diff --git a/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py b/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
index e2d45d7446..666a5d940b 100644
--- a/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
+++ b/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
@@ -300,11 +300,6 @@ def elementwise_view_right(root:UOp):
   # reshape to match downstream shapes
   return root.replace(src=tuple(new_src)).reshape(root.shape)
 
-def merge_double_reduce(root:UOp, first_reduce:UOp):
-  assert root.arg[0] == first_reduce.arg[0], "can't merge reduceops with different alu"
-  assert not any(x.op is Ops.REDUCE_AXIS for x in first_reduce.src[0].toposort), "can't merge more than two reduceops at a time"
-  return first_reduce.replace(arg=(first_reduce.arg[0], root.axis_arg+first_reduce.axis_arg))
-
 # push VIEW to children
 view_right = merge_views+PatternMatcher([
   # push a non contiguous ShapeTracker through reduceop
@@ -313,8 +308,9 @@ view_right = merge_views+PatternMatcher([
   (UPat(Ops.REDUCE_AXIS, src=(UPat(Ops.VIEW, src=(UPat(GroupOp.All-DONT_PUSH_VIEWS, name="src"),), name="v"),), name="r"), reduceop_view_right),
   # apply view after elementwise ops
   (UPat(GroupOp.All-DONT_PUSH_VIEWS, name="root"), elementwise_view_right),
-  # double reduce op collapses to a single reduce op
-  (UPat(Ops.REDUCE_AXIS, src=(UPat(Ops.REDUCE_AXIS, name="first_reduce"),), name="root"), merge_double_reduce),
+  # merge axes for double reduce (invert of SPLIT_REDUCEOP=1)
+  (UPat(Ops.REDUCE_AXIS, src=(UPat(Ops.REDUCE_AXIS, name="r1"),), name="r2"),
+   lambda r1,r2: r1.replace(arg=(r1.arg[0], r2.arg[1]+r1.arg[1])) if r1.arg[0] == r2.arg[0] else None),
 ])
 
 # **** unbind variables