Flank openings

Polish Opening, with d5

1.b4 d5

The Polish Opening, with d5 starts with 1.b4 d5 and is catalogued under ECO A00, in the flank openings half of the book. The catalog indexes 2 lines inside it, grouped into 1 named variation, and the position after those moves has 4 playable continuations to walk from here.

Opening repertoire map

Root edges show how often each move is played around your Elo. Use the arrow on a position to reveal the next replies.

Current position
Polish Opening, with d5
4 plies
Baltic Defense
4 plies
German Defense
Popularity by Elo
Share of Lichess blitz, rapid, and classical games that continued with each move.
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Current setup

Move ideas

  1. 1.b4

    Advances the b-pawn to gain queenside space and control new squares.

    Idea: Prepare a fianchetto or discourage the opponent’s expansion on that wing.

  2. 1…d5

    Advances to d5 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.

    Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.

  3. 2.Bb2

    Develops the bishop to b2, bringing it into the game.

    Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.

Book continuations

Waiting for Lichess game popularity.

4 moves
Bf5Polish Opening: Baltic Defense1 named lineDevelops the bishop to f5, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.c6Polish Opening, with d51 named line · Polish Opening: Myers VariationAdvances the c-pawn to gain queenside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.Nf6Polish Opening, with d51 named lineDevelops the knight to f6, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.Qd6Polish Opening: German Defense1 named lineRepositions the queen to d6, where it influences a new part of the board.Idea: Coordinate threats carefully while avoiding unnecessary tempi against the queen.

Named variations

Each line below is an indexed entry under Polish Opening, with d5. Open one to load it on the board and keep exploring from that position.

Openings from the same volume

ECO groups openings by the structures they lead to, so these families tend to share plans with the Polish Opening, with d5.