Which chess openings do players use at each rating?
FewmovesChess openings by rating, with a trainerOpen
In 17,395,175 rated Lichess games, 1.e4 starts 66% of games under 1200 but only 52% at 2000+. The Sicilian grows from 4% of games to 16%, while openings like the Wayward Queen Attack and the Damiano Defense get rarer as ratings rise.
The data
We took the first part of the October 2026 rated games file that Lichess publishes and counted blitz, rapid and classical games (bullet and correspondence left out). Rating levels use the average of both players’ ratings: 3,008,740 games under 1200, 5,939,146 at 1200–1599, 6,412,793 at 1600–1999 and 2,034,496 at 2000+. Every share below is “games at that level that reached the position”, including games that got there by a different move order.
First moves: less 1.e4 as ratings rise
| First move | <1200 | 1200–1599 | 1600–1999 | 2000+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.e4 | 66.0% | 64.1% | 59.7% | 52.3% |
| 1.d4 | 21.6% | 24.0% | 26.8% | 30.3% |
| 1.Nf3 | 2.6% | 2.4% | 3.1% | 6.3% |
| 1.c4 | 1.5% | 2.3% | 3.5% | 5.1% |
| 1.e3 | 2.6% | 1.8% | 1.2% | 0.68% |
| 1.g3 | 1.0% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 0.94% |
1.e4 drops from 66% to 52% and 1.d4 rises from 22% to 30%. Quieter first moves such as 1.Nf3 and 1.c4 also become much more common at 2000+. The lower your rating, the more likely your opponent opens 1.e4, so as Black your time is best spent on your answer to 1.e4 first.
75 openings at each rating
How often each of the 75 openings with a Fewmoves guide comes up at each level, most played first. Click a name to open its guide and explorer.
| Opening | <1200 | 1200–1599 | 1600–1999 | 2000+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sicilian Defense | 4.1% | 7.7% | 12.2% | 16.0% |
| Scandinavian Defense | 7.4% | 6.6% | 5.9% | 3.7% |
| Italian Game | 5.8% | 5.8% | 4.0% | 2.4% |
| Queen’s Gambit | 2.5% | 3.6% | 4.4% | 4.5% |
| Réti Opening (1.Nf3) | 2.6% | 2.4% | 3.1% | 6.3% |
| English Opening | 1.5% | 2.3% | 3.5% | 5.1% |
| Bishop’s Opening | 4.4% | 3.7% | 2.1% | 0.64% |
| London System | 3.0% | 3.0% | 2.2% | 1.2% |
| Philidor Defense | 2.9% | 3.2% | 2.1% | 0.71% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 1.3% | 2.1% | 2.9% | 3.9% |
| Horwitz Defense | 1.9% | 2.3% | 2.5% | 2.2% |
| Scotch Game | 2.3% | 2.7% | 2.0% | 1.2% |
| French Defense | 0.90% | 1.6% | 2.6% | 4.1% |
| Ruy Lopez | 2.0% | 2.4% | 1.9% | 2.3% |
| Vienna Game | 2.5% | 2.1% | 1.6% | 0.97% |
| Two Knights Defense | 2.5% | 2.1% | 1.4% | 1.1% |
| Petrov’s Defense | 2.7% | 1.8% | 1.3% | 0.94% |
| Englund Gambit | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.6% | 0.71% |
| Van’t Kruijs Opening (1.e3) | 2.6% | 1.8% | 1.2% | 0.68% |
| King’s Gambit | 0.79% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 0.92% |
| Queen’s Gambit Declined | 0.51% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 2.4% |
| Four Knights Game | 2.3% | 1.3% | 0.71% | 0.69% |
| Hungarian Opening (1.g3) | 1.0% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 0.94% |
| Center Game and Danish Gambit | 1.2% | 1.3% | 1.0% | 0.58% |
| Owen Defense | 0.81% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 0.55% |
| Bird Opening | 0.74% | 0.88% | 1.3% | 1.1% |
| Slav and Semi-Slav | 0.37% | 0.75% | 1.3% | 1.8% |
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack | 0.67% | 0.99% | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| Nimzowitsch Defense | 1.2% | 0.89% | 0.82% | 0.95% |
| Queen’s Gambit Accepted | 1.0% | 1.1% | 0.83% | 0.54% |
| Alekhine Defense | 1.2% | 0.62% | 0.86% | 1.5% |
| Closed Sicilian | 0.40% | 0.59% | 1.1% | 2.0% |
| Modern Defense | 0.36% | 0.73% | 1.0% | 1.1% |
| Alapin Sicilian | 0.14% | 0.43% | 0.91% | 1.2% |
| Wayward Queen Attack | 2.3% | 0.53% | 0.12% | 0.02% |
| Mieses Opening (1.d3) | 0.72% | 0.56% | 0.50% | 0.39% |
| Dutch Defense | 0.28% | 0.40% | 0.66% | 0.74% |
| Polish Opening (1.b4) | 0.28% | 0.47% | 0.53% | 0.37% |
| Van Geet Opening (1.Nc3) | 0.67% | 0.38% | 0.34% | 0.60% |
| Berlin Defense | 0.58% | 0.47% | 0.30% | 0.51% |
| Ponziani Opening | 0.49% | 0.51% | 0.38% | 0.16% |
| Elephant Gambit | 0.45% | 0.37% | 0.39% | 0.29% |
| Pirc Defense | 0.23% | 0.31% | 0.36% | 0.61% |
| Colle System | 0.26% | 0.33% | 0.39% | 0.43% |
| Smith-Morra Gambit | 0.04% | 0.17% | 0.48% | 0.76% |
| Rossolimo Attack | 0.09% | 0.25% | 0.38% | 0.70% |
| Grob Opening (1.g4) | 0.33% | 0.30% | 0.30% | 0.18% |
| King’s Indian Defense | 0.03% | 0.12% | 0.35% | 0.84% |
| Sicilian Najdorf | 0.01% | 0.07% | 0.31% | 1.1% |
| Mikenas Defense (1...Nc6) | 0.58% | 0.21% | 0.16% | 0.26% |
| King’s Indian Attack | 0.16% | 0.17% | 0.23% | 0.67% |
| Nimzo-Indian Defense | 0.02% | 0.10% | 0.30% | 0.84% |
| Sicilian Taimanov | 0.03% | 0.13% | 0.31% | 0.43% |
| Old Indian Defense | 0.07% | 0.15% | 0.27% | 0.41% |
| Damiano Defense | 0.69% | 0.19% | 0.03% | 0.01% |
| Trompowsky Attack | 0.07% | 0.12% | 0.20% | 0.53% |
| St. George Defense | 0.15% | 0.18% | 0.15% | 0.12% |
| Blackmar-Diemer Gambit | 0.06% | 0.12% | 0.17% | 0.15% |
| Sicilian Kan | 0.01% | 0.04% | 0.16% | 0.45% |
| Latvian Gambit | 0.11% | 0.12% | 0.14% | 0.12% |
| Budapest Gambit | 0.01% | 0.05% | 0.19% | 0.32% |
| Grünfeld Defense | 0.01% | 0.03% | 0.14% | 0.38% |
| Sicilian Moscow Variation | 0.02% | 0.06% | 0.10% | 0.33% |
| Sicilian Dragon | 0.01% | 0.03% | 0.11% | 0.36% |
| Richter-Veresov Attack | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.07% | 0.14% |
| Evans Gambit | 0.04% | 0.07% | 0.11% | 0.10% |
| Sicilian Classical | 0.01% | 0.03% | 0.09% | 0.28% |
| Benko Gambit | 0.00% | 0.01% | 0.08% | 0.36% |
| Sicilian Sveshnikov | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.06% | 0.25% |
| Tarrasch Defense | 0.02% | 0.05% | 0.06% | 0.10% |
| Queen’s Indian Defense | 0.00% | 0.01% | 0.04% | 0.23% |
| Benoni Defense | 0.00% | 0.01% | 0.05% | 0.18% |
| Bogo-Indian Defense | 0.00% | 0.01% | 0.04% | 0.19% |
| Catalan Opening | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.17% |
| Sicilian Scheveningen | 0.00% | 0.01% | 0.03% | 0.07% |
Openings that grow with rating
- Benko Gambit: 0.00% of games under 1200 → 0.36% at 2000+
- Catalan Opening: 0.00% of games under 1200 → 0.17% at 2000+
- Queen’s Indian Defense: 0.00% of games under 1200 → 0.23% at 2000+
- Benoni Defense: 0.00% of games under 1200 → 0.18% at 2000+
- Sicilian Najdorf: 0.01% of games under 1200 → 1.09% at 2000+
Deep theoretical lines such as the Najdorf, the King’s Indian and the Nimzo-Indian almost never happen under 1200, because opponents at that level rarely follow the moves that lead there. Learning them can wait until your rating climbs.
Openings that fade with rating
- Wayward Queen Attack: 2.28% of games under 1200 → 0.02% at 2000+
- Damiano Defense: 0.69% of games under 1200 → 0.01% at 2000+
- Bishop’s Opening: 4.44% of games under 1200 → 0.64% at 2000+
- Philidor Defense: 2.86% of games under 1200 → 0.71% at 2000+
- Van’t Kruijs Opening (1.e3): 2.60% of games under 1200 → 0.68% at 2000+
Early bishop and queen moves, and openings where both sides copy each other, are far more common at lower ratings. If you play under 1600, decide in advance what you will do against these.
The openings you meet most under 1600
Across under-1200 and 1200–1599 games, these five come up most: Scandinavian Defense, Sicilian Defense, Italian Game, Bishop’s Opening, Queen’s Gambit. Knowing their first few moves and common traps covers a large share of real games.
Results: where White’s score depends on rating
White’s score counts a win as 1 and a draw as 0.5 (50% means even). These are the openings with the biggest gap between under 1200 and 2000+.
| Opening (White’s score) | <1200 | 1200–1599 | 1600–1999 | 2000+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center Game and Danish Gambit | 48.9% | 52.0% | 54.3% | 54.2% |
| Grob Opening (1.g4) | 46.2% | 49.9% | 51.7% | 51.3% |
| Nimzowitsch Defense | 54.5% | 53.4% | 51.1% | 49.5% |
| Petrov’s Defense | 56.0% | 52.7% | 51.4% | 51.3% |
| Elephant Gambit | 54.4% | 50.1% | 48.5% | 50.0% |
| Alekhine Defense | 54.2% | 52.4% | 49.0% | 49.8% |
The same opening can score quite differently at different levels. White does better at low ratings in Nimzowitsch Defense, Petrov’s Defense, Elephant Gambit and Alekhine Defense, and better at high ratings in Center Game and Danish Gambit and Grob Opening (1.g4). At low ratings the defending side often misses the accurate reply, which tilts the score; higher up the tilt shrinks or turns. These are results between players at each level, not an engine evaluation of the moves.
More draws at 2000+
Draws are 4.1% of games under 1200, 3.7% at 1200–1599, 4.5% at 1600–1999 and 6.8% at 2000+. Most games are blitz or rapid, so draws are rare overall. At 2000+ there are fewer of the big mistakes that decide a game, and noticeably more draws.
Using this for your repertoire
- Pick your rating in the explorer and follow your opening for five moves. Prepare the replies with the biggest share first.
- For the openings common at your level, learn the traps too. Every opening guide shows the traps that really happen, move by move on the board.
- Drill it in the trainer, where your opponent plays the replies people at your rating really choose, in the same proportions. Mistakes come back on a schedule.
All ratings are Lichess ratings, which usually run higher than Chess.com ratings for the same player. How we counted is on the about page.
Found a mistake, or a rule that has changed? Email contact@lumenlab.page. We check it, fix it and put the new date on this guide.