In the Polish Defense you meet 1. with so your bishop can go to b7 and aim at e4 down the long diagonal. It's a rare choice: 11,636 Lichess games between 900 and 1700 (September 2026 data), and in them you score 46% of the points. Among online players rated 2200 and up, the side playing it scores 53%.
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.
2 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
At your level, 2. comes in 32 of every 100 games, followed by 2. (21 of every 100) and 2. (15). Among strong players, 2. rises to 54 of every 100 and 2. drops to 5. Against 2. you do worst: your opponent scores 60 of every 100 points.
After 2., your usual reply is , picked by 45 of every 100 players at your level and 64 of every 100 strong ones. Then the public pushes 3. (31 of every 100), blocking your bishop's diagonal with a pawn backed by e4 and the queen. Strong players prefer 3. (36 of every 100) or 3. (26).
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31.7% | 53.4% | 53.9% | no data | |
| 21.4% | 55.0% | 5.1% | no data | |
| 14.8% | 59.8% | 20.2% | no data | |
| 11.4% | 54.0% | 6.3% | no data | |
| 5.9% | 54.5% | 6.0% | no data | |
| 4.9% | 53.8% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 5.1% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45.1% | 49.6% | 63.6% | no data | |
| 12.5% | 53.3% | 26.3% | no data | |
| 11.6% | 54.8% | no data | no data | |
| 8.7% | 57.8% | no data | no data | |
| 4.7% | 57.3% | 1.6% | no data | |
| 3.4% | 74.4% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 8.5% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30.7% | 52.3% | 4.8% | no data | |
| 18.0% | 47.5% | no data | no data | |
| 16.9% | 49.7% | 35.5% | no data | |
| 12.1% | 47.9% | 19.7% | no data | |
| 10.9% | 45.8% | 25.9% | no data | |
| 4.4% | 45.6% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 14.0% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40.3% | 50.0% | 10.4% | no data | |
| 30.4% | 53.1% | 42.9% | no data | |
| 17.9% | 46.8% | 23.4% | no data | |
| 11.4% | 41.7% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 23.4% | no data |
The strong players' line is 2. 3. 4.. Everything revolves around the e4 pawn: your b7 bishop hits it down the long diagonal, and your opponent has to spend moves holding it while you develop.
clears b7 for the bishop. When your opponent takes the center with 2., that pawn has no defender, and attacks it straight away. The cost is the b5 pawn: the f1 bishop attacks it and nothing guards it. If White grabs it with 3., e4 is left hanging to your bishop, which would then eye g2 from there. That's the Spassky Gambit Accepted: 289 games at your level, where you score 54 of every 100 points.
The strong players' most common answer is 3.. The bishop defends e4 and also hits b5 through c4. Now comes , chosen by 43 of every 100 strong players. The e6 pawn covers d5, so pushing the d4 pawn to d5 to shut your bishop's diagonal is no longer free. It also opens a path for the f8 bishop toward c5 and b4, where it would give check. And if the d3 bishop takes on b5, e4 is undefended again.
With 4. your opponent develops and protects d4. From here the target stays the same: more pressure on e4 and, when the moment is right, a challenge to d4 with your c-pawn. Strong players sometimes do that a move earlier, with instead of (23 of every 100).
At your level the order is usually different. Against 3., 40 of every 100 players go , adding a second attacker on e4; among strong players it's just 10 of every 100. You score 50 of every 100 points with and 47 with , so the gap is small. After , what you'll meet most often is 3., where your bishop runs into a pawn propped up by e4.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 687 | 53.9% | |
| 365 | 63.6% | |
| 228 | 35.5% | |
| 77 | 42.9% | |
| 27 | 70.4% |
After 1. 2., playing leaves the b5 pawn hanging: the f1 bishop attacks it and the knight on c6 doesn't defend it. After 3. you're a pawn down. With you score 26 of every 100 points, against 50 with , which hits back at e4. At your level, opponents do punish it.
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 25.6%; scores 50.4%.
In 3. 4., the d5 pawn blocks your bishop, and is an inaccuracy, not a serious mistake. With 5. your opponent hits b5 and, after 6., regains the pawn with the bishop developed. Better is , hitting d5 and the undefended e4. You score 48 of every 100 points with and 53 with .
19 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 47.6%; scores 53.4%.
Against 2., playing attacks e4, but the pawn advances with 3. and kicks the knight. After , the f1 bishop picks up the b5 pawn with 4., since nothing guards it, and after , 5. hits the knight again. You score 43 of every 100 points, against 50 with .
5 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 42.7%; scores 50.4%.
In 3. 4., playing spends a tempo on the kingside while the action is on the queenside. Then 5. hits b5 together with the d3 bishop, and after 6. 7. the a-file opens. It's an inaccuracy that often goes unpunished at your level: you score 43 of every 100 points, against 47 with .
11 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 43.3%; scores 47.4%.
In 2. 3., the c4 pawn attacks b5. With you avoid the trade, but the advanced pawn becomes a target: after 4. 5. , your opponent goes after it with 6.. Better is , attacking e4, which has no defender. You score 47 of every 100 points with and 58 with .
17 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.5%; scores 57.9%.
In 3. 4., the c3 knight defends e4. With you kick it and e4 loses its defender against your bishop; lets the moment pass. After 5. 6., the d5 pawn blocks the b7 diagonal. It's an inaccuracy: you score 46 of every 100 points, against 54 with .
22 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.3%; scores 54.2%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 3,997 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 2,664 |
| Not castled | 2,455 | |
| Not castled | 978 | |
| Not castled | 564 | |
| 520 |
1. 2. 3. · A40
289 amateur games · White's score: 45.8%