Openings › Insights › First moves by Lichess rating
1.e4 vs 1.d4: White's Score at Every Lichess Rating Level
1.e4 was played in 65.9% of games at Under 1200 and 45.5% at 2100+; 1.d4 in 21.3% and 29.3%. White scored 52.2–52.5% with 1.d4 and 51.2–52.0% with 1.e4 across the levels.
The gap between 1.d4 and 1.e4 is outside the combined margin at 5 of 5 levels (Under 1200, 1200–1499, 1500–1799, 1800–2099, 2100+).
In Lichess games from Oct 2025–Sep 2026: 1.e4 was played in 65.9% of games at Under 1200 and 45.5% at 2100+; 1.d4 in 21.3% and 29.3%. White scored 52.2–52.5% with 1.d4 and 51.2–52.0% with 1.e4 across the levels. Observed results, not causation.
Based on the sampled Lichess games from Oct 2025–Sep 2026 (5,629,529 games used), by Lichess rating level (the average of both players' ratings).
The numbers
| First move | Lichess rating level | Games | Share of games | White's score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.e4 King's Pawn Game | Under 1200 | 538,686 | 65.9% | 52.0% ±0.1 |
| 1.e4 King's Pawn Game | 1200–1499 | 758,596 | 63.4% | 51.5% ±0.1 |
| 1.e4 King's Pawn Game | 1500–1799 | 956,128 | 59.9% | 51.2% ±0.1 |
| 1.e4 King's Pawn Game | 1800–2099 | 725,731 | 54.6% | 51.2% ±0.1 |
| 1.e4 King's Pawn Game | 2100+ | 314,209 | 45.5% | 51.5% ±0.2 |
| 1.d4 Queen's Pawn Game | Under 1200 | 174,502 | 21.3% | 52.5% ±0.2 |
| 1.d4 Queen's Pawn Game | 1200–1499 | 283,265 | 23.7% | 52.4% ±0.2 |
| 1.d4 Queen's Pawn Game | 1500–1799 | 408,050 | 25.6% | 52.2% ±0.2 |
| 1.d4 Queen's Pawn Game | 1800–2099 | 368,022 | 27.7% | 52.3% ±0.2 |
| 1.d4 Queen's Pawn Game | 2100+ | 202,168 | 29.3% | 52.4% ±0.2 |
| 1.Nf3 Zukertort Opening | Under 1200 | 21,032 | 2.6% | 51.1% ±0.7 |
| 1.Nf3 Zukertort Opening | 1200–1499 | 29,706 | 2.5% | 52.2% ±0.6 |
| 1.Nf3 Zukertort Opening | 1500–1799 | 43,408 | 2.7% | 52.4% ±0.5 |
| 1.Nf3 Zukertort Opening | 1800–2099 | 50,707 | 3.8% | 53.0% ±0.4 |
| 1.Nf3 Zukertort Opening | 2100+ | 52,244 | 7.6% | 53.3% ±0.4 |
| 1.c4 English Opening | Under 1200 | 13,065 | 1.6% | 51.5% ±0.8 |
| 1.c4 English Opening | 1200–1499 | 26,851 | 2.2% | 52.9% ±0.6 |
| 1.c4 English Opening | 1500–1799 | 48,918 | 3.1% | 53.3% ±0.4 |
| 1.c4 English Opening | 1800–2099 | 52,941 | 4.0% | 53.1% ±0.4 |
| 1.c4 English Opening | 2100+ | 34,583 | 5.0% | 52.8% ±0.5 |
Margins are approximate 95% margins based only on the number of games; real uncertainty is larger (games come in blocks and the same players play many of them). These are observed results, not causes. Download: First moves by Lichess rating (CSV), CC0.