St. George Defense: Polish Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
316,064 games: White 50.5% / Draw 4.2% / Black 45.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 189,795190K | ||
| 27,10527K | ||
| 24,36324K | ||
| 14,03314K | ||
| 12,67913K | ||
| 11,26311K | ||
| 6,8726,872 | ||
| 6,5766,576 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 6, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.91 White is better
Best play: 5. O-O c5 6. c3 Nf6 7. e5 Nd5 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. a4 Nc6
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 47% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 30K | |
| 1400–1799 | 168K | |
| 1800–2199 | 180K | |
| 2200 and up | 28K | |
| Masters, over the board | 199 |
Master games
- Kasparov, G. – Short, N. D.
- Miroshnichenko, E. – Carlsen, M.
- Rublevsky, S. – Nielsen, P.
- Grachev, B. – Pridorozhni, A.
- Seirawan, Y. – Spassky, B. V.
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
St. George Defense: Polish Variation (ECO B00, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the St. George Defense, reached after 1. e4 a6 2. d4 b5 3. Nf3 Bb7 4. Bd3 e6 (4 moves).
In 316,064 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.5%, Black 45.4% and 4.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. O-O, in 60% 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 St. George Defense: Polish Variation
The most played answer, 5. O-O, also scores best for White: 53.3%, with White winning 51.2% and Black 44.6% of 190K games. Of the main answers, 5. Be3 scores lowest: 51.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. O-O.
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 St. George Defense: Polish Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.011% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.016% (its peak: 0.02% in 2017).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.016% | 5,872 |
| 2017 | 0.02% | 10,789 |
| 2018 | 0.019% | 14,780 |
| 2019 | 0.017% | 20,936 |
| 2020 | 0.013% | 38,054 |
| 2021 | 0.011% | 43,995 |
| 2022 | 0.011% | 42,163 |
| 2023 | 0.011% | 43,048 |
| 2024 | 0.011% | 39,660 |
| 2025 | 0.011% | 38,980 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.011% | 11,578 |
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. “St. George Defense: Polish Variation (B00)”. Lichess data as of 6 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/st-george-defense-polish-variation