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Openings that hold up at your level

Every other opening table averages the whole site into one number. Most of those games are nothing like yours. This one ranks on the worst score you would still get at your rating and your clock, across 2.1B Lichess games.

56 families White can choose at every level · every clock. 42 beat even.

Rank

  1. 01Danish Gambit6.0M games here · 9 linesScore55.4Floor55.3Analyze
  2. 02Rubinstein Opening253K games here · 5 linesScore55.3Floor55.2Analyze
  3. 03Catalan Opening2.0M games here · 13 linesScore54.8Floor54.7Analyze
  4. 04Scotch Game41M games here · 47 linesScore54.5Floor54.5Analyze
  5. 05Rapport-Jobava System7.7M games here · 1 lineScore54.4Floor54.3Analyze
  6. 06Queen's Gambit76M games here · 177 linesScore54.1Floor54.1Analyze
  7. 07Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense2.1M games here · 15 linesScore54.0Floor54.0Analyze
  8. 08King's Indian Attack8.5M games here · 12 linesScore53.8Floor53.8Analyze
  9. 09Polish Opening9.0M games here · 24 linesScore53.8Floor53.7Analyze
  10. 10Bishop's Opening38M games here · 35 linesScore53.4Floor53.4Analyze
  11. 11Vienna Game27M games here · 36 linesScore53.3Floor53.3Analyze
  12. 12King's Knight Opening7.8M games here · 3 linesScore53.1Floor53.1Analyze
  13. 13Ruy Lopez39M games here · 180 linesScore52.9Floor52.9Analyze
  14. 14English Opening65M games here · 127 linesScore52.8Floor52.8Analyze
  15. 15King's Gambit29M games here · 160 linesScore52.9Floor52.8Analyze
  16. 16Blackmar-Diemer Gambit9.4M games here · 45 linesScore52.7Floor52.7Analyze
  17. 17Yusupov-Rubinstein System995K games here · 1 lineScore52.8Floor52.7Analyze
  18. 18Queen's Pawn Game192M games here · 48 linesScore52.6Floor52.6Analyze
  19. 19Center Game15M games here · 16 linesScore52.4Floor52.4Analyze
  20. 20Rapport-Jobava System, with e62.4M games here · 1 lineScore52.4Floor52.4Analyze

The Floor is the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. It is what ranks this list: a big number off a few hundred games is a guess, a smaller one off millions is a fact.

Families are scored on the games counted at every level · every clock — the same games their own page shows you. 56 of the 56 you can choose as White have at least 500 games there.

Every family White can choose at every level · every clock, on the board

ABOVE EVENBELOW EVENSELECTED · TAP ANY DOTRIGHT = BETTER FLOOR · UP = MORE GAMES

At every level · every clock, 37 of the families that clear even have 1.0M games or more behind them — those are the points high on the right. Danish Gambit sits furthest right, on a floor of 55.3. Green sits above even, red below, and a bigger dot means more games behind the number.

Choose an opening

a shortlist, not the whole ladder

The data above is the reference. If what you want is a decision — what to play, at your level, and why — the guides rank a shortlist for one side and hand you the position.

For WhiteBest chess openings for WhiteFor BlackBest chess openings for Black

All guides — what each one answers, and how it differs from the data here.

Also measured, from the same games

All 131 opening families, A–Z

Every family's own page ranks its variations

21 openings outside any family

Methodology

TrueElo ranks 131 chess opening families for White and for Black on the worst score you would still get at your own rating and time control, from 2.1B rated Lichess games (2023-12 to 2025-11). Every figure carries the range it is in, 90% confident, and how many games it rests on.

Each figure is computed for one side, one of 9 rating brackets (0 to 2500+) and one of 5 time controls (UltraBullet to Classical), and carries a 90% range. The Floor is the low end of that range. Last rebuilt January 2026.

How the figures are made
Whose games these are
2.1B+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-12 to 2025-11). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt January 2026.
Which games we count
  • Rated games only — nothing casual.
  • Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
  • At least 2 moves played.
  • A game is filed under White’s rating.
Why every number comes with a range
A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
How much we need before we say anything
An opening page needs 100 games. A gambit needs 50 games at a rating before we will say whether it pays there. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.

Frequently Asked Questions

What data is this based on?

All statistics are derived from 2.1B rated games from Lichess, covering 131 opening families across 9 rating brackets and 5 time controls.

Why does every number come with a range?

Because a number off a few hundred games is a guess and the same number off millions is a fact, and the range is what tells them apart. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.

Why do win rates differ from other sources?

We only count games between players close in strength — within 200 rating points — because a mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening. Each game is filed under White’s rating, and games decided in a few moves still count.

How often is this data updated?

These figures come from Lichess games played December 2023 to November 2025. They are a snapshot of that period, not live results.