Openings › Rankings › Openings vs 1.e4, Lichess Under 1200
Best Openings vs 1.e4, Lichess Under 1200: Ranked by Results
At Under 1200 (Lichess rating), the Black opening against 1.e4 highest-ranked by conservative score with 300+ games in this sample is the Caro-Kann Defense: Advance Variation, Botvinnik-Carls Defense: 54.1% (±2.6) in 1,423 games, a conservative score of 51.5%. 64 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.f4 are not listed at this level: White answers 1.e4 e5 with 2.f4 in only 2.40% of games here, below this list's 20% rule.
- Openings after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 are not listed at this level: White answers 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 with 3.Bb5 in only 15.06% of games here, below this list's 20% rule.
- Openings after 1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 are not listed at this level: White answers 1.e4 Nc6 with 2.d4 in only 17.76% of games here, below this list's 20% rule.
- Openings after 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 are not listed at this level: White answers 1.e4 e5 with 2.Nc3 in only 6.70% of games here, below this list's 20% rule.
- Openings after 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 are not listed at this level: White answers 1.e4 e5 with 2.Bc4 in only 11.39% 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 6.82% of games here, below this list's 20% rule.
- Openings after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 are not listed at this level: White answers 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 with 3.Nc3 in only 16.30% of games here, below this list's 20% rule.
The ranking: 40 of 64 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 Under 1200 (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 | Caro-Kann Defense: Advance Variation, Botvinnik-Carls Defense | 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 | Caro-Kann Defense: Advance Variation | 1,423 | 54.1% ±2.6 | 51.5% |
| 2 | Italian Game: Blackburne-Kostić Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 | Italian Game | 1,618 | 53.6% ±2.4 | 51.2% |
| 3 | Petrov's Defense: Stafford Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nc6 | Petrov's Defense | 1,205 | 53.6% ±2.8 | 50.8% |
| 4 | Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 | Sicilian Defense | 344 | 56.0% ±5.2 | 50.8% |
| 5 | Elephant Gambit: Paulsen Countergambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5 3.exd5 e4 | Elephant Gambit | 505 | 54.8% ±4.3 | 50.5% |
| 6 | Sicilian Defense | 1.e4 c5 | King's Pawn Game | 36,542 | 50.9% ±0.5 | 50.4% |
| 7 | Italian Game: Rousseau Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 f5 | Italian Game | 863 | 53.3% ±3.3 | 50.0% |
| 8 | Caro-Kann Defense | 1.e4 c6 | King's Pawn Game | 31,493 | 50.4% ±0.5 | 49.9% |
| 9 | Scandinavian Defense: Modern Variation | 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 | Scandinavian Defense | 3,117 | 51.4% ±1.7 | 49.7% |
| 10 | Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 | Sicilian Defense: French Variation | 632 | 53.4% ±3.8 | 49.6% |
| 11 | French Defense | 1.e4 e6 | King's Pawn Game | 37,552 | 49.7% ±0.5 | 49.2% |
| 12 | Modern Defense | 1.e4 g6 | King's Pawn Game | 10,413 | 49.8% ±0.9 | 48.9% |
| 13 | Italian Game: Giuoco Piano | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 | Italian Game | 11,627 | 49.5% ±0.9 | 48.6% |
| 14 | Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 | Sicilian Defense | 7,397 | 49.5% ±1.1 | 48.4% |
| 15 | Scandinavian Defense | 1.e4 d5 | King's Pawn Game | 62,569 | 48.7% ±0.4 | 48.3% |
| 16 | Scandinavian Defense: Main Line | 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 | Scandinavian Defense: Mieses-Kotroc Variation | 4,529 | 49.6% ±1.4 | 48.2% |
| 17 | Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 | Sicilian Defense | 3,781 | 49.7% ±1.6 | 48.1% |
| 18 | Sicilian Defense: French Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 | Sicilian Defense | 2,942 | 49.8% ±1.8 | 48.0% |
| 19 | Pirc Defense | 1.e4 d6 | King's Pawn Game | 18,561 | 48.7% ±0.7 | 48.0% |
| 20 | Owen Defense | 1.e4 b6 | King's Pawn Game | 7,586 | 49.0% ±1.1 | 47.9% |
| 21 | Sicilian Defense: Hyperaccelerated Dragon | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 | Sicilian Defense | 647 | 51.5% ±3.8 | 47.7% |
| 22 | Borg Defense | 1.e4 g5 | King's Pawn Game | 1,366 | 50.3% ±2.6 | 47.7% |
| 23 | King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 | King's Knight Opening | 108,116 | 47.5% ±0.3 | 47.2% |
| 24 | Italian Game: Anti-Fried Liver Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 | Italian Game | 6,629 | 48.1% ±1.2 | 46.9% |
| 25 | Philidor Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 | King's Knight Opening | 22,732 | 47.2% ±0.6 | 46.6% |
| 26 | Scandinavian Defense: Valencian Variation | 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd8 | Scandinavian Defense: Mieses-Kotroc Variation | 5,188 | 47.7% ±1.3 | 46.4% |
| 27 | Italian Game: Hungarian Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7 | Italian Game | 537 | 50.6% ±4.2 | 46.4% |
| 28 | Philidor Defense: Exchange Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 | Philidor Defense | 1,819 | 48.2% ±2.3 | 45.9% |
| 29 | King's Pawn Game: Busch-Gass Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 | King's Knight Opening | 7,675 | 47.0% ±1.1 | 45.9% |
| 30 | Italian Game: Paris Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 d6 | Italian Game | 4,393 | 47.4% ±1.5 | 45.9% |
| 31 | Elephant Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5 | King's Knight Opening | 3,705 | 47.1% ±1.6 | 45.5% |
| 32 | Nimzowitsch Defense | 1.e4 Nc6 | King's Pawn Game | 9,369 | 46.4% ±1.0 | 45.4% |
| 33 | Scandinavian Defense: Mieses-Kotroc Variation | 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 | Scandinavian Defense | 24,376 | 46.0% ±0.6 | 45.4% |
| 34 | French Defense: Franco-Sicilian Defense | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 c5 | French Defense: Normal Variation | 1,319 | 47.92% ±2.66 | 45.26% |
| 35 | King's Pawn Game: McConnell Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Qf6 | King's Knight Opening | 5,285 | 46.57% ±1.32 | 45.25% |
| 36 | Alekhine Defense | 1.e4 Nf6 | King's Pawn Game | 9,811 | 46.2% ±1.0 | 45.2% |
| 37 | Italian Game: Two Knights Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 | Italian Game | 19,952 | 45.72% ±0.68 | 45.04% |
| 38 | Scandinavian Defense: Boehnke Gambit | 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 e5 3.dxe6 Bxe6 | Scandinavian Defense | 759 | 48.55% ±3.52 | 45.03% |
| 39 | Petrov's Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 | King's Knight Opening | 21,397 | 45.4% ±0.7 | 44.7% |
| 40 | Alekhine Defense: Scandinavian Variation | 1.e4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 | Alekhine Defense | 1,289 | 47.3% ±2.7 | 44.6% |
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: 64 openings (CSV), with each of the opponent's moves and its share, released under CC0.