Chess Opening Statistics

These statistics show the percentages of games won by white and black and the
amount of games drawn from over 2 million matches for 60 of the most common
Chess openings and 230 further variations of those openings. This page should give
you a good idea of what openings and variations are the most successful for white and
black. There is also a written summary below the table that summarises all the best
and worst variations for the openings in the table. As well as that there are lists of the
top 10 best and worst openings for white and black and the most and least drawn
openings.

White Black
Draw
Opening/Variation Win Win Moves
%
% %
Alekhine Defense 38 32 30 1. e4 Nf6
- Four Pawns Attack 36 40 24 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4
- Modern Variation 42 26 32 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3
Anderssen's
30 43 27 1. a3
Opening
- 1...d5 Variation 27 44 29 1...d5
- 1...e5 Variation 34 42 24 1...e5
- 1...g6 Variation 23 55 22 1...g6
Anti-Veresov
36 36 28 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bg5
Opening
Benko Gambit 40 32 28 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5
- Accepted 40 32 28 4. cxb5
- Fully Accepted 39 29 32 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6
- 7. e4 Variation 42 36 22 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 Bxa6 6. Nc3 d6 7. e4
4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 Bxa6 6. Nc3 d6 7. e4 Bxf1
- Main Line 39 26 35
8. Kxf1 g6 9. g3 Bg7 10. Kg2 O-O 11. Nf3
- Fianchetto Variation 42 35 23 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 Bxa6 6. Nc3 g6 7. g3
- Nescafe Frappe
36 45 19 4. cxb5 a6 5. Nc3
Attack
Benko Opening 38 27 35 1. g3
- 1...d5 Variation 35 29 36 1...d5
- 1...e5 Variation 37 31 32 1...e5
- Lasker Simul
66 11 23 1...h5
Special
Benoni Defense 41 31 28 1. d4 c5
- Full Benoni 41 29 30 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e5 4. Nc3 d6 5. e4
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5.
- Modern Variation 46 30 24
cxd5 d6
Bird's Opening 34 41 25 1. f4
- Dutch Variation 34 40 26 1...d5
- From Gambit 41 40 19 1...e5 2. fxe5 d6
- 1...f5 Variation 39 30 31 1...f5
Bishop's Opening 41 29 30 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4
- Berlin Defense 40 28 32 2...Nf6
- 3...d3 Variation 40 26 34 2...Nf6 3. d3
- 3...Nc3 Variation 38 32 30 2...Nf6 3. Nc3
- Classical Variation 47 30 23 2...Bc5
Blackmar Diemer
49 35 16 1. d4 d5 2. e4
Gambit
- Caro-Kann 37 28 35 2...c6
- Nimzowitsch
Defense Center 43 35 22 2...d5
Variation
- Accepted 50 35 15 2...dxe4
- French Defense 40 30 30 2...e6
Blackmar Diemer
45 39 16 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. e4
Gambit (Delayed)
- Caro-Kann
36 28 36 3...c6
Traditional Variation
- Accepted 50 35 15 3...dxe4
- Accepted 4. f3
52 34 14 3...dxe4 4...f3
Variation
- French Defense
39 28 33 3...e6
Main Line
- Hubsch Variation 42 40 18 3...Nxe4
Bogo-Indian Defense 36 22 42 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+
Budapest Gambit 46 27 27 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5
- Fajarowicz Variation 50 26 24 3. dxe5 Ne4
- Rubenstein
50 17 33 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. Bf4
Variation
- Alekhine Variation 41 37 22 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. e4
- Adler Variation 42 30 28 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. Nf3
Caro-Kann 38 28 34 1. e4 c6
- Advance Variation 41 30 29 2. d4 d5 3. e5
- Panov-Botvinnik
36 29 35 2. d4 d5 3. exd5
Attack
- Traditional Variation 36 28 36 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3
- Capablanca
34 26 40 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 cxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5
Variation
Centre Counter
42 29 29 1. e4 d5
Game
- 2...Nf6 Variation 42 30 28 2. exd5 Nf6
- 2...Qxd5 Variation 42 28 30 2. exd5 Qxd5
- 3...Qa5 Variation 42 28 30 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5
- 3...Qd8 Variation 42 26 32 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd8
Centre Game 44 34 22 1. e4 e5 2. d4
- Accepted 42 35 23 2...exd4
- Danish Gambit 44 36 20 2...exd4 3. c3
- Danish Gambit Fully
46 35 19 2...exd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Bc4 cxb2
Accepted
- 3. Qxd4 Variation 42 36 22 2...exd4 3. Qxd4
Colle System 35 34 31 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3
- 3...Bf5 Variation 30 36 34 3...Bf5
- 3...c5 Variation 29 39 32 3...c5
- Zukertort Variation 43 28 29 3...e6 4. Bd3 c5
Dunst Opening 36 36 28 1. Nc3
- 1...d5 Variation 34 38 28 1...d5
- 1...e5 Variation 48 24 28 1...e5
- 1...Nf6 Variation 48 27 25 1...Nf6
Dutch Defense 42 28 30 1. d4 f5
English Opening 38 28 34 1. c4
- Symmetrical 37 31 32 1...c5
- Reti's Opening 37 24 39 1...c6
- Reversed Sicilian 37 25 38 1...e5
Four Knight's
34 27 39 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6
Defense
French Defense 40 30 30 1. e4 e6
- St George's
50 32 18 2. d4 a6
Variation
- Winawer Variation 42 29 29 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4
- Advance Variation 38 35 27 2. d4 d5 3. e5
- Exchange Variation 25 32 43 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5
- Main Line 39 28 33 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6
- MacCutcheon
39 30 31 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4
Variation
- Main Line 4. e5 40 29 31 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5
- Tarrasch Variation 40 25 35 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2
Giuoco Piano 40 32 28 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4
- Main Line 39 32 29 3...Bc5
- Evans Gambit 39 38 23 3...Bc5 4. b4
- Main Line 41 29 30 3...Bc5 4. c3
- Main Line 5. d3
38 26 36 3...Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3
Variation
- Main Line 5. d4
40 33 27 3...Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4
Variation
3...Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7.
- Moller Attack 31 43 26
Nc3 Nxe4 8. O-O Bxc3 9. d5
- Giuoco Pianissimo 35 34 31 3...Bc5 4. d3
- 4. Nc3 Variation 36 35 29 3...Bc5 4. Nc3
- 4. O-O Variation 38 34 28 3...Bc5 4. O-O
- Hungarian Defense 45 26 29 3...Be7
- Blackburne Gambit 53 35 12 3...Nd4
- Two Knight's
39 34 27 3...Nf6
Defense
- Max Lange Attack 39 33 28 3...Nf6 4. d4
Grob Opening 36 46 18 1. g4
- 1...d5 Variation 35 48 17 1...d5
- 1...e5 Variation 34 49 17 1...e5
Grunfeld Defense 37 26 37 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5
- Classical System 36 24 40 4. Bf4
- Exchange Variation 38 25 37 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4
- Russian System 41 24 35 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3
Gunderam Defense 50 25 25 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Qe7
Horwitz Defense 39 27 34 1. d4 e6
King's Gambit 43 37 20 1. e4 e5 2. f4
- Falkbeer Counter
41 36 23 2...d5
Gambit
- Declined 66 21 13 2...d6
- Accepted 42 37 21 2...exf4
- Cunningham
42 37 21 2...exf4 3. Nf3 Be7
Defense
- Abbazia Defense 37 33 30 2...exf4 3. Nf3 d5 4. exd5 Nf6
- Allgaier Gambit 50 37 13 2...exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ng5
King's Pawn
38 31 31 1. e4
Opening
- 1...e5 42 30 28 1...e5
- King's Knight
41 29 30 1...e5 2. Nf3
Opening
- Queen's Knight
41 29 30 1...e5 2. Nf3 Nc6
Opening
King's Indian 42 28 30 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6
- Averbakh Variation 45 25 30 5. Be2 O-O 6. Bg5
- Classical Variation 41 26 33 5. Be2 O-O 6. Nf3 e5
- Samisch Variation 42 30 28 5. f3
- Four Pawns Attack 43 30 27 5. f4
Larsen's Defense 37 33 30 1. b3
- Classical Variation 34 34 32 1...d5
- Modern Variation 38 33 29 1...e5
- Indian Variation 36 30 34 1...Nf6
Latvian Gambit 50 33 17 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f5
- Accepted 51 31 18 3. exf5
- 3. Nxe5 Variation 56 31 13 3. Nxe5
Mieses Opening 39 37 24 1. d3
1...d5 Variation 39 36 25 1...d5
1...e5 Variation 40 43 17 1...e5
Modern Defense 39 31 30 1. d4 g6
- 2. c4 Variation 40 30 30 2. c4
- Robatsch Defense 39 32 29 2. e4
Nimzo Indian 33 30 37 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4
- Samisch Variation 31 45 24 4. a3
- Leningrad Variation 34 39 27 4. Bg5
- Main Line 33 30 37 4. e3
- Queenside
34 32 34 4. e3 b6
Fianchetto
- Main Line 4...c5 36 28 36 4. e3 c5
- Main Line 5. Bd3 36 28 36 4. e3 c5 5. Bd3
- Rubenstein's
38 24 38 4. e3 c5 5. Ne2
Variation
- Taimanov System 41 28 31 4. e3 Nc6
- 4. f3 Variation 38 30 32 4. f3
- Kasparov's Variation 32 27 41 4. g3
- 4. Nf3 Variation 33 28 39 4. Nf3
- Spielmann's
39 28 33 4. Qb3
Variation
- Classical Variation 33 26 41 4. Qc2
Nimzowitsch
41 34 25 1. e4 Nc6
Defense
- Centre Variation 41 37 22 2. d4
- 2...d5 Variation 43 35 22 2. d4 d5
- 2...d6 Variation 41 41 18 2. d4 d6
- 2...e5 Variation 39 38 23 2. d4 e5
- Declined 42 31 27 2. Nf3
- 2...d5 Variation 48 27 25 2. Nf3 d5
- 2...d6 Variation 43 31 26 2. Nf3 d6
Petroff's Defense 39 22 39 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6
- Steinitz Variation 43 21 36 3. d4
- Paulsen Variation 37 19 44 3. Nxe5 d6
- Classical Attack 39 20 41 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5
- Damiano Variation 50 28 22 3. Nxe5 Nxe4
- 3...Qe7 Variation 52 23 25 3. Nxe5 Qe7
Philidor's Defense 46 27 27 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6
Pirc Defense 41 30 29 1. e4 d6
- 4. f3 Variation 42 35 23 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f3
- Austrian Attack 44 28 28 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4
- Classical Variation 37 29 34 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3
Polish Defense 38 39 23 1. b4
- 1...d5 37 38 25 1...d5
- 1...e5 38 40 22 1...e5
- 1...Nf6 36 40 24 1...Nf6
Polish Opening 49 28 23 1. d4 b5
Ponziani's Opening 38 34 28 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3
- 3...d5 Variation 32 42 26 3...d5
- Jaenisch
38 32 30 3...Nf6
Counterattack
Pseudo King's
38 29 33 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6
Indian
Queen's Gambit 40 24 36 1. d4 d5 2. c4
- Slav Defense 39 23 38 2...c6
- Slav Defense 4...Bf5
57 21 22 2...c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Bf5
Variation
- Slav Defense Main
38 25 37 2...c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4
Line
- Accepted 37 24 39 2...dxc4
- Albin Counter-
48 30 22 2...e5
Gambit
- Declined 41 23 36 2...e6
- Tarrasch Variation 39 26 35 2...e6 3. Nc3 c5
- Declined Main Line 44 22 34 2...e6 3. Nc3 Nf6
2...e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6.
- Declined Classical
31 12 57 Nf3 Nbd7 7. Rc1 c6 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 Nd5
Variation
10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. O-O Nxc3 12. Rxc3 e5
- Cambridge Springs
43 26 31 2...e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7
Defense
- Semi Slav 38 25 37 2...e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 c6
- Semi Slav 5. Bg5
40 27 33 2...e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 c6 5. Bg5
Variation
- Semi Slav 5. e3
38 23 39 2...e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 c6 5. e3
Variation
2...e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3
- Meran Variation 33 27 40
cxd4 7. Bxd4 b5
2...e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3
- Old Line 37 28 35
cxd4 7. Bxd4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5
- Chigorin Variation 46 29 25 2...Nc6
Queenside
46 29 25 1. e4 b6
Fianchetto
- 2. d4 Variation 47 28 25 2. d4
- 2. Nc3 Variation 28 48 24 2. Nc3
- 2. Nf3 Variation 37 37 26 2. Nf3
Queen's Indian
33 25 42 1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 b6
Defense
- Petrosian System 35 25 40 4. a3
- 4. e3 Variation 34 25 41 4. e3
- 4. g3 Variation 31 23 46 4. g3
- 4. Nc3 Variation 36 26 38 4. Nc3
Queen's Pawn
38 28 34 1. d4
Opening
- 1...d5 40 25 35 1...d5
- 1...d5 2. c4 40 24 36 1...d5 2. c4
- 1...d5 2. e4 49 35 16 1...d5 2. e4
- 1...d5 2. Nf3 37 27 36 1...d5 2. Nf3
- 1...Nf6 38 29 33 1...Nf6
- 1...Nf6 2. c4 39 28 33 1...Nf6 2. c4
- 1...Nf6 2. Nf3 36 29 35 1...Nf6 2. Nf3
Rat 37 30 33 1. d4 d6
Reti Opening 37 26 37 1. Nf3
- 1...d5 Variation 36 26 38 1...d5
- 1...g6 Variation 36 29 35 1...g6
- 1...Nc6 Variation 46 27 27 1...Nc6
- 1...Nf6 Variation 38 24 38 1...Nf6
Robatsch Defense 38 33 29 1. e4 g6
2. d4 Variation 39 32 29 2. d4
2. Nf3 Variation 37 32 31 2. Nf3
Ruy Lopez 40 27 33 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
- Morphy Defense 37 25 38 3...a6
- 4. Ba4 Variation 40 27 33 3...a6 4. Ba4
- Arkhangelsk
40 26 34 3...a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5
Variation
- Closed Defense 36 23 41 3...a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7
- Centre Attack 41 28 31 3...a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d4
- Worrall Attack 41 26 33 3...a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Qe2
3...a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7.
- Smyslov's Variation 39 25 36
Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 h6
3...a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7.
- Chigorin Variation 38 22 40
Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Na5
3...a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7.
- Breyer Variation 33 24 43
Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Nb8
- Avoiding the
3...a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7.
Marshall Counter- 42 23 35
Bb3 O-O 8. a4
Gambit
- Marshall Counter- 3...a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7.
33 34 33
Gambit Bb3 O-O 8. c3 d5
3...a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7.
- Marshall Counter- Bb3 O-O 8. c3 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5
34 34 32
Gambit Main Line Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d4 Bd6 13. Re1 Qh4
14. g3 Qh3 15. Be3 Bg4 16. Qd3
- Open Defense 38 25 37 3...a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4
 3...a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7.
- Kere's Attack 37 23 40
Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Qe2
- Exchange Variation 33 28 39 3...a6 4. Bxc6
- Classical Defense 46 26 28 3...Bc5
- Steinitz Defense 59 23 18 3...d6
- Schliemann Gambit 41 30 29 3...f5
- Bird's Defense 51 25 24 3...Nd4
- Berlin Defense 36 25 39 3...Nf6
- Rio de Janiero
30 26 44 3...Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4
Variation
Saragossa Opening 34 43 23 1. c3
1...d5 Variation 33 45 22 1...d5
1...e5 Variation 40 45 15 1...e5
Sarratt Attack 37 30 33 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4
Scotch Game 40 30 30 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4
- Goring Gambit 45 30 25 3...exd4 4. c3
- Goring Gambit
32 34 34 3...exd4 4. c3 d5
Declined
- Goring Gambit
55 30 15 3...exd4 4. c3 dxc3
Accepted
- Goring Gambit Fully
60 33 7 3...exd4 4. c3 dxc3 5. Bc4 cxb2
Accepted
- 4. Main Line 39 28 33 3...exd4 4. Nxd4
- 4...Bc5 Variation 37 29 34 3...exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5
- Schmidt Variation 36 29 35 3...exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6
Sicilian Defense 37 34 29 1. e4 c5
- Wing Gambit 29 49 22 2. b4 cxb4 3. a3
- Alapin Variation 35 32 33 2. c3
- Grand Prix Attack 33 42 25 2. f4
- Closed Sicilian 35 37 28 2. Nc3
- 2. Nf3 Variation 37 33 30 2. Nf3
- 2...d6 Variation 37 32 31 2. Nf3 d6
- Najdorf Variation 37 33 30 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6
- Schveningen
40 31 29 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6
Variation
- Dragon Variation 42 31 27 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6
- 2...e6 Variation 35 33 32 2. Nf3 e6
- Kan Variation 35 35 30 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6
- 2...Nc6 Variation 38 33 29 2. Nf3 Nc6
- Lowenthal Hunting
37 34 29 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4
Variation
- Maroczy Bind 38 21 41 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4
- Pelikan Variation 36 32 32 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5
- Nimzowitsch
40 29 31 2. Nf3 Nf6
Variation
St George's Defense 50 30 20 1. e4 a6
Three Knight's
37 28 35 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3
Defense
Torre Attack 37 32 31 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bg5
- 3...Ne4 Variation 28 39 33 3...Ne4
Trompowsky Attack 38 31 31 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5
- 2...d5 Variation 36 29 35 2...d5
- 2...Ne4 Variation 38 32 30 2...Ne4
Van't Kruijs Attack 28 47 25 1. e3
- 1...d5 Variation 23 54 23 1...d5
- 1...e5 Variation 37 43 20 1...e5
Vienna Game 41 30 29 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3
- 2...Bc5 Variation 44 28 28 2...Bc5
- 2...Nc6 Variation 41 32 27 2...Nc6
- Falkbeer Variation 38 31 31 2...Nf6
- Vienna Gambit 41 31 28 2...Nf6 3. f4
- Modern Variation 36 35 29 2...Nf6 3. f4 d5

If there are statistics for other openings or variations that I have missed that you are
interested in then position searches can be done
at www.chesslab.com/PositionSearch.html. To do the search, set the position up on
the board and click on the 'Position Stats' button.

White's 1st Move

The best first moves for white are 1. c4, 1. d4, 1. g3 and 1. Nf3. They all have very
similar success rates for white. 1. e4 is not quite so successful because of the
popularity of black's equally most successful opening, the Sicilian Defense.

Replies to White's 1st Move

Against 1. a3 (Anderssen's Opening), play 1...g6, don't play 1...e5.

Against 1. b3 (Larsen's Defense), play 1...d5 (Classical Variation).

Against 1. b4 (Polish Defense), 1...Nf6 is slightly more successful

than 1...d5 and 1...e5.

Against 1. c3 (Saragossa Opening), play 1...d5.

Against 1. c4 (English Opening), play 1...c5 (Symmetrical Variation).

Against 1. d3 (Mieses Opening), play 1...e5.

Against 1. d4 (Queen's Pawn Opening), 1...Nf6 is black's best

reply. 1...g6 and 1...d6 are also quite good for black. 1...d5 is a very common reply but
not as successful for black. 1...f5 (Dutch Defense) and 1...b5 (Polish Opening) are
both bad for black.

Against 1. e3 (Van't Kruijs Attack), play 1...d5, don't play 1...e5.

Against 1. e4 (King's Pawn Opening), 1...c5 (Sicilian Defense) is black's best reply.
Although not too commonly played, 1...g6 (Robatsch Defense), 1...Nf6 (Alekhine's
Defense) and 1...Nc6 (Nimzowitsch Defense) are also quite good for black while
other replies like 1...c6 (Caro-Kann), 1...d6 (Pirc Defense) and1...e6 (French
Defense) are also a little bit more successful than the more common 1...e5.
Against 1. f4 (Bird's Opening), play 1...d5 (Dutch Variation).

Against 1. g3 (Benko Opening), play either 1...d5 or 1...e5, don't play 1...h5 (Lasker
Simul Special).

Against 1. g4 (Grob Opening), play 1...e5.

Against 1. Nc3 (Dunst Opening), play 1...d5, don't play 1...e5 or 1...Nf6.

Against 1. Nf3 (Reti Opening), play 1...g6, don't play 1...Nc6.

Against any other first move, play either 1...d5 or 1...e5.

Queen's Pawn Openings

After 1. d4 d5

If black replies to 1. d4 with 1...d5 then white's most successful openings are 2. c4
(Queen's Gambit) and 2. e4 (Blackmar Diemer Gambit). Other fairly common
continuations like 2. Nf3 are not as successful.

Against 2. c4 (Queen's Gambit), the best continuations for black are the Queen's
Gambit Accepted and theSemi Slav. If black plays the Semi Slav then its better for
white to play 5. Bg5 rather than 5. e3 because that can easily lead into the Meran
Variation which is black's most successful continuation from the Queen's Gambit.

After 1. d4 Nf6

2. c4 is more successful than 2. Nf3 for white but black can try for the Nimzo
Indian after 2. c4 and that is black's equally most successful opening overall, however
white can avoid that by playing a different third move. Another alternative that
occasionally gets played is 2. Bg5 (Trompowsky Attack), black's most successful
reply to that is 2...d5.

After 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4

There are two common continuations for black in this position which
are 2...e6 (normally leading to a Nimzo Indian or Queen's Indian) or 2...g6 (normally
leading to a King's Indian or Grunfeld Defense). Out of those two
continuations 2...e6 is more successful for black.
Benko Gambit - White should fully accept the gambit and try to keep to the main
line. Playing the Nescafe Frappe Attack instead of fully accepting the gambit is bad
for white.

Benoni Defense - White should play the Modern Variation against this opening.

Grunfeld Defense - All of the main lines are good for white but the Russian
System is a little bit more successful.

King's Indian - This is an extremely popular opening for black but its nowhere near
as successful for black as the Nimzo Indian. White's most successful continuation is
the Averbakh Variation, also note that if black makes the mistake in that variation of
playing 6...e5 then 7. dxe5 dxe5 8. Qxd8 Rxd8 9. Nd5 is very good for white.

Nimzo Indian - This is black's equally most successful opening along with
the Sicilian Defense. The best continuations for white are 4. Qb3 (Spielmann's
Variation), 4. e3 (Main Line) and the 4. f3 variation. If the 4.e3 c5 Main Line is
played, white should play 5. Ne2 (Rubenstein's Variation) as this is white's most
successful reply overall to the Nimzo Indian. White should avoid playing 4. a3
(Samisch Variation) and 4. Bg5 (Leningrad Variation).

Queen's Indian - This is less successful than the Nimzo Indian but more successful
than the King's Indian. All the main variations have very similar success rates for
white but the 4. a3 (Petrosian System) and 4. Nf3 Variation are slightly better.
The Queen's Indian can be reached if white plays 3. Nf3 to avoid the Nimzo Indian.
Also note that 3...Bb4+ would lead to a Bogo-Indian Defense which is bad for black
as white can play4. Nbd2 to avoid the risk of getting doubled pawns on the c-file and
an isolated pawn on the a-file.

King's Pawn Openings

After 1. e4 e5

Against 2. d4 (Centre Game), play 2...exd4. After that, the Danish Gambit is a bit
more successful for white. In that continuation, black shouldn't fully accept the gambit
by taking the pawn on b2.

Against 2. f4 (King's Gambit), play either 2...d5 (Falkbeer Counter

Gambit) or 2...exf4 (Accepted), definitely don't play 2...d6 (Declined). Black's best
continuation is the Abbazia Defense, closely followed by the Cunningham Defense.
The Allgaier Gambit isn't so good for black.
Against 2. Bc4 (Bishop's Opening), 2...Nf6 (Berlin Defense) is a bit more successful
than 2...Nc6 (Classical Variation). After 2...Nf6 is played, 3. d3 is better for white
than 3. Nc3.

Against 2. Nc3 (Vienna Game), black's most successful reply is 2...Nf6 (Falkbeer
Variation). If white plays 3. f4 (Vienna Gambit) after that then 3...d5 (Modern
Variation) is good for black. Black shouldn't play 3...exf4to accept the gambit as that
has a very low success rate for black.

Against 2. Nf3 f5 (Latvian Gambit), play 3. Nxe5.

Against 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 (Ponziani's Opening), 3...d5 is better than 3...Nf6 for black.

Against 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 (Scotch Game), black should play 3...exd4. Overall the best
continuation for white is4. c3 (Goring Gambit) but that is risky because the 4...d5
(Declined) reply is good for black. If black accepts the Goring Gambit then they
shouldn't fully accept it by taking the pawn on b2 as well as this is very good for
white. The main line of 4. Nxd4 is nearly as successful for white overall and doesn't
have the problem of one of the main replies being more successful for black. Black's
two main continuations after 4. Nxd4 are 4...Bc5 and4...Nf6 (Schmidt Variation) and
they both have similar success rates for black.

Against 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 (Ruy Lopez), the best replies are 3...a6 (Morphy
Defense), 3...f5 (Schliemann Gambit) and 3...Nf6 (Berlin Gambit). The least
successful replies are 3...d6 (Steinitz Defense), 3...Nd4 (Bird's Defense) and 3...Bc5
(Classical Defense). If black plays 3...a6 (Morphy Defense), 4. Ba5 is better than 4.
Bxc6 (Exchange Variation). If a closed variation is played, the Centre
Attack and Worrall Attack are almost as good as the main line. If the main line of
a Closed Variation is played up until black's 9th move then black's most successful
continuation at that point is 9...Nb8 (Breyer's Variation). Overall, black's best
variation is the Marshall Counter-Gambit however trying to play for that is a bit
risky as 8. a4 is very successful for white. Also good for black is the Rio de Janiero
Variation.

Against 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 (Giuoco Piano), 3...Nf6 (Two Knight's Defense) is
slightly more successful than3...Bc5 (Main Line). In the 3...Bc5 Main Line, white
should play 4. c3 to prepare d4 but if black plays4...Nf6 then 5. d3 is a more
successful continuation for white than 5. d4. In the main line, white should avoid
playing the Moller Attack as that is good for black. The Evans Gambit,Giuoco
Pianissimo and 3...Bc5 4. Nc3 line are not too good for white either.
Against 2. Nf3 Nf6 (Petroff's Defense), 3. d4 (Steinitz Variation) is white's best
reply. If white plays 3. Nxe5, then black should play 3...d6 (Paulsen Variation).
The 3. Nxe5 Qe7 Variation and 3. Nxe5 Nxe4 (Damiano Variation) are bad for
black.

Other 1. e4 Replies

Against 1...b6 (Queenside Fianchetto), play 2. d4.

Against 1...c5 (Sicilian Defense), the two most successful replies are 2. Nf3 and
then 2. c3 (Alapin Variation). Other continuations like 2. Nc3 (Closed Variation), 2.
f4 (Grand Prix Attack) and 2. b4 (Wing Gambit)aren't so good. After 2. Nf3 is
played, the most successful reply to that is 2...e6. The other common replies
of2...d6 and 2...Nc6 aren't quite so successful but still good. 2...Nf6 (Nimzowitsch
Variation) isn't so good. In the main line of the 2...d6 Variation, 5...a6 (Najdorf
Variation) is much more successful for black than 5...e6 (Schveningen
Variation) and 5...g6 (Dragon Variation). In the 2...e6 Variation, black should try
for the Kan Variation as that has black's best success rate out of all the most
common 2. Nf3 lines. In the 2...Nc6 Variation, white should try for the Maroczy
Bind as that has white's best success rate out of all the most common 2. Nf3 lines.

Against 1...c6 (Caro-Kann), all the most common variations give a similar success
rate for white but theAdvance Variation is slightly more successful.

Against 1...d5 (Center-Counter), 2...Nf6 is slightly better than 2. Qxd8 if white takes
the pawn on move two. In the 2...Qxd5 3. Nc3 Variation, 3...Qa5 is a little better
than 3...Qd8.

Against 1...d6 (Pirc Defense), if you are white then play the Austrian Attack if black
carries on with a normal continuation like 2...Nf6 and 3...g6. That variation is easily
white's most successful.

Against 1...e6 (French Defense), carry on as normal with 2. d4 d5, then for white
the Tarrasch Variation is the most successful followed by the Main Line. White
should avoid the Exchange Variation and the Advance Variation as they are
statistically the worst of the main variations for white. In the main line of 3. Nc3, the
reply3...Nf6 is slightly more successful than 3...Bb4 (Winawer Variation) for black.

Against 1...g6 (Robatsch Defense), 2. Nf3 is a little bit more successful for white
than 2. d4.

Against 1...Nc6 (Nimzowitsch Defense), 2. Nf3 is more successful than 2. d4.

Against 1...Nf6 (Alekhine Defense), play the Modern Variation, don't play the Four
Pawns Attack.

Top 10s
A win counts as one point and a draw counts as half a point in the following tables.
The openings here are all fairly common so these tables don't include openings that
never get played in higher level Chess because the win percentages won't be very
accurate.

White's Best 10 Openings (Based on White Win % + (Draw % x 0.5))

White Draw Black Points per

Rank Opening
Win % % Win % 100 games
Queen's
1 40 36 24 58
Gambit
Blackmar
2 Diemer 49 16 35 57
Gambit
3 Ruy Lopez 40 33 27 56.5
Bishop's
4 41 30 29 56
Opening
Benko
5 38 35 27 55.5
Opening
=5 Reti Opening 37 37 26 55.5
=5 Vienna Game 41 29 30 55.5
8 Centre Game 44 22 34 55
English
=8 38 34 28 55
Opening
=8 Scotch Game 40 30 30 55

White's Worst 10 Openings (Based on White Win % + (Draw % x 0.5))

White Draw Black Points per

Rank Opening
Win % % Win % 100 games
1 Van't Kruijs 28 25 47 40.5
 Attack
Anderssen's
2 30 27 43 43.5
Opening
3 Grob Opening 36 18 46 45
Saragossa
4 34 23 43 45.5
Opening
Bird's
5 34 25 41 46.5
Opening
Polish
6 38 23 39 49.5
Defense
Dunst
7 36 28 36 50
Opening
Anti-Veresov
=7 36 28 36 50
Opening
9 Colle System 35 31 34 50.5
Mieses
10 39 24 37 51
Opening

Black's Best 10 Openings (Based on Black Win % + (Draw % x 0.5))

White Draw Black Points per

Rank Opening
Win % % Win % 100 games
Sicilian
1 37 29 34 48.5
Defense
=1 Nimzo Indian 33 37 30 48.5
Robatsch
3 38 29 33 47.5
Defense
Alekhine
4 38 30 32 47
Defense
Nimzowitsch
5 41 25 34 46.5
Defense
=5 Rat 37 33 30 46.5
7 Benko Gambit 40 28 32 46
=7 Modern 39 30 31 46
 Defense
Queen's Indian
=7 33 42 25 46
Defense
Pseudo King's
10 38 33 29 45.5
Indian

Black's Worst 10 Openings (Based on Black Win % + (Draw % x 0.5))

White Draw Black Points per

Rank Opening
Win % % Win % 100 games
Gunderam
1 50 25 25 37.5
Defense
Polish
2 49 23 28 39.5
Opening
St George's
3 50 20 30 40
Defense
Budapest
4 46 27 27 40.5
Gambit
Philidor's
=4 46 27 27 40.5
Defense
Latvian
6 50 17 33 41.5
Gambit
Petroff's
=6 39 39 22 41.5
Defense
Queenside
=6 46 25 29 41.5
Fianchetto
Bogo-Indian
9 36 42 22 43
Defense
=9 Dutch Defense 42 30 28 43
=9 King's Indian 42 30 28 43

10 Most Drawn Openings

Draw
Rank Opening
(%)
 1 Bogo-Indian Defense 42
=1 Queen's Indian Defense 42
3 Petroff's Defense 39
=3 Four Knight's Defense 39
5 Grunfeld Defense 37
=5 Nimzo Indian 37
=5 Reti Opening 37
8 Queen's Gambit 36
9 Benko Opening 35
=9 Three Knight's Defense 35

10 Least Drawn Openings

Draw
Rank Opening
(%)
1 Blackmar Diemer Gambit 16
Blackmar Diemer Gambit
=1 16
(Delayed)
3 Latvian Gambit 17
4 Grob Opening 18
5 King's Gambit 20
=5 St George's Defense 20
7 Center Game 22
8 Polish Defense 23
=8 Polish Opening 23
=8 Saragossa Opening 23

Links to my other pages

Chess Puzzles
This is a collection of checkmate puzzles. There are sets of 12 puzzles for beginners,
intermediate and advanced players.

Chess Openings
From this page you will find links to my various openings pages. There are pages
about the Blackburne Gambit,Budapest Gambit, Hippopotamus Defense, Ruy
Lopez, Slav Defense and St George's Defense and a collection of Unusual Openings.
In total there are over 700 example games involving these openings.

Chess
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How to Beat Chess Computers

This page gives tips and advice on how to beat Chess Computers. It gives advice on
what to do and what not to do against Chess Computers and includes example games
that demonstrate a few key points.