After 1., the Barnes Opening, you score 42.8% in N = 23,729 Lichess games between players rated 900 to 1700 (September 2026). Among players rated 2200 or more, in 1,061 online games, it rises to 47.6%. The f3 pawn develops no piece and leaves the e1-h4 diagonal open.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
5 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
Against strong players (2200 or more online) the line is 1. 2. 3. . At your level, after the most common move is 2., in 32 of every 100 games, and 2. comes up in 1 game in 10. Strong players choose 2. in 132 of 444 games and 2. in 118. After , players at your level choose 3. in 228 of 491 games: it is the move you will see most.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39.5% | 42.3% | 24.6% | no data | |
| 26.2% | 43.0% | 39.6% | no data | |
| 7.3% | 42.4% | no data | no data | |
| 5.4% | 44.0% | 7.0% | no data | |
| 4.0% | 42.7% | 6.4% | no data | |
| 3.9% | 46.4% | 3.5% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 5.7% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31.9% | 46.1% | 8.6% | no data | |
| 13.1% | 46.5% | 26.6% | no data | |
| 10.0% | 48.5% | 29.7% | no data | |
| 8.6% | 43.2% | no data | no data | |
| 8.2% | 41.4% | no data | no data | |
| 6.4% | 41.2% | 22.7% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 3.6% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 3.2% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44.5% | 46.2% | 81.0% | no data | |
| 14.8% | 50.6% | no data | no data | |
| 12.3% | 49.3% | 10.3% | no data | |
| 10.6% | 55.6% | no data | no data | |
| 8.1% | 40.6% | no data | no data | |
| 6.1% | 50.0% | 8.7% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46.4% | 51.1% | 52.1% | no data | |
| 18.5% | 28.6% | no data | no data | |
| 16.1% | 47.5% | 38.2% | no data | |
| 9.8% | 38.5% | 9.7% | no data | |
| 9.2% | 35.6% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45.7% | 61.5% | no data | no data | |
| 29.5% | 48.4% | 15.5% | no data | |
| 24.8% | 51.9% | 36.2% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 34.5% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 13.8% | no data |
The sequence 1. 2. 3. aims at a specific setup: your f3 pawn watches e4 and g4, your e3 pawn watches d4 and f4, and your king stays on f2 uncastled.
1. defends e4 and g4 with a pawn. It has a visible cost: the g1 knight loses the f3 square and the e1-h4 diagonal opens. If you play 2. after with it open, is mate, and it happened in 139 public games. With 2. you give up castling, and the king still sits on that diagonal: after the e7 pawn still blocks d8-h4, but moves it and the black queen sees h4, from where it would check on f2.
Instead of 2. there is 2.: it takes the center with a pawn without moving the king and opens the c1 bishop's diagonal, but the king stays on e1 on the open diagonal. If you choose 2. and follows, you have two continuations. 3. puts a pawn between h4 and f2 and stops that check. 3. opens the f1 bishop's diagonal, watches d4 and f4, and blocks the c5-f2 diagonal before arrives; if the black bishop gets to c5, it pins that pawn against your king. develops and eyes e4 and g4, the squares your f3 pawn watches.
At 900 to 1700 almost nobody gets this far: the position after 3. shows up in 228 of 23,729 games. Expect your opponent to answer (4 in 10) or (1 in 4) and you to choose among 2., 2. and 2.. If you reach the e3 and f3 setup, your king stays uncastled on f2 and your job is to keep control of e4. Order matters: first you decide how to treat the h4 diagonal, then you develop knight and bishop, and you leave f3 alone, since it holds e4 and g4. Other third moves are less common: 3. in 91 of 491 games, scoring worse than 3., and 3. in 48. After , strong players split the third move between 3. (75 of 144) and 3. (55).
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 1,143 | 39.6% | |
| 444 | 29.7% | |
| 126 | 81.0% | |
| 144 | 52.1% | |
| 58 | 36.2% |
After 1. , 2. loses on the spot: is mate. 1. already opened the e1-h4 diagonal, and the g2 pawn, which could have blocked on g3, has gone to g4. It shows up in 475 of 9,486 games and scores 20 points out of 100. 2. develops, eyes e4 and d5, and scores 45.
5 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 10 pawns of advantage. It scores 20.3%; scores 45.1%.
looks quiet, but it also opens the d8-h4 diagonal for the black queen. If you answer 2., your king on e1 has nothing left to block g3, and is mate. It comes up in 102 of 1,713 games, scoring 26 points out of 100. 2. takes the center and scores 47.
6 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 10 pawns of advantage. It scores 25.5%; scores 47.0%.
After 2. , 3. is an inaccuracy. It takes c3 away from your knight: after 4. the black queen settles in the center with no knight to chase it, and yours ends up on a3 after 5. 6.. 3. eyes d5 and f7. At your level opponents often don't punish it: 3. scores 49 out of 100.
21 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 49.3%; scores 44.3%.
After 2. , 3. drops the e4 pawn: . With f6 empty, the black queen can already check from h4, and if you take back with 4. it does. After 4. the knight hits your h1 rook and f1 bishop, and 5. wins the bishop. Play 3. instead: 47 points out of 100 against 41.
4 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 4.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 40.9%; scores 47.2%.
After 2. , 3. allows : the e5 pawn and the c6 knight both hit d4. After 4. 5. 6., the d6 bishop targets your f4 pawn. 3. controls e5 from the start. It appears in 1,258 of 4,516 games and scores almost 50 out of 100: at your level it rarely gets punished.
28 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1 pawn of advantage.
2. after is the Hammerschlag. You give up castling, and with e7 empty the black queen can already check from h4. Black grabs the center: 3. 4. 5., and your king is still on f2. It scores 44 out of 100 in 948 games, against 45 for 2.: at your level it barely gets punished.
10 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.2 pawns of advantage. It scores 43.9%; scores 45.1%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Not castled | 6,788 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 6,485 |
| 4,187 | ||
| Not castled | 1,818 | |
| 1,635 | ||
| Not castled | 1,055 |
1. 2. 3. · 3,758 amateur games
After 1. 2. 3., you score about 45 out of every 100 points in 3,758 games.
1. 2. · A00
948 amateur games · White's score: 43.9%
1. 2. · A00
139 amateur games · White's score: 0.0%
1. 2. 3. · A00
22 amateur games · White's score: 45.5%