Bishop's Opening
35 variations · 38M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · Overall
53.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. Its best is the same figure — the band is too tight to plot.
Measured over 38M games at this level and clock.
A strong opening choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 3.7 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 38M games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- #10 of 56
- Games in this context
- 38M
- Best context
- 58.5% at 1000-1199 UltraBullet
- Worst context
- 52.2% at 0-999 Classical
- Variations measured
- 35
- Average game length
- 32 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
White · OverallThese 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 · White score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It holds about the same all the way up, near 53.4%.
| 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: 55.2% expected score (12,919 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 53.6% expected score (786,557 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 52.6% expected score (1,756,397 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 53.5% expected score (1,357,603 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 52.2% expected score (13,948 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 58.5% expected score (37,089 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 54.9% expected score (1,135,941 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 53.6% expected score (2,608,658 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 53.2% expected score (1,127,721 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 53.2% expected score (35,792 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 57.6% expected score (78,442 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 54.6% expected score (1,606,163 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 53.4% expected score (4,079,592 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 53.3% expected score (1,544,008 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 53.2% expected score (60,287 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 57.1% expected score (57,826 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 54.1% expected score (1,800,239 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 53.1% expected score (4,784,022 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 52.9% expected score (1,907,785 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 52.2% expected score (94,632 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 56.9% expected score (19,470 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 53.7% expected score (1,612,826 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.1% expected score (3,953,164 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 53.0% expected score (1,628,908 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 54.1% expected score (76,086 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 56.9% expected score (6,496 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 53.4% expected score (1,085,716 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 53.2% expected score (2,154,939 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 53.1% expected score (820,298 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 54.9% expected score (26,432 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 56.8% expected score (856 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 53.1% expected score (533,351 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 53.9% expected score (660,818 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.2% expected score (172,042 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 58.0% expected score (4,170 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (103 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 54.0% expected score (208,269 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 55.3% expected score (156,198 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 56.2% expected score (22,005 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 57.3% expected score (336 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.0% expected score (44,829 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 56.0% expected score (12,471 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 56.9% expected score (656 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 43.9% expected score (23 games)
35 variations · ranked by floor
Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Bishop's Opening family scores 53.4% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 53.4% and 53.5% — from 38M Lichess games across 35 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
- 38M+ 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 Bishop's Opening win rate?
Across the Bishop's Opening's 35 variations, White wins 51.6%, draws 3.7% and loses 44.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.4%. It rests on 38M rated games from Lichess.
How many Bishop's Opening variations are there?
35 Bishop's Opening variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.
At what rating does the Bishop's Opening perform best?
The Bishop's Opening family performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 55.3% (58K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.
Is the Bishop's Opening better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Bishop's Opening scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 53.2% in Blitz (20M games) against 53.2% in Rapid (8.6M games).
How sharp is the Bishop's Opening?
Bishop's Opening games are 96.3% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 32 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.
Is the Bishop's Opening a good opening family?
The Bishop's Opening family is good for White overall. Across its games, White wins 51.6% and loses 44.8%. Results differ between its 35 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.