Chess Openings Lab
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Hungarian Opening: Slav Formation

The Slav Formation of the Hungarian Opening comes after 1.g3 d5 2.Bg2 c6, with ...c6 blunting the g2 bishop before it gets going. White looks for d4 and a queenside space grab, while Black builds a solid chain and may add ...e5 or a ...g6 fianchetto.

Moves
1.g3 d5 2.Bg2 c6
ECO
A00
Engine
+0.25 · level (Stockfish 17.1, depth 20)
Played
3,506 games in our lichess sample
White scores
51.7%

Key ideas for both sides

White

  • 3.Nf3 with d4 next, then push a4 and a5, as the top engine line does, to gain room on the queenside.
  • A quieter path is d3 and e4, a reversed King's Indian where Black's ...e5 meets White's center head on.
  • The a-pawn advance to a5 fixes Black's b-pawn and makes ...b5 expansion hard.

Black

  • Against 3.Nf3, fianchetto with ...g6, ...Bg7 and ...Nf6, castling short behind the c6 and d5 chain.
  • Grab the center with ...e5 if White is slow; ...Bd6 and ...Nf6 then complete a big pawn center.
  • The c8 bishop can come to f5 or g4 before ...e6, so it never gets locked inside the chain.

Plans and pawn structure

The c6 and d5 chain makes the g2 bishop bite on granite, so White looks for other targets. With d4 and a4-a5, White gains queenside space and can aim c4 to open the c-file. Black can mirror with ...g6 and ...Bg7, or grab space with ...e5 and develop ...Bd6 and ...Nf6. In the d3 and e4 lines, the game turns on the e4 and e5 tension, and both sides castle short before choosing a pawn break.

What the engine plays from here

Stockfish 17.1 at depth 20 rates the position +0.25: level. Its three top choices for White:

  1. +0.25 3.Nf3 g6 4.d4 Bg7 5.a4 Nf6
  2. 0.00 3.d3 e5 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.e4 Nf6
  3. −0.10 3.a3 e5 4.d4 exd4 5.Qxd4 Be7

Pawns, from White's side.

How it scores on lichess

3,506 rated lichess games reached this position; White scored 51.7%.

under 120052.4%
1200–159950.0%
1600–199951.4%
2000 and up54.6%

Light: White wins. Grey: draws. Dark: Black wins. About the sample.

How to play against it

As White, give the fianchetto a target: Nf3 and d4, then a4 for space. If Black plays ...e5, either challenge it with d4 or set up d3 and e4. Avoid a3 and other slow pawn moves that let Black take a free center with ...e5 and ...Bd6.

Questions

What are the moves of the Hungarian Opening: Slav Formation?

The Hungarian Opening: Slav Formation starts 1.g3 d5 2.Bg2 c6. Its ECO code is A00.

Is the Hungarian Opening: Slav Formation good for Black?

Stockfish 17.1 rates the position +0.25 at depth 20, which is level. In 3,506 lichess games from our sample, White scored 51.7%. A rock-solid choice for Black players who know Slav structures; White needs patience and queenside plans to make progress.

What is the main idea of the Hungarian Opening: Slav Formation?

Black blunts the g2 bishop with a solid c6 and d5 chain. White answers with Nf3, d4 and an a4-a5 space grab, while Black fianchettoes or builds a center with ...e5.

What should White play next?

The engine's first choice is Nf3, with d3 and a3 close behind. 3.Nf3 develops and prepares d4 with a later a4-a5 to gain queenside space.

Updated October 2026. Sources and method.