Ware Opening
Also known as Meadow Hay Opening
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Statistics from Lichess
991,354 games: White 45.5% / Draw 4.6% / Black 49.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 320,827321K | ||
| 257,358257K | ||
| 88,98889K | ||
| 66,64967K | ||
| 57,81558K | ||
| 52,51853K | ||
| Symmetric Variation | 30,56631K | |
| 28,89929K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.19 The position is about equal
Best play: 1... Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. e3 Nc6 5. Be2 Be7 6. c4
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 better this line does for White: White scores 43% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.9M | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.2M | |
| 1800–2199 | 442K | |
| 2200 and up | 56K | |
| Masters, over the board | 29 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Radjabov, T.
- Jacobson, B. – Nakamura, H.
- Liang, A. – Gan-Erdene, S.
- Nielsen, P. – Valdes, L.
- Jacobson, B. – Papadiamandis, E.
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
Ware Opening (ECO A00, Flank Openings) is a chess opening that starts 1. a4.
In 991,354 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.5%, Black 49.9% and 4.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 1…e5, in 32% of those games.
It branches into 6 named variations; the most played are Ware Opening: Crab Variation and Ware Opening: Symmetric Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Ware Opening
1…Nf6 scores best for Black: 53.2%, with Black winning 50.9% and White 44.5% of 89K games. The most played, 1…e5, scores 53.1% in 321K games, and 1…e6 scores lowest: 50.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 1…Nf6.
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 Ware Opening peaked in 2018 at 0.046% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.038% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.04% | 14,133 |
| 2017 | 0.04% | 21,963 |
| 2018 | 0.046% | 35,887 |
| 2019 | 0.042% | 52,740 |
| 2020 | 0.034% | 99,487 |
| 2021 | 0.04% | 155,015 |
| 2022 | 0.038% | 143,924 |
| 2023 | 0.036% | 137,032 |
| 2024 | 0.04% | 143,463 |
| 2025 | 0.038% | 130,876 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.038% | 41,710 |
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 (6)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ware Opening (A00)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ware-opening