Canard Opening

1 variations · 516K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Key Finding

Canard Opening gives White a 52.4% expected score — a strong opening choice.

With a minimum advantage of 4.4%, this opening reliably outperforms the baseline 50% expected score.

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Rating

Time

White Expected Score0.0%Range (90% confident): 52.2% – 52.5%Aggregated from 1 variations

0%52.4%100%

Range (90% confident): 52.2% – 52.5%

ContextOverall · n=516K

Outcome Distribution

50.2%4.3%45.5%

Win

Draw

Loss

2.f4

Canard Opening

Variations1

Games (Context)516K

Avg Length36 moves

Draw Rate4.3%

What Should I Play?

Player-controlled continuations for White · Overall

#1Canard OpeningTop Pick

1.d4 Nf6 2.f4

Min adv +4.4% · n=516K

52.4%

Continuations show the most common variations from this opening. Higher expected scores indicate better statistical outcomes, but familiarity and playstyle matter too.

Snapshot

Overall, the Canard Opening family has a 52.4% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 52.2% and 52.5%), aggregated from 1 variations and 516K Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 43% → 54%

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

2200

2500+

White Win% by Time Control

Best in Bullet (52%), worst in UltraBullet (39%)

UltraBullet

Bullet

Blitz

Rapid

Classical

Rating vs Time Control Matrix

Click cells to filter · White expected scores

White% by Rating × Time Control

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

Rating	UB	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: 32.6% expected score (10 games)
0-999 rating, Bullet: 45.3% expected score (3,104 games)
0-999 rating, Blitz: 46.3% expected score (9,341 games)
0-999 rating, Rapid: 44.0% expected score (4,270 games)
0-999 rating, Classical: 26.1% expected score (34 games)
1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 26.2% expected score (32 games)
1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 49.5% expected score (4,906 games)
1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.3% expected score (10,367 games)
1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 46.5% expected score (4,647 games)
1000-1199 rating, Classical: 35.2% expected score (130 games)
1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 33.8% expected score (54 games)
1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 53.0% expected score (8,200 games)
1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.9% expected score (14,977 games)
1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 46.7% expected score (6,257 games)
1200-1399 rating, Classical: 36.1% expected score (321 games)
1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 39.2% expected score (77 games)
1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 53.5% expected score (18,565 games)
1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 52.0% expected score (32,518 games)
1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 48.2% expected score (8,529 games)
1400-1599 rating, Classical: 37.3% expected score (618 games)
1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 46.4% expected score (68 games)
1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 54.0% expected score (29,501 games)
1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.5% expected score (69,209 games)
1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 52.0% expected score (16,789 games)
1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.1% expected score (914 games)
1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 43.7% expected score (38 games)
1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 53.5% expected score (30,645 games)
1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 52.7% expected score (98,846 games)
1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.2% expected score (21,546 games)
1800-1999 rating, Classical: 47.5% expected score (799 games)
2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 46.7% expected score (28 games)
2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 53.4% expected score (30,762 games)
2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 53.3% expected score (48,671 games)
2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 51.4% expected score (11,154 games)
2000-2199 rating, Classical: 50.4% expected score (128 games)
2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 55.9% expected score (7 games)
2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 53.4% expected score (16,000 games)
2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 49.8% expected score (9,454 games)
2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 51.5% expected score (1,000 games)
2200-2499 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.8% expected score (3,511 games)
2500+ rating, Blitz: 68.9% expected score (78 games)
2500+ rating, Rapid: 54.4% expected score (10 games)

Matrix view reveals how performance varies across rating brackets and time controls. Green indicates favorable, red indicates challenging contexts.

Variations (1)

Canard Opening516K games

Winning52.4%

Analyze Canard Opening PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Canard Opening win rate?

The Canard Opening family has a 50.2% (90% CI: 50.0%-50.3%) win rate for white, aggregated from 1 variations and 516K rated games from Lichess.

How many Canard Opening variations are there?

This analysis covers 1 Canard Opening variations with sufficient game data. Each variation has its own statistics page with detailed win rates by rating and time control.

At what rating does the Canard Opening perform best?

The Canard Opening family performs best at 2500+ Elo with a 53.8% win rate for white (3.6K games). Performance may vary by specific variation.

Is the Canard Opening better in blitz or rapid?

Bullet (51.8%) outperforms UltraBullet (39.1%) by 12.7% across all Canard Opening variations.

How sharp is the Canard Opening?

Canard Opening games are 95.7% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 36 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.

Is the Canard Opening a good opening family?

The Canard Opening family is statistically favors white overall with a 50.2% (90% CI: 50.0%-50.3%) aggregated win rate. However, win rates vary significantly between the 1 variations—explore individual lines to find the best fit for your style.