Caissa Codex
A00

Van't Kruijs Opening: Bouncing Bishop Variation

Chess diagram: Van't Kruijs Opening: Bouncing Bishop Variation after 3. Bb3

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Statistics from Lichess

33 games: White 72.7% / Draw 0.0% / Black 27.3%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
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55
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33
22
11
11

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026

Engine evaluation

−0.90 Black is better

Best play: 3... Bb7 4. Ne2 Bxg2 5. Rg1 Bf3 6. d4 Nc6 7. d5 Nce7 8. e4

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

Van't Kruijs Opening: Bouncing Bishop Variation (ECO A00, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Van't Kruijs Opening, reached after 1. e3 e5 2. Bc4 b5 3. Bb3 (3 moves).

In 33 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 72.7%, Black 27.3% and 0.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Nf6, in 21% of those games. That is too few games for the percentages to mean much.

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Other lines from the same position

Instead of 1…e5 2. Bc4 b5 3. Bb3, the position after Van't Kruijs Opening also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Van't Kruijs Opening: Bouncing Bishop Variation (A00)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/vant-kruijs-opening-bouncing-bishop-variation

https://chesscodex.org/openings/vant-kruijs-opening-bouncing-bishop-variation