Best-scoring chess openings by Lichess rating (1000+)
20 openings compared by average Lichess rating, from 1000: White's and Black's scores, draws included.
"What is the best opening?" has no single answer: it depends on who sits opposite you. We took the Lichess opening book, 6,402,244,240 games played between 2013 and 2025, and measured how 20 common openings score in practice for the side that chooses them, rating band by rating band, from 1000.
How to read the figures. A score is the share of points taken by the side that chooses the opening: a win counts 1, a draw ½, a loss 0. For each opening we count the occurrences of its position followed by a move: transpositions and repetitions included, so one game can count more than once. A band is the average rating of the two players; all time controls are mixed. Figures are cut at one decimal, never rounded up. The tables show five selected bands. White moves first, which helps White's openings; it does not stop some Black openings from passing 50 % in this sample. These are observed results: they do not control for time control or the rating gap between the players, and changing opening guarantees nothing.
White: three openings around 55 % between 1000 and 1599
| Opening | 1000–1199 | 1400–1599 | 1800–1999 | 2200–2499 | 2500+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen's Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4) | 55.0 % | 55.1 % | 54.2 % | 53.3 % | 52.9 % |
| Scotch Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4) | 54.7 % | 55.3 % | 54.4 % | 52.4 % | 50.9 % |
| London System (1.d4 d5 2.Bf4) | 54.7 % | 53.9 % | 53.0 % | 52.8 % | 54.1 % |
| King's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4) | 54.5 % | 55.4 % | 52.4 % | 49.3 % | 50.4 % |
| Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5) | 53.4 % | 53.2 % | 53.7 % | 51.9 % | 50.8 % |
| Vienna Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nc3) | 52.1 % | 52.8 % | 54.0 % | 53.6 % | 52.8 % |
| Italian Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4) | 53.0 % | 52.6 % | 52.0 % | 50.7 % | 51.3 % |
| English Opening (1.c4) | 52.3 % | 52.8 % | 52.7 % | 52.7 % | 52.8 % |
Between 1000 and 1599, three of the openings studied give White about 55 %: at 1400–1599, the King's Gambit (55.4 %), the Scotch (55.3 %) and the Queen's Gambit (55.1 %). The London System follows closely (54.7 % at 1000–1199). The Italian Game, 3.Bc4, the most frequent choice in that position, scores less: 53.0 % at 1000–1199. The English Opening stays between 52.3 % and 52.8 % in every band.
The King's Gambit: from 55.4 % to 49.3 %
It is one of the openings studied whose score changes most with the level. At 1400–1599, White scores 55.4 %: 54.1 % wins, 2.6 % draws. At 2200–2499 it is 49.3 %, below 50 % although White moves first, then 50.4 % at 2500+ (on 83,409 occurrences). One possible reading, which the book cannot test: stronger opponents know the gambit better. The Vienna Game goes the other way: 52.1 % at 1000–1199, 54.0 % at 1800–1999.
Against 1.e4: the Caro-Kann ahead among the defences studied below 1600
| Opening | 1000–1199 | 1400–1599 | 1800–1999 | 2200–2499 | 2500+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caro-Kann (1…c6) | 50.7 % | 51.3 % | 50.3 % | 48.3 % | 47.7 % |
| Sicilian (1…c5) | 50.6 % | 50.8 % | 49.8 % | 48.5 % | 47.4 % |
| French (1…e6) | 50.0 % | 50.5 % | 49.7 % | 48.2 % | 47.4 % |
| Scandinavian (1…d5) | 48.6 % | 49.5 % | 49.6 % | 48.7 % | 48.2 % |
| Pirc (1…d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6) | 49.2 % | 48.5 % | 47.9 % | 45.6 % | 44.7 % |
| Alekhine (1…Nf6) | 47.0 % | 49.4 % | 51.2 % | 49.2 % | 48.4 % |
| 1…e5 | 47.1 % | 47.0 % | 47.0 % | 48.2 % | 48.6 % |
Below 1600, the Caro-Kann is the best-scoring of the replies to 1.e4 studied (51.3 % at 1400–1599), just ahead of the Sicilian (50.8 %) and the French (50.5 %). From 1000 to 1799, all three score at least 50 %. 1…e5, the most played reply at these levels, scores about 47 %.
The Alekhine (1…Nf6) goes from the bottom to the top of this table: 47.0 % at 1000–1199, the lowest in this table, then 51.2 % at 1800–1999, the highest in that band.
Against 1.d4: none of the defences studied reaches 50 % from 1200 to 2499
| Opening | 1000–1199 | 1400–1599 | 1800–1999 | 2200–2499 | 2500+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King's Indian (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6) | 50.1 % | 48.9 % | 48.2 % | 46.8 % | 46.4 % |
| Dutch (1.d4 f5) | 47.7 % | 48.4 % | 48.2 % | 47.1 % | 47.0 % |
| Slav (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6) | 46.8 % | 47.0 % | 47.0 % | 46.1 % | 45.2 % |
| Queen's Gambit Declined (2…e6) | 46.1 % | 45.8 % | 46.3 % | 46.4 % | 47.0 % |
| Queen's Gambit Accepted (2…dxc4) | 43.5 % | 42.3 % | 43.4 % | 48.9 % | 50.0 % |
From 1200 to 2499, none of the five defences to 1.d4 studied reaches 50 % for Black. The King's Indian (main line 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6) reaches it only at 1000–1199 (50.1 %). Taking the pawn with 2…dxc4 scores the least at club level: 42.3 % at 1400–1599, where 55.9 % of the occurrences end in a White win. It is 48.9 % at 2200–2499 and 50.0 % at 2500+.
What to do with it
- Compare the bands shown, not the world champions'. Below 1600, among the openings studied, the Queen's Gambit, the Scotch and the King's Gambit score about 55 % for White; the Caro-Kann and the Sicilian score above 50 % for Black.
- A score changes with the level. The King's Gambit goes from 55.4 % at 1400–1599 to 49.3 % at 2200–2499; the Alekhine from 47.0 % to 51.2 %.
- Results are not quality. These figures say how an opening scores in practice, against the opponents who meet it on Lichess. Stockfish's evaluation is a separate question; the app shows both side by side.
Our guides cover several of these openings move by move: the Queen's Gambit, the Caro-Kann, the Sicilian, the Italian Game, the Ruy Lopez and the London System.
Method
Source: ClickHouse table chess.opening_book (Lichess games 2013–2025, aggregated by position and rating band), queried on 7 October 2026. The 6,402,244,240 games are the first moves recorded from the starting position. For each opening, the position after its defining moves (for the King's Indian 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6, for the Pirc 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6); for each band, the occurrences of every move recorded from that position (transpositions and repetitions included) and the result of their games. A position reached at the end of a game is not counted. A band is the average of the two players' Lichess ratings; the table starts at 1000. Score = (wins + ½ draws) / occurrences, for the side that chooses the opening.
Check it on your own games
Import a game from Lichess or Chess.com: Stockfish finds the moments that mattered, the coach explains them move by move.