Chess opening explorer by rating
Move a piece or tap a move in the table. You see the moves players at your rating choose, from 17.4 million Lichess games: the thicker the arrow, the more often it is played.
Lichess rating
Starting position
Games from this position (1600–1999): 6.4M
- Play a move on the board, or pick one from the table.
| Move | Played | Games | White · Draw · Black |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60% | 3.8M | ||
| 27% | 1.7M | ||
| 3% | 223k | ||
| 3% | 196k | ||
| 1% | 83k | ||
| 1% | 77k | ||
| 1% | 72k | ||
| 1% | 71k | ||
| 0.5% | 34k | ||
| 0.5% | 32k | ||
| 0.3% | 22k |
Most played openings
- Sicilian Defense
1.e4 c5
- Scandinavian Defense
1.e4 d5
- Italian Game
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4
- Queen’s Gambit
1.d4 d5 2.c4
- Réti Opening (1.Nf3)
1.Nf3
- English Opening
1.c4
- Bishop’s Opening
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4
- London System
1.d4 d5 2.Bf4
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First moves by rating
What players open with at each level. Share of games at that rating.
| Move | <1200 | 1200–1599 | 1600–1999 | 2000+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.e4 | 66% | 64% | 60% | 52% |
| 1.d4 | 22% | 24% | 27% | 30% |
| 1.Nf3 | 3% | 2% | 3% | 6% |
| 1.c4 | 1% | 2% | 3% | 5% |
| 1.e3 | 3% | 2% | 1% | 0.7% |
| 1.g3 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 0.9% |
Answers to 1.e4 by rating
| Move | <1200 | 1200–1599 | 1600–1999 | 2000+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1...e5 | 59% | 49% | 35% | 23% |
| 1...c5 | 6% | 12% | 20% | 31% |
| 1...d5 | 11% | 10% | 10% | 7% |
| 1...e6 | 6% | 9% | 11% | 13% |
| 1...c6 | 6% | 8% | 10% | 12% |
| 1...d6 | 3% | 4% | 4% | 5% |
Answers to 1.d4 by rating
| Move | <1200 | 1200–1599 | 1600–1999 | 2000+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1...d5 | 55% | 50% | 43% | 31% |
| 1...Nf6 | 9% | 12% | 20% | 38% |
| 1...e6 | 9% | 10% | 9% | 7% |
| 1...e5 | 9% | 8% | 6% | 2% |
| 1...g6 | 3% | 4% | 5% | 4% |
| 1...c6 | 3% | 4% | 4% | 4% |
How to use the explorer
- Play a move on the board, or tap a row in the table. The arrows show the most played moves; a thicker arrow means a more common move.
- Pick a rating level. The numbers change to games between players at that level, so you see what your own opponents play.
- The bar shows how the games ended: White wins, draws and Black wins. It is the result between people at that level, not an engine score.
- When you reach a named opening, a link to its guide appears. "Practice" starts the trainer from the position on the board.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical games on Lichess, October 2026. Bullet is left out. Rating = average of both players.
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