Polish Opening, with d5
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Statistics from Lichess
2,532,377 games: White 51.3% / Draw 4.6% / Black 44.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,270,5332.3M | ||
| 79,09879K | ||
| 59,03359K | ||
| 47,53648K | ||
| Zukertort Opening: Santasiere's Folly | 20,32920K | |
| 14,00614K | ||
| 10,71311K | ||
| 7,6417,641 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 6, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.14 The position is about equal
Best play: 2. Nf3 e5 3. Nxe5 Bxb4 4. e3 Nf6 5. Bb2 O-O 6. Be2 Nbd7
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, 50% at 2200 and up and 56% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 805K | |
| 1400–1799 | 2M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.3M | |
| 2200 and up | 73K | |
| Masters, over the board | 389 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – So, W.
- Andreikin, D. – So, W.
- Short, N. – Caruana, F.
- Caruana, F. – Kollars, D.
- Carlsen, M. – Flores Rios, M.
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
Polish Opening, with d5 (ECO A00, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Polish Opening, reached after 1. b4 d5 (1 move).
In 2,532,377 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.3%, Black 44.1% and 4.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 2. Bb2, in 90% of those games.
It branches into 5 named variations; the most played are Polish Opening: Baltic Defense and Zukertort Opening: Santasiere's Folly.
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Popularity by year
The Polish Opening, with d5 has lost ground since 2016: 0.098% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.12%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.12% | 43,603 |
| 2017 | 0.11% | 62,457 |
| 2018 | 0.1% | 79,157 |
| 2019 | 0.1% | 125,975 |
| 2020 | 0.091% | 265,808 |
| 2021 | 0.095% | 370,418 |
| 2022 | 0.099% | 371,341 |
| 2023 | 0.098% | 366,988 |
| 2024 | 0.099% | 355,418 |
| 2025 | 0.098% | 340,452 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.098% | 107,167 |
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 (5)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Polish Opening, with d5 (A00)”. Lichess data as of 6 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/polish-opening-with-d5