Openings › Rankings › White Openings, Lichess 2100+
Best White Openings, Lichess 2100+: Ranked by Results
At 2100+ (Lichess rating), the White opening highest-ranked by conservative score with 300+ games in this sample is the Queen's Pawn Game: Levitsky Attack: 56.7% (±2.4) in 1,485 games, a conservative score of 54.3%. 56 openings are ranked.
This list's rule: Openings of two or three moves for White, where each of Black'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 are not listed at this level: Black answers 1.e4 with 1...e5 in only 17.97% of games here, below this list's 20% rule.
- Openings after 1.e4 e6 are not listed at this level: Black answers 1.e4 with 1...e6 in only 13.22% of games here, below this list's 20% rule.
- Openings after 1.e4 c6 are not listed at this level: Black answers 1.e4 with 1...c6 in only 12.23% of games here, below this list's 20% rule.
- Openings after 1.c4 e5 are not listed at this level: Black answers 1.c4 with 1...e5 in only 17.11% of games here, below this list's 20% rule.
- Openings after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 are not listed at this level: Black answers 1.d4 d5 2.c4 with 2...dxc4 in only 10.67% of games here, below this list's 20% rule.
- Openings after 1.e4 Nc6 are not listed at this level: Black answers 1.e4 with 1...Nc6 in only 1.73% of games here, below this list's 20% rule.
The ranking: 40 of 56 openings that meet this rule with 300+ games at this level
White'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 White'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 White's score with its margin; the line it is part of.
| Rank | Opening | Moves | Part of | Games | White's score | Conservative score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Queen's Pawn Game: Levitsky Attack | 1.d4 d5 2.Bg5 | Queen's Pawn Game | 1,485 | 56.7% ±2.4 | 54.3% |
| 2 | King's Indian Attack | 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 | Zukertort Opening | 5,217 | 55.5% ±1.3 | 54.2% |
| 3 | Slav Defense: Modern Line | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 | Slav Defense | 4,956 | 54.7% ±1.3 | 53.4% |
| 4 | Queen's Pawn Game: Zukertort Variation | 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 | Queen's Pawn Game | 16,831 | 54.0% ±0.7 | 53.3% |
| 5 | Queen's Pawn Game: Colle System | 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 | Queen's Pawn Game: Symmetrical Variation | 2,729 | 54.7% ±1.8 | 52.9% |
| 6 | English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen's Knight Variation | 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 | English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense | 4,494 | 54.2% ±1.4 | 52.8% |
| 7 | Slav Defense: Exchange Variation | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.cxd5 | Slav Defense | 1,811 | 54.7% ±2.2 | 52.5% |
| 8 | Yusupov-Rubinstein System | 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 | Indian Defense: Knights Variation | 1,528 | 54.9% ±2.4 | 52.5% |
| 9 | Queen's Gambit | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 | Queen's Pawn Game | 22,847 | 53.1% ±0.6 | 52.5% |
| 10 | Sicilian Defense: Closed | 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 | Sicilian Defense | 14,691 | 52.9% ±0.8 | 52.1% |
| 11 | Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.c3 | Sicilian Defense | 6,253 | 53.3% ±1.2 | 52.1% |
| 12 | Indian Defense: Anti-Nimzo-Indian | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 | Indian Defense: Normal Variation | 5,062 | 53.3% ±1.3 | 52.0% |
| 13 | Trompowsky Attack | 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 | Indian Defense | 2,995 | 53.7% ±1.7 | 52.0% |
| 14 | Indian Defense: Normal Variation | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 | Indian Defense | 27,107 | 52.5% ±0.6 | 51.9% |
| 15 | Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ | Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations | 1,565 | 54.3% ±2.4 | 51.9% |
| 16 | King's Indian Defense | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 | Indian Defense: West Indian Defense | 6,580 | 53.0% ±1.2 | 51.8% |
| 17 | Zukertort Opening: Old Indian Attack | 1.Nf3 d5 2.d3 | Zukertort Opening | 991 | 54.7% ±3.0 | 51.7% |
| 18 | Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 | Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian | 3,128 | 53.4% ±1.7 | 51.7% |
| 19 | Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, with d6 | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3 | Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations | 1,488 | 54.1% ±2.4 | 51.7% |
| 20 | Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 | Queen's Gambit Declined | 7,519 | 52.7% ±1.1 | 51.6% |
| 21 | Rapport-Jobava System | 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4 | Queen's Pawn Game: Chigorin Variation | 2,127 | 53.6% ±2.1 | 51.5% |
| 22 | Sicilian Defense: Grand Prix Attack | 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 | Sicilian Defense: Closed, Traditional | 1,592 | 53.9% ±2.4 | 51.5% |
| 23 | Réti Opening | 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 | Zukertort Opening | 2,177 | 53.4% ±2.0 | 51.4% |
| 24 | Indian Defense: Knights Variation | 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 | Indian Defense | 18,231 | 52.1% ±0.7 | 51.4% |
| 25 | English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, King's Knight Variation | 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 | English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense | 3,095 | 53.0% ±1.7 | 51.3% |
| 26 | London System | 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 | Queen's Pawn Game | 5,542 | 52.4% ±1.3 | 51.1% |
| 27 | Sicilian Defense: Closed, Fianchetto Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 | Sicilian Defense: Closed, Traditional | 1,135 | 53.9% ±2.8 | 51.1% |
| 28 | Blackmar-Diemer Gambit | 1.d4 d5 2.e4 | Queen's Pawn Game | 2,390 | 53.0% ±2.0 | 51.0% |
| 29 | King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation, King's Knight Variation | 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 | East Indian Defense | 3,095 | 52.7% ±1.7 | 51.0% |
| 30 | Queen's Pawn Game: London System | 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 | Queen's Pawn Game: Symmetrical Variation | 2,751 | 52.6% ±1.8 | 50.8% |
| 31 | Indian Defense: Accelerated London System | 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 | Indian Defense | 5,515 | 52.0% ±1.3 | 50.7% |
| 32 | Queen's Pawn Game: Chigorin Variation | 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 | Queen's Pawn Game | 4,170 | 52.1% ±1.5 | 50.6% |
| 33 | Sicilian Defense: Open | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 | Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian | 8,454 | 51.2% ±1.0 | 50.2% |
| 34 | Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit | 1.e4 c5 2.d4 | Sicilian Defense | 8,491 | 51.2% ±1.0 | 50.2% |
| 35 | Sicilian Defense: Mengarini Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.a3 | Sicilian Defense | 866 | 53.4% ±3.2 | 50.2% |
| 36 | Grob Opening: Grob Gambit | 1.g4 d5 2.Bg2 | Grob Opening | 496 | 53.7% ±4.2 | 49.5% |
| 37 | Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Dunne Attack | 1.e4 c5 2.g3 | Sicilian Defense | 528 | 53.6% ±4.2 | 49.4% |
| 38 | Queen's Pawn Game: Symmetrical Variation, Pseudo-Catalan | 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.g3 | Queen's Pawn Game: Symmetrical Variation | 1,461 | 51.5% ±2.5 | 49.0% |
| 39 | Sicilian Defense: Delayed Alapin Variation, with e6 | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c3 | Sicilian Defense: French Variation | 1,609 | 51.4% ±2.4 | 49.0% |
| 40 | Queen's Pawn Game: Stonewall Attack | 1.d4 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.Bd3 | Queen's Pawn Game | 480 | 53.1% ±4.3 | 48.8% |
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: 56 openings (CSV), with each of the opponent's moves and its share, released under CC0.