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Most Drawish Chess Openings on Lichess
At 2100+, the Ruy Lopez had the highest draw share of the site's opening pages: 16.8% of 9,418 games (5.2% at all levels together).
60 opening pages with 2,000+ games; draw share = drawn games ÷ games.
In Lichess games from Oct 2025–Sep 2026: At 2100+, the Ruy Lopez had the highest draw share of the site's opening pages: 16.8% of 9,418 games (5.2% at all levels together). 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
| Rank | Opening | Draws at 2100+ | Draws, all levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ruy Lopez | 16.8% (9,418 games) | 5.2% (99,324) |
| 2 | King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation | 10.4% (27,285 games) | 4.1% (504,011) |
| 3 | King's Knight Opening | 9.3% (36,482 games) | 4.1% (773,425) |
| 4 | Italian Game: Giuoco Piano | 8.3% (3,772 games) | 3.9% (70,262) |
| 5 | Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation | 8.1% (5,313 games) | 5.3% (14,428) |
| 6 | Petrov's Defense | 7.7% (4,274 games) | 3.8% (80,763) |
| 7 | Italian Game | 7.3% (9,397 games) | 3.7% (221,258) |
| 8 | Indian Defense: Normal Variation | 7.0% (27,107 games) | 4.9% (99,447) |
| 9 | Italian Game: Two Knights Defense | 6.9% (4,286 games) | 3.5% (83,297) |
| 10 | Queen's Gambit Declined | 6.8% (11,570 games) | 4.5% (74,539) |
| 11 | Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations | 6.8% (15,780 games) | 4.5% (74,080) |
| 12 | Queen's Gambit | 6.7% (22,847 games) | 4.2% (203,538) |
| 13 | Indian Defense | 6.6% (61,921 games) | 4.7% (252,565) |
| 14 | Queen's Pawn Game: Zukertort Variation | 6.6% (16,831 games) | 4.4% (125,953) |
| 15 | London System | 6.5% (5,542 games) | 4.1% (118,477) |
| 16 | Sicilian Defense: Open | 6.5% (8,454 games) | 4.2% (52,114) |
| 17 | Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation | 6.5% (1,903 games) | 4.7% (5,286) |
| 18 | Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon | 6.4% (2,159 games) | 4.4% (11,668) |
| 19 | Scotch Game | 6.4% (5,577 games) | 3.8% (105,990) |
| 20 | Slav Defense | 6.4% (10,422 games) | 4.5% (57,704) |
| 21 | King's Indian Defense | 6.3% (6,580 games) | 4.8% (24,475) |
| 22 | Italian Game: Evans Gambit | 6.2% (448 games) | 3.1% (4,589) |
| 23 | Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian | 6.2% (16,095 games) | 4.1% (120,371) |
| 24 | Réti Opening | 6.2% (2,177 games) | 4.9% (8,835) |
| 25 | Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation | 6.1% (6,253 games) | 4.3% (34,006) |
| 26 | Sicilian Defense: Hyperaccelerated Dragon | 5.9% (2,673 games) | 4.5% (12,364) |
| 27 | English Opening | 5.9% (34,583 games) | 4.2% (176,358) |
| 28 | French Defense: Normal Variation | 5.9% (23,853 games) | 4.1% (158,650) |
| 29 | Three Knights Opening | 5.9% (4,142 games) | 4.3% (79,697) |
| 30 | Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit | 5.9% (849 games) | 3.2% (9,813) |
| 31 | Rapport-Jobava System | 5.8% (2,127 games) | 4.0% (19,385) |
| 32 | Caro-Kann Defense | 5.8% (38,423 games) | 4.1% (293,103) |
| 33 | Sicilian Defense | 5.7% (85,888 games) | 4.0% (529,389) |
| 34 | Sicilian Defense: French Variation | 5.6% (11,226 games) | 3.9% (57,275) |
| 35 | Ponziani Opening | 5.5% (656 games) | 3.3% (20,178) |
| 36 | Bishop's Opening | 5.5% (2,385 games) | 3.6% (135,533) |
| 37 | Philidor Defense | 5.4% (2,900 games) | 4.2% (115,797) |
| 38 | French Defense | 5.4% (41,547 games) | 3.9% (337,251) |
| 39 | Queen's Pawn Game: Modern Defense | 5.2% (10,771 games) | 3.8% (69,571) |
| 40 | Sicilian Defense: Closed | 5.1% (14,691 games) | 3.9% (59,733) |
| 41 | French Defense: Knight Variation | 5.1% (7,792 games) | 3.8% (101,330) |
| 42 | Scandinavian Defense: Mieses-Kotroc Variation | 5.0% (13,412 games) | 3.9% (173,538) |
| 43 | Vienna Game | 5.0% (7,682 games) | 3.6% (106,796) |
| 44 | Sicilian Defense: Bowdler Attack | 4.9% (1,482 games) | 3.4% (47,711) |
| 45 | Horwitz Defense | 4.8% (18,105 games) | 3.7% (140,570) |
| 46 | Scandinavian Defense | 4.8% (31,911 games) | 3.7% (375,845) |
| 47 | Benoni Defense: Old Benoni | 4.7% (16,879 games) | 3.5% (65,731) |
| 48 | Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit | 4.7% (8,491 games) | 3.5% (49,507) |
| 49 | Pirc Defense | 4.6% (18,605 games) | 3.8% (138,874) |
| 50 | Modern Defense | 4.4% (15,470 games) | 3.6% (115,015) |
| 51 | Center Game | 4.4% (4,929 games) | 3.3% (90,489) |
| 52 | Englund Gambit | 4.3% (7,737 games) | 3.2% (104,119) |
| 53 | King's Gambit | 4.2% (3,532 games) | 3.0% (74,777) |
| 54 | Petrov's Defense: Stafford Gambit | 4.1% (370 games) | 3.0% (7,784) |
| 55 | Owen Defense | 4.0% (5,708 games) | 3.4% (69,120) |
| 56 | Blackmar-Diemer Gambit | 3.9% (2,390 games) | 3.3% (30,034) |
| 57 | Danish Gambit | 3.7% (1,061 games) | 3.2% (16,974) |
| 58 | Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit | 3.6% (2,308 games) | 3.2% (34,576) |
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: Most drawish openings (CSV), CC0.