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Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack

1.3M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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Analyze this line move by move

Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds

47.1%

40%55%
Floor47.0%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 47.2%.

Measured over 1.3M 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 list.

Outcomes for Black

Draw 3.5 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 1.3M games

Rank among the families Black can choose here
not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
Games in this context
1.3M
Best context
48.6% at 1600-1799 Blitz
Worst context
38.1% at 1200-1399 UltraBullet
Average game length
32 moves
Games that end decisively
96.5%
Draws
3.5%

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

Time-Control Swing

Max swing: 11.6% · UltraBullet best · Blitz 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 44.2%.

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: 35.7% expected score (107 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 45.3% expected score (21,265 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 46.5% expected score (80,400 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 45.2% expected score (42,146 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 48.3% expected score (405 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 33.8% expected score (261 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 44.8% expected score (26,209 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 46.0% expected score (118,831 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 46.2% expected score (50,009 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 45.9% expected score (1,225 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 38.1% expected score (611 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 45.5% expected score (32,822 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 47.0% expected score (153,035 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 46.4% expected score (67,609 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 45.9% expected score (2,777 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 38.0% expected score (451 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 46.4% expected score (35,088 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 48.0% expected score (158,697 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 47.3% expected score (71,338 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 47.0% expected score (4,336 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 39.0% expected score (166 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 47.3% expected score (33,792 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.6% expected score (141,356 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 48.1% expected score (64,839 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 46.1% expected score (3,151 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 37.0% expected score (60 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 46.3% expected score (20,037 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (88,700 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 48.5% expected score (38,716 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 46.6% expected score (1,198 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 22.8% expected score (4 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 46.9% expected score (8,420 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 47.2% expected score (23,766 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 46.9% expected score (8,332 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 52.2% expected score (116 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 46.1% expected score (2,421 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 43.4% expected score (2,885 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 41.5% expected score (568 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 67.7% expected score (7 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 48.4% expected score (361 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 40.7% expected score (111 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 39.5% expected score (8 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Bishop's Opening
51.7%
Variations (5)
Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense
50.0%
Bishop's Opening: Boi Variation
52.7%
Bishop's Opening: Vienna Hybrid
51.3%
Bishop's Opening: Vienna Hybrid, Spielmann Attack
52.2%
Bishop's Opening: Ponziani Gambit
55.0%
Analyze Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack scores 47.1% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 47.0% and 47.2% — from 1.3M 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
1.3M+ 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: Philidor Counterattack win rate?

Playing the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack, Black wins 45.3%, draws 3.5% and loses 51.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.1%. It rests on 1.3M rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack perform best?

The Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack performs best for Black at 1600-1799, with an Expected Score of 48.2% (243K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.

Is the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack better in blitz or rapid?

For Black, the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 47.4% in Blitz (768K games) against 47.0% in Rapid (344K games).

How sharp is the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack?

The Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack has a sharpness score of 96.5 (very decisive), meaning 96.5% of games end decisively. Average game length is 32 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack win rate at 0-999?

At 0-999, Black wins 44.0%, draws 3.8% and loses 52.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.9%. It rests on 144K Lichess games, which average 25 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack win rate at 1000-1199?

At 1000-1199, Black wins 44.1%, draws 3.4% and loses 52.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.8%. It rests on 197K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack win rate at 1200-1399?

At 1200-1399, Black wins 45.0%, draws 3.3% and loses 51.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.6%. It rests on 257K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack win rate at 1400-1599?

At 1400-1599, Black wins 45.9%, draws 3.4% and loses 50.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.6%. It rests on 270K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack win rate at 1600-1799?

At 1600-1799, Black wins 46.4%, draws 3.6% and loses 50.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.2%. It rests on 243K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack win rate at 1800-1999?

At 1800-1999, Black wins 46.1%, draws 3.9% and loses 49.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.1%. It rests on 149K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack win rate at 2000-2199?

At 2000-2199, Black wins 45.0%, draws 4.2% and loses 50.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.1%. It rests on 41K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack win rate at 2200-2499?

At 2200-2499, Black wins 41.8%, draws 5.1% and loses 53.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.4%. It rests on 5.9K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack win rate at 2500+?

At 2500+, Black wins 42.3%, draws 8.2% and loses 49.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.4%. It rests on 480 Lichess games, which average 40 moves.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet, Black wins 36.7%, draws 0.8% and loses 62.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 37.2%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet, Black wins 45.1%, draws 1.9% and loses 53.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.1%. It rests on 180K Lichess games.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz, Black wins 45.6%, draws 3.6% and loses 50.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.4%. It rests on 768K Lichess games.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid, Black wins 44.9%, draws 4.2% and loses 51.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.0%. It rests on 344K Lichess games.

What is the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack win rate in Classical?

In Classical, Black wins 44.2%, draws 4.7% and loses 51.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.5%. It rests on 13K Lichess games.

Is the Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack a good opening?

The Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 45.3% of its games and loses 51.1%. It performs best at 1600-1799. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.