Openings › Rankings › Openings vs 1.e4, Lichess 2100+
Best Openings vs 1.e4, Lichess 2100+: Ranked by Results
At 2100+ (Lichess rating), the Black opening against 1.e4 highest-ranked by conservative score with 300+ games in this sample is the Italian Game: Hungarian Defense: 55.1% (±4.5) in 439 games, a conservative score of 50.6%. 69 openings are ranked.
This list's rule: Openings of up to three moves for Black against 1.e4, 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), if it does not meet this list's rule, or if it has too few games here. Missing does not mean weak.
- Openings after 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 are not listed at this level: White answers 1.e4 e5 with 2.Nc3 in only 13.14% of games here, below this list's 20% rule.
- Openings after 1.e4 e5 2.f4 are not listed at this level: White answers 1.e4 e5 with 2.f4 in only 6.17% of games here, below this list's 20% rule.
- Openings after 1.e4 e5 2.d4 are not listed at this level: White answers 1.e4 e5 with 2.d4 in only 8.46% of games here, below this list's 20% rule.
The ranking: 40 of 69 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 2100+ (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 | Italian Game: Hungarian Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7 | Italian Game | 439 | 55.1% ±4.5 | 50.6% |
| 2 | Elephant Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5 | King's Knight Opening | 1,627 | 52.8% ±2.4 | 50.4% |
| 3 | French Defense: Marshall Gambit | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 c5 | French Defense: Paulsen Variation | 337 | 55.2% ±5.2 | 50.0% |
| 4 | Nimzowitsch Defense: Scandinavian Variation, Exchange Variation | 1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 | Nimzowitsch Defense: Scandinavian Variation | 490 | 53.7% ±4.3 | 49.4% |
| 5 | Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 | Sicilian Defense: French Variation | 6,501 | 50.5% ±1.2 | 49.3% |
| 6 | Alekhine Defense | 1.e4 Nf6 | King's Pawn Game | 11,495 | 50.1% ±0.9 | 49.2% |
| 7 | Sicilian Defense: French Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 | Sicilian Defense | 11,226 | 49.9% ±0.9 | 49.0% |
| 8 | Italian Game: Two Knights Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 | Italian Game | 4,286 | 50.2% ±1.4 | 48.8% |
| 9 | Modern Defense | 1.e4 g6 | King's Pawn Game | 15,470 | 49.4% ±0.8 | 48.6% |
| 10 | Alekhine Defense: Normal Variation | 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 | Alekhine Defense | 5,810 | 49.7% ±1.3 | 48.4% |
| 11 | Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 | Ruy Lopez | 2,530 | 49.8% ±1.5 | 48.3% |
| 12 | Nimzowitsch Defense | 1.e4 Nc6 | King's Pawn Game | 5,432 | 49.5% ±1.3 | 48.2% |
| 13 | Sicilian Defense | 1.e4 c5 | King's Pawn Game | 85,888 | 48.5% ±0.3 | 48.2% |
| 14 | King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 | King's Knight Opening | 27,285 | 48.7% ±0.6 | 48.1% |
| 15 | Italian Game: Rousseau Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 f5 | Italian Game | 322 | 53.4% ±5.3 | 48.1% |
| 16 | Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 | Sicilian Defense | 15,780 | 48.7% ±0.8 | 47.9% |
| 17 | Alekhine Defense: Scandinavian Variation | 1.e4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 | Alekhine Defense | 2,126 | 49.93% ±2.07 | 47.86% |
| 18 | Scandinavian Defense | 1.e4 d5 | King's Pawn Game | 31,911 | 48.38% ±0.54 | 47.84% |
| 19 | French Defense | 1.e4 e6 | King's Pawn Game | 41,547 | 48.3% ±0.5 | 47.8% |
| 20 | Latvian Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 | King's Knight Opening | 731 | 51.3% ±3.5 | 47.8% |
| 21 | Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5 | Ruy Lopez | 905 | 50.94% ±3.2 | 47.74% |
| 22 | Scandinavian Defense: Blackburne-Kloosterboer Gambit | 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 c6 | Scandinavian Defense | 1,728 | 50.03% ±2.3 | 47.73% |
| 23 | Ruy Lopez: Cozio Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nge7 | Ruy Lopez | 333 | 52.85% ±5.13 | 47.72% |
| 24 | Pirc Defense | 1.e4 d6 | King's Pawn Game | 18,605 | 48.4% ±0.7 | 47.7% |
| 25 | Sicilian Defense: Marshall Counterattack | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 d5 | Sicilian Defense: French Variation | 324 | 52.9% ±5.3 | 47.6% |
| 26 | Caro-Kann Defense | 1.e4 c6 | King's Pawn Game | 38,423 | 48.1% ±0.5 | 47.6% |
| 27 | Petrov's Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 | King's Knight Opening | 4,274 | 49.0% ±1.4 | 47.6% |
| 28 | Sicilian Defense: Hyperaccelerated Dragon | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 | Sicilian Defense | 2,673 | 49.4% ±1.8 | 47.6% |
| 29 | Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 | Ruy Lopez | 610 | 51.4% ±3.9 | 47.5% |
| 30 | Scandinavian Defense: Mieses-Kotroc Variation | 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 | Scandinavian Defense | 13,412 | 48.3% ±0.8 | 47.5% |
| 31 | Italian Game: Giuoco Piano | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 | Italian Game | 3,772 | 48.9% ±1.5 | 47.4% |
| 32 | Scandinavian Defense: Modern Variation | 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 | Scandinavian Defense | 6,086 | 48.6% ±1.2 | 47.4% |
| 33 | Nimzowitsch Defense: Williams Variation | 1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 d6 | Nimzowitsch Defense: Declined Variation | 340 | 52.5% ±5.1 | 47.4% |
| 34 | Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 | Sicilian Defense | 16,095 | 48.1% ±0.7 | 47.4% |
| 35 | Scandinavian Defense: Main Line | 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 | Scandinavian Defense: Mieses-Kotroc Variation | 3,027 | 49.0% ±1.7 | 47.3% |
| 36 | Owen Defense | 1.e4 b6 | King's Pawn Game | 5,708 | 48.5% ±1.3 | 47.2% |
| 37 | King's Pawn Game: Maróczy Defense | 1.e4 d6 2.d4 e5 | Pirc Defense | 1,072 | 50.1% ±2.9 | 47.2% |
| 38 | French Defense: Winawer Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 | French Defense: Paulsen Variation | 1,889 | 49.3% ±2.2 | 47.1% |
| 39 | St. George Defense | 1.e4 a6 | King's Pawn Game | 964 | 50.1% ±3.1 | 47.0% |
| 40 | Elephant Gambit: Paulsen Countergambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5 3.exd5 e4 | Elephant Gambit | 539 | 51.1% ±4.1 | 47.0% |
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: 69 openings (CSV), with each of the opponent's moves and its share, released under CC0.