Van Geet Opening: Reversed Nimzowitsch
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Statistics from Lichess
1,866,430 games: White 51.2% / Draw 4.5% / Black 44.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Vienna Game | 751,036751K | |
| 550,051550K | ||
| 240,475240K | ||
| 92,46392K | ||
| 66,93467K | ||
| 65,94066K | ||
| 25,79426K | ||
| Bird Opening: From's Gambit, Bahr Gambit | 24,53525K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.27 The position is about equal
Best play: 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nf5 Qf6 6. g4 Bb4
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 51% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up and 39% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 3.9M | |
| 1400–1799 | 2.2M | |
| 1800–2199 | 847K | |
| 2200 and up | 82K | |
| Masters, over the board | 312 |
Master games
- Mamedyarov, S. – Giri, A.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Anand, V.
- Firouzja, A. – Vidit, S.
- Vitiugov, N. – Wang, H.
- Andreikin, D. – Kryvoruchko, Y.
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
Van Geet Opening: Reversed Nimzowitsch (ECO A00, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Van Geet Opening, reached after 1. Nc3 e5 (1 move).
In 1,866,430 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.2%, Black 44.3% and 4.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 2. e4, in 40% of those games.
It branches into 7 named variations; the most played are Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack and Van Geet Opening: Reversed Scandinavian.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Van Geet Opening: Reversed Nimzowitsch
2. Nf3 scores best for White: 55.9%, with White winning 53.5% and Black 41.7% of 550K games. The most played answer, 2. e4, scores lowest: 53.2% in 751K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 2. Nf3.
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 Van Geet Opening: Reversed Nimzowitsch has lost ground since 2016: 0.069% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.1%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.1% | 36,691 |
| 2017 | 0.081% | 44,808 |
| 2018 | 0.073% | 57,473 |
| 2019 | 0.071% | 88,138 |
| 2020 | 0.07% | 204,307 |
| 2021 | 0.075% | 292,032 |
| 2022 | 0.074% | 276,729 |
| 2023 | 0.071% | 266,289 |
| 2024 | 0.07% | 251,395 |
| 2025 | 0.069% | 240,934 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.069% | 75,435 |
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 (7)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Van Geet Opening: Reversed Nimzowitsch (A00)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/van-geet-opening-reversed-nimzowitsch