Rat Defense: Balogh Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
390,290 games: White 52.9% / Draw 4.3% / Black 42.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 153,016153K | ||
| 99,829100K | ||
| 50,78651K | ||
| 34,09534K | ||
| 31,60532K | ||
| 6,0936,093 | ||
| 4,5204,520 | ||
| 2,7342,734 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.39 White is better
Best play: 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bd3 fxe4 5. Nxe4 Nxe4 6. Bxe4 g6 7. c4 Bg7
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 Black: Black scores 46% under 1400, 43% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 189K | |
| 1400–1799 | 259K | |
| 1800–2199 | 233K | |
| 2200 and up | 16K | |
| Masters, over the board | 29 |
Master games
- Jenni, F. – Buecker, S.
- Perez Candelario, M. – Brethes, F.
- Jerez Perez, A. – Buecker, S.
- Ekstroem, R. – Herb, P.
- Feoktistov, A. A. – Buecker, S.
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
Rat Defense: Balogh Defense (ECO A82, Flank Openings) is a chess opening that starts 1. e4 d6 2. d4 f5.
In 390,290 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.9%, Black 42.8% and 4.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. Nc3, in 39% 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 Rat Defense: Balogh Defense
The most played answer, 3. Nc3, also scores best for White: 57.1%, with White winning 54.9% and Black 40.8% of 153K games. Of the main answers, 3. e5 scores lowest: 48.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3. Nc3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White'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 Rat Defense: Balogh Defense has stayed between 0.014% and 0.018% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.016% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.018% | 6,536 |
| 2017 | 0.017% | 9,252 |
| 2018 | 0.018% | 14,257 |
| 2019 | 0.018% | 22,338 |
| 2020 | 0.015% | 44,705 |
| 2021 | 0.015% | 56,912 |
| 2022 | 0.015% | 55,227 |
| 2023 | 0.014% | 52,891 |
| 2024 | 0.014% | 49,805 |
| 2025 | 0.016% | 54,542 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.015% | 16,769 |
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. “Rat Defense: Balogh Defense (A82)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/rat-defense-balogh-defense