Queen's Pawn Game: Mason Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
3,193,025 games: White 50.9% / Draw 5.1% / Black 44.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 723,244723K | ||
| 581,886582K | ||
| 542,362542K | ||
| 536,569537K | ||
| 303,794304K | ||
| 195,602196K | ||
| Bird Opening: Double Duck Formation | 90,12090K | |
| 75,89576K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.61 Black is slightly better
Best play: 2... Bf5 3. e3 e6 4. Nf3 c5 5. c4 Nc6 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Bd3
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 49% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.6M | |
| 1400–1799 | 2.3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.8M | |
| 2200 and up | 47K | |
| Masters, over the board | 24 |
Master games
- Lodde, M. – Nedkov, P.
- Knoppert, E. G. – Riemersma, L.
- Benderac, A. – Dembo, Y.
- Khudoly, K. – Bubir, S.
- Goodman, C. – Gawehns, K.
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
Queen's Pawn Game: Mason Attack (ECO D00, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Queen's Pawn Game, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. f4 (2 moves).
In 3,193,025 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.9%, Black 44.0% and 5.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…Nf6, in 23% 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 Queen's Pawn Game: Mason Attack
2…c5 scores best for Black: 49.0%, with Black winning 46.7% and White 48.6% of 304K games. The most played, 2…Nf6, scores 47.1% in 723K games, and 2…e6 scores lowest: 44.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 2…Bf5.
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: Mason Attack has lost ground since 2016: 0.12% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.15%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.15% | 52,352 |
| 2017 | 0.15% | 80,450 |
| 2018 | 0.14% | 111,072 |
| 2019 | 0.12% | 154,564 |
| 2020 | 0.12% | 347,518 |
| 2021 | 0.12% | 468,117 |
| 2022 | 0.12% | 448,313 |
| 2023 | 0.12% | 464,304 |
| 2024 | 0.13% | 454,442 |
| 2025 | 0.12% | 419,424 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.12% | 130,591 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Pawn Game: Mason Attack (D00)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-pawn-game-mason-attack