Bird Opening: Myers Defense
28K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
46.9%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 47.4%.
Measured over 28K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 4.8 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 28K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 28K
- Best context
- 51.7% at 0-999 Rapid
- Worst context
- 43.6% at 2200-2499 Bullet
- Average game length
- 34 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.2%
- Draws
- 4.8%
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.
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: 48.7% at 0-999, 39.3% at 2500+.
| Rating | UB | Bulle | Blitz | Rapid | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 47.2% expected score (578 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.4% expected score (1,426 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 51.7% expected score (652 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 36.7% expected score (6 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 54.8% expected score (9 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 42.0% expected score (457 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 46.6% expected score (970 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 43.5% expected score (435 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 36.3% expected score (24 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 52.8% expected score (17 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 47.5% expected score (809 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 46.9% expected score (1,285 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 45.3% expected score (414 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 42.6% expected score (39 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 53.7% expected score (39 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 45.9% expected score (1,455 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 46.8% expected score (1,865 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 49.3% expected score (570 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 51.6% expected score (62 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 44.1% expected score (49 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 46.1% expected score (1,885 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 45.1% expected score (2,686 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 45.4% expected score (507 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 42.8% expected score (26 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (7 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 47.3% expected score (1,913 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 47.9% expected score (2,824 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 48.1% expected score (430 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 56.1% expected score (15 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 47.2% expected score (1,863 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 47.5% expected score (1,757 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 42.3% expected score (199 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 27.0% expected score (5 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 43.6% expected score (1,204 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 47.8% expected score (788 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 48.1% expected score (77 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 51.7% expected score (180 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (119 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 13.7% expected score (4 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Bird Opening: Myers Defense scores 46.9% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 46.4% and 47.4% — from 28K Lichess games. 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
- 28K+ 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 Bird Opening: Myers Defense win rate?
Playing the Bird Opening: Myers Defense, Black wins 44.5%, draws 4.8% and loses 50.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.9%. It rests on 28K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Bird Opening: Myers Defense perform best?
The Bird Opening: Myers Defense performs best for Black at 0-999, with an Expected Score of 50.0% (2.7K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Bird Opening: Myers Defense better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Bird Opening: Myers Defense scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 47.3% in Blitz (14K games) against 47.2% in Rapid (3.3K games).
How sharp is the Bird Opening: Myers Defense?
The Bird Opening: Myers Defense has a sharpness score of 95.2 (very decisive), meaning 95.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.
What is the Bird Opening: Myers Defense win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, Black wins 45.0%, draws 9.9% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.0%. It rests on 2.7K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Bird Opening: Myers Defense win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 41.6%, draws 6.0% and loses 52.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.7%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Bird Opening: Myers Defense win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 44.4%, draws 4.7% and loses 50.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.8%. It rests on 2.6K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Bird Opening: Myers Defense win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 44.6%, draws 4.6% and loses 50.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.0%. It rests on 4.0K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Bird Opening: Myers Defense win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 43.7%, draws 3.4% and loses 52.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.4%. It rests on 5.2K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Bird Opening: Myers Defense win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 45.8%, draws 3.8% and loses 50.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.7%. It rests on 5.2K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Bird Opening: Myers Defense win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 45.2%, draws 3.5% and loses 51.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.0%. It rests on 3.8K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Bird Opening: Myers Defense win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 43.0%, draws 4.8% and loses 52.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.4%. It rests on 2.1K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Bird Opening: Myers Defense win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 45.5%, draws 11.7% and loses 42.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.3%. It rests on 303 Lichess games, which average 42 moves.
What is the Bird Opening: Myers Defense win rate in UltraBullet?
In UltraBullet, Black wins 48.6%, draws 1.9% and loses 49.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.6%. It rests on 127 Lichess games.
What is the Bird Opening: Myers Defense win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 45.0%, draws 2.5% and loses 52.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.3%. It rests on 10K Lichess games.
What is the Bird Opening: Myers Defense win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 44.4%, draws 5.7% and loses 49.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.3%. It rests on 14K Lichess games.
What is the Bird Opening: Myers Defense win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 43.1%, draws 8.2% and loses 48.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.2%. It rests on 3.3K Lichess games.
What is the Bird Opening: Myers Defense win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 40.1%, draws 9.8% and loses 50.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.0%. It rests on 177 Lichess games.
Is the Bird Opening: Myers Defense a good opening?
The Bird Opening: Myers Defense is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 44.5% of its games and loses 50.8%. It performs best at 0-999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.