Polish Opening, with d5 2…Nf6 3. Nf3
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Statistics from Lichess
175,126 games: White 48.6% / Draw 5.5% / Black 45.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 56,73257K | ||
| 31,74432K | ||
| 23,75324K | ||
| 14,91115K | ||
| 12,00312K | ||
| 11,24611K | ||
| 8,0048,004 | ||
| 6,1506,150 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.12 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... e6 4. b5 Bd6 5. e3 O-O 6. Be2 Nbd7 7. c4 c6 8. Nc3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 50% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 20K | |
| 1400–1799 | 92K | |
| 1800–2199 | 104K | |
| 2200 and up | 12K | |
| Masters, over the board | 183 |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Kollars, D.
- Bogdanovich, S. – Xu, X.
- Azaladze, S. – Mamedov, R.
- Nadanian, A. – Kobalia, M.
- Figlio, G. – Riccio, E.
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, with d5 (ECO A00, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Polish Opening, with d5, reached after 1. b4 d5 2. Bb2 Nf6 3. Nf3 (3 moves).
In 175,126 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.6%, Black 45.9% and 5.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…e6, in 32% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 3. Nf3
3…c6 scores best for Black: 51.4%, with Black winning 48.6% and White 45.8% of 11K games. The most played, 3…e6, scores 48.3% in 57K games, and 3…Nc6 scores lowest: 41.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 3…e6.
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
This line dipped to 0.006% of Lichess games in 2020 and has recovered since: 0.0074% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0066% | 2,374 |
| 2017 | 0.0073% | 4,038 |
| 2018 | 0.0074% | 5,780 |
| 2019 | 0.0068% | 8,469 |
| 2020 | 0.006% | 17,593 |
| 2021 | 0.0063% | 24,760 |
| 2022 | 0.0068% | 25,615 |
| 2023 | 0.0067% | 25,262 |
| 2024 | 0.0068% | 24,472 |
| 2025 | 0.0074% | 25,544 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0073% | 8,045 |
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, with d5 (A00)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/polish-opening-with-d5-2