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Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense

7.2M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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2...Nf6
Analyze this line move by move

Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds

48.2%

45%55%
Floor48.1%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. Its best is the same figure — the band is too tight to plot.

Measured over 7.2M games at this level and clock.

Playablewins about as often as it loses at this level

Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.

Outcomes for Black

Draw 3.8 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 7.2M games

Rank among the families Black can choose here
not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
Games in this context
7.2M
Best context
56.8% at 0-999 Classical
Worst context
42.0% at 1400-1599 UltraBullet
Average game length
32 moves
Games that end decisively
96.2%
Draws
3.8%

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.

Extra Analysis

Deep-dive datasets for this opening

How to Beat This (Move 3)

Best: 3...a5?! · Black wins: 61.9% · 4.6M games

Time-Control Swing

Max swing: 8.5% · UltraBullet best · Classical worst

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 holds about the same all the way up, near 51.8%.

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: 48.5% expected score (1,723 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 49.9% expected score (132,212 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.7% expected score (370,872 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 53.2% expected score (280,857 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 56.8% expected score (2,789 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 44.1% expected score (5,102 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 47.0% expected score (172,739 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 47.8% expected score (576,210 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 50.1% expected score (279,169 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 55.0% expected score (8,251 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 44.3% expected score (12,172 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 47.0% expected score (218,936 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 47.3% expected score (837,717 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 48.2% expected score (406,528 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 52.1% expected score (14,701 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 42.0% expected score (8,405 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 47.3% expected score (227,942 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 47.5% expected score (915,337 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 48.1% expected score (497,685 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 51.4% expected score (27,806 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 44.5% expected score (3,047 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 47.6% expected score (197,612 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 47.7% expected score (692,448 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 47.8% expected score (386,381 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 47.5% expected score (22,457 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 45.9% expected score (1,043 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 47.6% expected score (124,919 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 47.9% expected score (355,686 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 48.2% expected score (175,023 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 46.7% expected score (6,516 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 54.9% expected score (152 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 48.5% expected score (56,868 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 47.7% expected score (109,520 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 48.5% expected score (32,214 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 45.3% expected score (923 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 57.9% expected score (24 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 47.6% expected score (19,586 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 45.7% expected score (26,875 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 45.4% expected score (4,082 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 43.2% expected score (65 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 47.3% expected score (3,863 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 44.0% expected score (2,830 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 46.0% expected score (221 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 63.3% expected score (6 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Bishop's Opening
51.7%
Variations (5)
Bishop's Opening: Boi Variation
52.7%
Bishop's Opening: Vienna Hybrid
51.3%
Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack
51.1%
Bishop's Opening: Vienna Hybrid, Spielmann Attack
52.2%
Bishop's Opening: Ponziani Gambit
55.0%
Continuations (1)
Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense, Greco Gambit
47.8%
Analyze Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense scores 48.2% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 48.1% and 48.2% — from 7.2M 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
7.2M+ 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: Berlin Defense win rate?

Playing the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense, Black wins 46.3%, draws 3.8% and loses 50.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.2%. It rests on 7.2M rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense perform best?

The Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense performs best for Black at 0-999, with an Expected Score of 51.5% (788K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.

Is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense better in blitz or rapid?

For Black, the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 47.9% in Blitz (3.9M games) against 49.0% in Rapid (2.1M games).

How sharp is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense?

The Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense has a sharpness score of 96.2 (very decisive), meaning 96.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 32 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense win rate at 0-999?

At 0-999, Black wins 49.6%, draws 3.7% and loses 46.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.5%. It rests on 788K Lichess games, which average 25 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense win rate at 1000-1199?

At 1000-1199, Black wins 46.6%, draws 3.4% and loses 50.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.3%. It rests on 1.0M Lichess games, which average 29 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense win rate at 1200-1399?

At 1200-1399, Black wins 45.8%, draws 3.4% and loses 50.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.5%. It rests on 1.5M Lichess games, which average 32 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense win rate at 1400-1599?

At 1400-1599, Black wins 45.8%, draws 3.6% and loses 50.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.7%. It rests on 1.7M Lichess games, which average 34 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense win rate at 1600-1799?

At 1600-1799, Black wins 45.6%, draws 4.0% and loses 50.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.7%. It rests on 1.3M Lichess games, which average 35 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense win rate at 1800-1999?

At 1800-1999, Black wins 45.8%, draws 4.3% and loses 49.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.0%. It rests on 663K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense win rate at 2000-2199?

At 2000-2199, Black wins 45.6%, draws 4.8% and loses 49.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.0%. It rests on 200K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense win rate at 2200-2499?

At 2200-2499, Black wins 43.4%, draws 5.9% and loses 50.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.4%. It rests on 51K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense win rate at 2500+?

At 2500+, Black wins 37.1%, draws 17.6% and loses 45.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.9%. It rests on 6.9K Lichess games, which average 43 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet, Black wins 43.6%, draws 0.8% and loses 55.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.0%. It rests on 32K Lichess games.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet, Black wins 46.5%, draws 2.2% and loses 51.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.6%. It rests on 1.2M Lichess games.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz, Black wins 45.9%, draws 3.9% and loses 50.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.9%. It rests on 3.9M Lichess games.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid, Black wins 46.8%, draws 4.4% and loses 48.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.0%. It rests on 2.1M Lichess games.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense win rate in Classical?

In Classical, Black wins 48.2%, draws 4.7% and loses 47.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.6%. It rests on 84K Lichess games.

Is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense a good opening?

The Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense is about level. Across all ratings, Black wins 46.3% of its games and loses 50.0%. It performs best at 0-999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.