Queen's Pawn Game: Barry Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
342,533 games: White 47.1% / Draw 5.7% / Black 47.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 277,650278K | ||
| 35,58036K | ||
| 15,94216K | ||
| 4,3714,371 | ||
| 2,0622,062 | ||
| 1,4831,483 | ||
| 1,2481,248 | ||
| 1,2221,222 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nb5 Na6 7. 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 51% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 55% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 91K | |
| 1400–1799 | 159K | |
| 1800–2199 | 173K | |
| 2200 and up | 83K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,290 |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Caruana, F. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Aronian, L. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Aronian, L. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Aronian, L. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
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
Queen's Pawn Game: Barry Attack (ECO A48, Flank Openings) is a variation of the East Indian Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 (4 moves).
In 342,533 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.1%, Black 47.1% and 5.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Bg7, in 81% of those games.
It continues into one named variation. In all, 3 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Queen's Pawn Game: Barry Attack
The most played answer, 4…Bg7, also scores best for Black: 50.3%, with Black winning 47.4% and White 46.9% of 278K games. Of the main answers, 4…c6 scores lowest: 50.1%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…Bg7.
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 Queen's Pawn Game: Barry Attack has stayed between 0.012% and 0.014% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.014% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.012% | 4,331 |
| 2017 | 0.012% | 6,637 |
| 2018 | 0.013% | 10,355 |
| 2019 | 0.012% | 14,965 |
| 2020 | 0.013% | 39,470 |
| 2021 | 0.013% | 49,947 |
| 2022 | 0.013% | 49,486 |
| 2023 | 0.014% | 50,816 |
| 2024 | 0.013% | 48,221 |
| 2025 | 0.014% | 47,708 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.014% | 15,249 |
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)
Transpositions
All 3 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Pawn Game: Barry Attack (A48)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-pawn-game-barry-attack