ECO A00 · Polish Opening

Polish Opening: Queenside Defense

1. b4 e6 2. Bb2 Nf6 3. b5 a6

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White to move. The arrow shows Stockfish’s best move.
Best move

4. a4−0.22

The position is roughly equal. Stockfish 18, depth 18.

Analyze this position

In the Polish Opening: Queenside Defense (A00), reached after 1. b4 e6 2. Bb2 Nf6 3. b5 a6, Stockfish 18 recommends 4. a4 for White. The position is roughly equal (−0.22).

Top engine moves

  1. −0.224. a4 d5 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. c4 Bd6 7. e3 O-O 8. Be2 axb5
  2. −0.404. c4 axb5 5. cxb5 d5 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Nf3 Bd6 8. d4 c5
  3. −0.444. e3 axb5 5. Bxb5 c6 6. Be2 b5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. d3 d6

Frequently asked questions

What is the best move in the Polish Opening: Queenside Defense?
After 1. b4 e6 2. Bb2 Nf6 3. b5 a6, Stockfish 18 at depth 18 recommends 4. a4 for White, continuing d5 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. c4 Bd6 7. e3 O-O 8. Be2 axb5. The position is roughly equal (−0.22). The next best moves are 4. c4 (−0.40) and 4. e3 (−0.44).
Is the Polish Opening: Queenside Defense a good opening?
Stockfish rates the position at −0.22: the position is roughly equal. Evaluations this early in the game are small, so practical results depend far more on knowing the plans and typical structures than on the engine's number.
What is the ECO code of the Polish Opening: Queenside Defense?
A00. ECO codes classify chess openings from A00 to E99; A is the volume for flank openings.

Opening names from the Lichess opening book (CC0). Pieces by Colin M.L. Burnett (GPLv2+).