Polish Opening: Bugayev Advance Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
173,266 games: White 51.8% / Draw 4.4% / Black 43.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 92,46692K | ||
| 19,92220K | ||
| 18,98819K | ||
| 14,24914K | ||
| 12,98913K | ||
| 4,7884,788 | ||
| 3,3633,363 | ||
| 1,5051,505 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.04 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... d5 4. d4 a6 5. a4 e4 6. e3 axb5 7. axb5 Rxa1 8. Bxa1
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 worse this line does for White: White scores 56% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 35K | |
| 1400–1799 | 127K | |
| 1800–2199 | 94K | |
| 2200 and up | 4,857 | |
| Masters, over the board | 30 |
Master games
- Volke, K. – Kovalev, A.
- Morovic Fernandez, I. – Gonzalez de la Torre, S.
- Volke, K. – Kupreichik, V. D.
- Muri, H. – Destruels Moreno, V.
- Alekseev, V. – Ziegler, A.
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
Polish Opening: Bugayev Advance Variation (ECO A00, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Polish Opening, reached after 1. b4 e5 2. Bb2 f6 3. b5 (3 moves).
In 173,266 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.8%, Black 43.8% and 4.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…d5, in 53% 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 Polish Opening: Bugayev Advance Variation
The most played answer, 3…d5, also scores best for Black: 47.9%, with Black winning 45.8% and White 49.9% of 92K games. Of the main answers, 3…b6 scores lowest: 42.2%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…d5.
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 Polish Opening: Bugayev Advance Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.0069% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.0091%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0091% | 3,263 |
| 2017 | 0.0093% | 5,137 |
| 2018 | 0.0076% | 6,003 |
| 2019 | 0.0072% | 8,960 |
| 2020 | 0.0057% | 16,806 |
| 2021 | 0.0062% | 24,373 |
| 2022 | 0.0067% | 25,126 |
| 2023 | 0.0066% | 24,883 |
| 2024 | 0.0066% | 23,485 |
| 2025 | 0.0069% | 23,814 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0069% | 7,548 |
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. “Polish Opening: Bugayev Advance Variation (A00)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/polish-opening-bugayev-advance-variation