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Australian Defense

1 variations · 64K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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1...Na6
Analyze this line move by move

Black expected score · Overall

43.4%

40%55%
Floor43.1%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 43.8%.

Measured over 64K games at this level and clock.

Tough Sellloses more often than it wins at this level

Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the ranked list.

Outcomes for Black

Draw 4.6 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 64K games

Rank among the families Black can choose here
#60 of 62
Games in this context
64K
Best context
50.1% at 2000-2199 Bullet
Worst context
34.6% at 1400-1599 Rapid
Variations measured
1
Average game length
33 moves

Best and worst are the strongest and weakest squares with at least 500 games behind them. The table further down shows every square, including thinner ones.

What to play from here

Black · Overall
#1Australian DefenseBest here
1.d4 Na6
Floor 43.1% · 64K games
43.4%

These are the moves players actually choose from here, ranked by how they score. A higher score is a better bet on the numbers alone — familiarity and playstyle still matter.

Where it holds · Black score by rating × clock

Green is clearly ahead for Black, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It falls away as the rating rises: 44.8% at 0-999, 26.1% at 2500+.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
0-999
1000-1199
1200-1399
1400-1599
1600-1799
1800-1999
2000-2199
2200-2499
2500+—

Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control

  • 0-999 rating, UltraBullet: 48.9% expected score (41 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 43.7% expected score (3,401 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 41.9% expected score (6,365 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 41.0% expected score (3,585 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 48.5% expected score (100 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 35.5% expected score (64 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 42.9% expected score (2,349 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 40.3% expected score (3,850 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 38.0% expected score (2,080 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 38.1% expected score (149 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 49.2% expected score (124 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 42.0% expected score (1,969 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 42.0% expected score (3,403 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 35.4% expected score (1,483 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 35.1% expected score (169 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 52.1% expected score (424 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 44.0% expected score (2,304 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 41.9% expected score (3,288 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 34.6% expected score (1,335 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 29.4% expected score (209 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 39.0% expected score (253 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 45.0% expected score (2,572 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 43.8% expected score (2,610 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 39.9% expected score (751 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 33.5% expected score (101 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 44.1% expected score (75 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 46.9% expected score (2,603 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 47.5% expected score (3,341 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 43.0% expected score (495 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 22.0% expected score (27 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 41.3% expected score (27 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.1% expected score (3,121 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 48.1% expected score (4,148 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 51.5% expected score (335 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 38.6% expected score (16 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 45.2% expected score (9 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 45.6% expected score (3,381 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 45.3% expected score (1,873 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 49.4% expected score (77 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 20.6% expected score (7 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 48.3% expected score (1,221 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 40.2% expected score (273 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 4.3% expected score (16 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 11.5% expected score (5 games)

1 variations · ranked by floor

Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.

1
Australian Defense64K games
43.4%Floor 43.1%
Analyze Australian Defense PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the Australian Defense family scores 43.4% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 43.1% and 43.8% — from 64K Lichess games across 1 variations. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.

How the figures are made
Whose games these are
64K+ 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 is the Australian Defense win rate?

Across the Australian Defense's 1 variations, Black wins 41.1%, draws 4.6% and loses 54.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.4%. It rests on 64K rated games from Lichess.

How many Australian Defense variations are there?

1 Australian Defense variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.

At what rating does the Australian Defense perform best?

The Australian Defense family performs best for Black at 2000-2199, with an Expected Score of 49.0% (7.6K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.

Is the Australian Defense better in blitz or rapid?

For Black, the Australian Defense scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 43.6% in Blitz (29K games) against 39.1% in Rapid (10K games).

How sharp is the Australian Defense?

Australian Defense games are 95.4% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 33 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.

Is the Australian Defense a good opening family?

The Australian Defense family is hard work for Black — it favours White overall. Across its games, Black wins 41.1% and loses 54.3%. Results differ between its 1 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.