c5 4. e3 Qb6 5. Nc3.
In 53,502 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.1%, Black 42.9% and 6.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…a6, in 30% 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 London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation
5…c4 scores best for Black: 56.6%, with Black winning 54.0% and White 40.8% of 4,628 games. The most played, 5…a6, scores 49.1% in 16K games, and 5…Qxb2 scores lowest: 37.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…a6.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation (D02)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/london-system-poisoned-pawn-variation