Openings › Rankings › Openings vs 1.d4, Lichess 1500–1799
Best Openings vs 1.d4, Lichess 1500–1799: Ranked by Results
At 1500–1799 (Lichess rating), the Black opening against 1.d4 highest-ranked by conservative score with 300+ games in this sample is the Benko Gambit: 55.9% (±4.0) in 567 games, a conservative score of 51.9%. 42 openings are ranked.
This list's rule: Openings of up to three moves for Black against 1.d4, where each of White's moves on the way is played in at least 20% of games at this level.
An opening may be missing from this page if it ranks below the 40 shown (the CSV has all ranked entries) or if it does not meet this list's rule. Missing does not mean weak.
- Openings after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 are not listed at this level: White answers 1.d4 Nf6 with 2.Nf3 in only 16.07% of games here, below this list's 20% rule.
- Openings after 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 are not listed at this level: White answers 1.d4 d5 with 2.Nf3 in only 16.76% of games here, below this list's 20% rule.
The ranking: 40 of 42 openings that meet this rule with 300+ games at this level
Black's score = wins plus half the draws, for the side that plays the opening, in games of rated players at 1500–1799 (Lichess rating; average of both players). "±" is an approximate 95% margin based only on the number of games. The conservative score is Black's score minus that margin; the list is ordered by it, then by more games. "Part of" names the shorter line with its own entry that this one continues. Openings without a link have no page on this site yet.
Each row: rank, opening and conservative score; the moves; games and Black's score with its margin; the line it is part of.
| Rank | Opening | Moves | Part of | Games | Black's score | Conservative score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benko Gambit | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 | Benoni Defense | 567 | 55.9% ±4.0 | 51.9% |
| 2 | Benoni Defense | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 | Indian Defense: Normal Variation | 1,579 | 53.4% ±2.4 | 51.0% |
| 3 | Englund Gambit: Hartlaub-Charlick Gambit | 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 d6 | Englund Gambit | 5,270 | 51.3% ±1.3 | 50.0% |
| 4 | Dutch Defense: Classical Variation | 1.d4 f5 2.c4 e6 | Dutch Defense | 1,045 | 52.4% ±3.0 | 49.4% |
| 5 | Englund Gambit | 1.d4 e5 | Queen's Pawn Game | 31,566 | 49.9% ±0.5 | 49.4% |
| 6 | Rat Defense: English Rat | 1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 | Old Indian Defense | 790 | 52.2% ±3.4 | 48.8% |
| 7 | Indian Defense: West Indian Defense | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 | Indian Defense: Normal Variation | 7,433 | 49.9% ±1.1 | 48.8% |
| 8 | Queen's Pawn Game: Modern Defense | 1.d4 g6 | Queen's Pawn Game | 21,691 | 49.4% ±0.7 | 48.7% |
| 9 | Dutch Defense: Normal Variation | 1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 | Dutch Defense | 1,918 | 50.9% ±2.2 | 48.7% |
| 10 | Benoni Defense: Old Benoni | 1.d4 c5 | Queen's Pawn Game | 16,122 | 49.4% ±0.8 | 48.6% |
| 11 | Englund Gambit: Main Line | 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 Qe7 | Englund Gambit | 3,926 | 49.8% ±1.5 | 48.3% |
| 12 | Indian Defense | 1.d4 Nf6 | Queen's Pawn Game | 61,882 | 48.5% ±0.4 | 48.1% |
| 13 | English Defense | 1.d4 b6 | Queen's Pawn Game | 9,806 | 49.0% ±1.0 | 48.0% |
| 14 | Dutch Defense | 1.d4 f5 | Queen's Pawn Game | 8,008 | 48.9% ±1.1 | 47.8% |
| 15 | Queen's Gambit Declined: Albin Countergambit | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 | Queen's Gambit | 2,454 | 49.2% ±1.9 | 47.3% |
| 16 | Indian Defense: Budapest Gambit | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 | Indian Defense: Normal Variation | 1,869 | 49.4% ±2.2 | 47.2% |
| 17 | Grünfeld Defense | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 | King's Indian Defense | 1,275 | 49.5% ±2.7 | 46.8% |
| 18 | Queen's Pawn Game: Anglo-Slav Opening | 1.d4 c6 2.c4 d6 | Queen's Pawn Game | 853 | 49.9% ±3.3 | 46.6% |
| 19 | Nimzo-Indian Defense | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 | Indian Defense: Normal Variation | 2,861 | 48.34% ±1.79 | 46.55% |
| 20 | Englund Gambit: Soller Gambit | 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 f6 | Englund Gambit | 1,255 | 49.28% ±2.74 | 46.54% |
| 21 | Slav Defense | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 | Queen's Gambit | 16,389 | 47.26% ±0.75 | 46.51% |
| 22 | Horwitz Defense | 1.d4 e6 | Queen's Pawn Game | 41,735 | 46.9% ±0.5 | 46.4% |
| 23 | Queen's Gambit Declined: Normal Defense | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 | Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation | 12,010 | 47.1% ±0.9 | 46.2% |
| 24 | Queen's Gambit Declined: Austrian Defense | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c5 | Queen's Gambit | 1,643 | 48.3% ±2.36 | 45.94% |
| 25 | Queen's Gambit Declined | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 | Queen's Gambit | 22,695 | 46.56% ±0.64 | 45.92% |
| 26 | Queen's Pawn Game: Accelerated London System, Steinitz Countergambit | 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 c5 | London System | 2,197 | 47.9% ±2.1 | 45.8% |
| 27 | Tarrasch Defense | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 | Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation | 1,056 | 48.7% ±3.0 | 45.7% |
| 28 | Polish Defense | 1.d4 b5 | Queen's Pawn Game | 640 | 49.5% ±3.8 | 45.7% |
| 29 | Mikenas Defense | 1.d4 Nc6 | Queen's Pawn Game | 2,581 | 47.5% ±1.9 | 45.6% |
| 30 | Benoni Defense: Modern Variation | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 | Benoni Defense | 513 | 49.7% ±4.3 | 45.4% |
| 31 | Queen's Gambit Declined: Marshall Defense | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nf6 | Queen's Gambit | 14,389 | 46.2% ±0.8 | 45.4% |
| 32 | Indian Defense: Budapest Gambit Accepted, Main Line | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 | Indian Defense: Budapest Gambit Accepted | 787 | 48.8% ±3.4 | 45.4% |
| 33 | Queen's Gambit Declined: Baltic Defense | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 | Queen's Gambit | 3,315 | 47.0% ±1.7 | 45.3% |
| 34 | Semi-Slav Defense: Accelerated Move Order | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 | Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation | 3,507 | 46.7% ±1.6 | 45.1% |
| 35 | Slav Indian | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c6 | Indian Defense: Normal Variation | 708 | 48.6% ±3.6 | 45.0% |
| 36 | Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense | 1.d4 c5 2.d5 Nf6 | Benoni Defense: Old Benoni | 657 | 48.7% ±3.8 | 44.9% |
| 37 | Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 | Queen's Gambit | 2,963 | 46.2% ±1.8 | 44.4% |
| 38 | Benoni Defense: Hromádka System | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 d6 | Benoni Defense | 532 | 48.4% ±4.2 | 44.2% |
| 39 | Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, McDonnell Defense | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 e5 | Queen's Gambit Accepted: Saduleto Variation | 551 | 47.5% ±4.1 | 43.4% |
| 40 | Queen's Gambit Accepted | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 | Queen's Gambit | 13,931 | 44.1% ±0.8 | 43.3% |
How the list is made: every opening name of the free Lichess opening list (CC0) once, at the shortest line that has its own opening page by the site's rules (2,000 games and 300+ games in 3 of 5 rating levels), with 300+ games at this level and meeting this list's rule. The share of each of the opponent's moves is counted at the position where it is played, at this level; the CSV gives each of them with its games. Observed results, not causation: a rank describes what happened in these games and says nothing about why. Ratings are Lichess ratings, not Chess.com or FIDE ratings.
At this level: White Openings Openings vs 1.e4 Openings vs 1.d4 · All rankings · How the numbers are made
Download the whole list: 42 openings (CSV), with each of the opponent's moves and its share, released under CC0.