Which opening should you play at your rating? Under 1400, the choices that score best are the Queen's Gambit and the London System as White, and the Caro-Kann or the French as Black against 1.e4. But the gap between a good and an average choice is about 3 to 5 points, so pick the one you will understand. We checked 3,062,092 Lichess games.
As White
"Score" is the share of points the side playing the opening won (a win is 1, a draw is half). White's score across all games is about 52%, so 52 means average.
| Opening | Share of White's games, under 1000 | Score | 1000–1399: share | Score | 1400–1799: share | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.e4 (all) | 66% | 52.1% | 65% | 51.9% | 62% | 51.5% |
| 1.d4 (all) | 21% | 52.3% | 23% | 52.6% | 25% | 52.5% |
| Italian (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4) | 4.5% | 53.8% | 5.9% | 52.7% | 4.4% | 51.9% |
| Ruy Lopez (…3.Bb5) | 1.4% | 53.7% | 2.5% | 52.9% | 2.1% | 53.3% |
| London System (1.d4 with 2.Bf4) | 4.1% | 54.4% | 5.4% | 53.4% | 4.9% | 52.8% |
| Queen's Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4) | 1.9% | 55.2% | 3.2% | 54.7% | 4.0% | 54.7% |
As Black against 1.e4
| Reply | Under 1000: share | Score | 1000–1399: share | Score | 1400–1799: share | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1...e5 | 61% | 47.2% | 54% | 47.2% | 43% | 47.3% |
| 1...c5 (Sicilian) | 5% | 49.7% | 9% | 50.0% | 16% | 49.5% |
| 1...c6 (Caro-Kann) | 5% | 51.8% | 7% | 50.4% | 9% | 50.0% |
| 1...e6 (French) | 6% | 50.0% | 8% | 49.8% | 10% | 50.0% |
| 1...d5 (Scandinavian) | 12% | 48.4% | 11% | 48.0% | 10% | 49.1% |
As Black against 1.d4
| Reply | Under 1000: share | Score | 1000–1399: share | Score | 1400–1799: share | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1...d5 | 56% | 47.4% | 53% | 46.4% | 47% | 46.4% |
| 1...Nf6 | 7% | 49.5% | 10% | 49.3% | 15% | 48.7% |
What the numbers say
- Most differences are small. White's best choice (the Queen's Gambit, 54.7%) is 2.7 points above the White average of 52%. Black's best common choice (1...c6) is about 4.6 points above 1...e5 under 1000.
- 1...e5 is the most popular reply and scores lowest. 47% for Black. It is also the reply that meets Scholar's Mate, the Fried Liver and other early attacks.
- 1...c6 and 1...e6 are good schools. They score about 50% from 1000 up and meet fewer early traps.
- The London and Queen's Gambit are the safest for White: the best scores at each level and few opening traps.
- The Sicilian rises with rating: 5% of replies under 1000, 16% at 1400–1799, 26% at 1800+, while scoring about the same.
- The Italian fades. It scores well under 1000 (53.8%) because opponents do not know the Fried Liver defence (half of defenders go wrong). It scores 51.9% at 1400–1799 once they do.
The honest caveat
This does not prove an opening is better. Players pick openings they like, so a high score may reflect the players, not the moves. In our larger openings study, about 60 band-by-family tests found one result outside chance, which is what chance alone would give. Use the table to see what is common and what is safe, not to find a secret weapon.
What to play
- Under 1000: keep it to one system for each colour. London or Queen's Gambit with White. 1...e5 with an f7 defence, or 1...c6, with Black.
- 1000–1399: add one reply to each of 1.e4 and 1.d4. For example the Caro-Kann or French against 1.e4.
- 1400 and up: choose the family of positions you like, and expect main lines.
The Opening Trainer has 11 openings with 86 lines to move 10, with a note on every move. Chess openings by level shows what players at your rating play.
How we measured it
- Data: 3,062,092 rated Lichess rapid and blitz games from September 2026 (CC0), the first 40 half-moves of each game, with both players within 200 rating points. Groups use the average of both ratings: under 1000 is 212,877 games, 1000–1399 is 765,630 and 1400–1799 is 1,214,740.
- Share: for White's openings, the share of all games; for Black's replies, the share of games where White opened 1.e4 (or 1.d4).
- Limits: players choose openings; all ages; one month; "London" means 1.d4 with 2.Bf4, which also includes some other move orders.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best opening for beginners? For White, the London System or Queen's Gambit; for Black, 1...e5 with a plan for the early attack, or 1...c6. They score best at the lowest ratings in our sample, but the differences are small.
Does the opening matter at low ratings? Much less than not leaving pieces hanging. Every common opening scores within 4 points of the average.
Which is better, 1.e4 or 1.d4? They score the same: 1.d4 about 52.5% and 1.e4 about 51.7% across ratings under 1800.
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