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Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense

7.2M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Playable
Black Expected Score48.2%Range (90% confident): 48.1% – 48.2%Based on 7.2M games
0%48.2%100%
Range (90% confident): 48.1% – 48.2%
Outcome Distribution
46.3%3.8%50.0%
Win
Draw
Loss
2...Nf6
Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense
Analyzen=7.2M
Avg Length32 moves
Sharpness96%
Draw Rate3.8%

What is the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense expected score for Black?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense has a 48.2% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 48.1% and 48.2%), based on 7.2M Lichess games.

Extra Analysis

Deep-dive datasets for this opening

How to Beat This (Move 3)

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

Time-Control Swing

Max swing: 8.5% · UltraBullet best · Classical worst

Black Win% by Rating

Declines with rating: 50% → 37%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 49.6% win rate (788,453 games)
  • 1000-1199: 46.6% win rate (1,041,471 games)
  • 1200-1399: 45.8% win rate (1,490,054 games)
  • 1400-1599: 45.8% win rate (1,677,175 games)
  • 1600-1799: 45.6% win rate (1,301,945 games)
  • 1800-1999: 45.8% win rate (663,187 games)
  • 2000-2199: 45.6% win rate (199,677 games)
  • 2200-2499: 43.4% win rate (50,632 games)
  • 2500+: 37.1% win rate (6,920 games)

Black Win% by Time Control

Best in Classical (48%), worst in UltraBullet (44%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 43.6% win rate (31,668 games)
  • Bullet: 46.5% win rate (1,154,677 games)
  • Blitz: 45.9% win rate (3,887,495 games)
  • Rapid: 46.8% win rate (2,062,160 games)
  • Classical: 48.2% win rate (83,514 games)

Black% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

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 PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

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

The Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense has a 50.0% (90% CI: 49.9%-50.0%) win rate for white, based 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 at 1200-1399 Elo with a 50.8% win rate for white (1.5M games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

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

UltraBullet (55.6%) outperforms Classical (47.1%) by 8.5%. Choose your time control wisely.

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 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense has a 46.7% (90% CI: 46.6%-46.8%) win rate for white, based on 788K Lichess games. Average game length is 25 moves with a 3.7% draw rate.

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

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense has a 50.0% (90% CI: 49.9%-50.1%) win rate for white, based on 1.0M Lichess games. Average game length is 29 moves with a 3.4% draw rate.

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

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense has a 50.8% (90% CI: 50.7%-50.9%) win rate for white, based on 1.5M Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 3.4% draw rate.

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

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense has a 50.5% (90% CI: 50.5%-50.6%) win rate for white, based on 1.7M Lichess games. Average game length is 34 moves with a 3.6% draw rate.

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

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense has a 50.3% (90% CI: 50.3%-50.4%) win rate for white, based on 1.3M Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 4.0% draw rate.

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

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense has a 49.9% (90% CI: 49.8%-50.0%) win rate for white, based on 663K Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 4.3% draw rate.

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

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense has a 49.6% (90% CI: 49.4%-49.8%) win rate for white, based on 200K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 4.8% draw rate.

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

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense has a 50.6% (90% CI: 50.3%-51.0%) win rate for white, based on 51K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 5.9% draw rate.

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

At 2500+ Elo, the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense has a 45.3% (90% CI: 44.3%-46.2%) win rate for white, based on 6.9K Lichess games. Average game length is 43 moves with a 17.6% draw rate.

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

In UltraBullet games, the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense has a 55.6% (90% CI: 55.1%-56.0%) win rate for white (32K Lichess games). Draw rate is 0.8%.

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

In Bullet games, the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense has a 51.3% (90% CI: 51.2%-51.4%) win rate for white (1.2M Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.2%.

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

In Blitz games, the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense has a 50.2% (90% CI: 50.2%-50.2%) win rate for white (3.9M Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.9%.

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

In Rapid games, the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense has a 48.8% (90% CI: 48.8%-48.9%) win rate for white (2.1M Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.4%.

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

In Classical games, the Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense has a 47.1% (90% CI: 46.8%-47.3%) win rate for white (84K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.7%.

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

The Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense is statistically balanced with a 50.0% (90% CI: 49.9%-50.0%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 1200-1399 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.