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Castling Statistics

Players castle kingside in 64.4% of games. Here is what each pattern is worth at your level.

Source Lichess·Games 2.1B·Covering 2023-12 to 2025-11·Updated January 2026

Key Finding

White wins 49.3% of games with the kings castled on opposite sides, and 48.7% when both castle kingside.

White wins 0.6 percentage points more often when the kings castle on opposite sides.

You play
Rating
Time
Kingside Castle Rate64.4%Average across both sides
Castle Distribution
Kingside 64.4%
Queenside 12.1%
No castling 23.5%

Kingside is O-O, the short one. Queenside is O-O-O.

Opposite vs Both Kingside+0.6 ptsYour win rate vs same-side castling
Your Win Rate by Pattern
48.7%Both Kingside
49.3%Opposite Sides
Overall2.1B games
Both Kingside987M
Opposite299M
Your O-O (W)66.3%
Opponent O-O62.5%

Both Kingside — both sides castled kingside · Opposite — castled to opposite sides

White Castling

Kingside (O-O)66.3%
Queenside (O-O-O)12.6%
No castling21.1%

Black Castling

Kingside (O-O)62.5%
Queenside (O-O-O)11.6%
No castling25.9%

Kingside Castle Rate by Rating

Increases with rating: 41.2% → 75.2%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

Kingside Castle Rate by Rating

  • 0-999: 41.2% win rate (110,558,451 games)
  • 1000-1199: 52.5% win rate (176,191,834 games)
  • 1200-1399: 58.8% win rate (271,347,459 games)
  • 1400-1599: 63.0% win rate (364,284,709 games)
  • 1600-1799: 67.2% win rate (409,807,235 games)
  • 1800-1999: 70.3% win rate (372,819,499 games)
  • 2000-2199: 72.1% win rate (236,419,746 games)
  • 2200-2499: 73.3% win rate (130,230,608 games)
  • 2500+: 75.2% win rate (27,163,579 games)

Opposite Castling White Win% by Rating

White wins more with opposite-side castling than when both castle kingside at 8 of 9 ratings, about the same at 1

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

Opposite Castling White Win% by Rating

  • 0-999: 47.3% win rate (10,575,121 games)
  • 1000-1199: 49.2% win rate (23,809,270 games)
  • 1200-1399: 49.4% win rate (40,762,075 games)
  • 1400-1599: 49.3% win rate (56,077,832 games)
  • 1600-1799: 49.3% win rate (61,843,159 games)
  • 1800-1999: 49.3% win rate (53,312,963 games)
  • 2000-2199: 49.6% win rate (32,379,917 games)
  • 2200-2499: 50.3% win rate (16,714,600 games)
  • 2500+: 50.7% win rate (3,109,715 games)

Opposite Castling White Win% by Time Control

Similar across time controls (~49.9%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

Opposite Castling White Win% by Time Control

  • UltraBullet: 49.9% win rate (1,077,234 games)
  • Bullet: 49.5% win rate (117,029,600 games)
  • Blitz: 49.3% win rate (141,608,936 games)
  • Rapid: 49.1% win rate (37,711,951 games)
  • Classical: 48.6% win rate (1,156,931 games)

Win Rates by Castling Pattern

White's win rate under each castling pattern

Both KingsideStandard pattern - both kings castle short987M games
48.7%Baseline
Opposite SidesKings on opposite flanks299M games
49.3%White +0.6 pts vs baseline

White wins 0.6 percentage points more often when the kings castle on opposite sides.

Does White win more with opposite-side castling?

Snapshot

In Lichess games played December 2023 to November 2025, White wins 48.7% when both sides castle kingside and 49.3% when the kings castle on opposite sides. White wins 0.6 percentage points more often when the kings castle on opposite sides. 64.4% of players castle kingside.

Check Castling Patterns in Your GamesSee how king safety trades off at your level

Frequently Asked Questions

What percentage of chess players castle kingside vs queenside?

64.4% of players castle kingside. In Lichess games, White castles kingside 66.3% and queenside 12.6%. Black castles kingside 62.5% and queenside 11.6%.

What is the win rate when players castle on opposite sides?

White wins 49.3% when the kings castle on opposite sides, against 48.7% when both castle kingside. The difference is small.

How often do chess players not castle at all?

White doesn't castle in 21.1% of games, and Black skips castling 25.9% of the time.

Does castling frequency change at different rating levels?

Yes. At 2500+, players castle kingside in 75.2% of games and don't castle in 14.3%; at 0-999, 41.2% and 49.2%. Higher-rated players castle kingside more often.

Does time control affect how often players castle?

Hardly. In Classical, players castle kingside in 54.2% of games and don't castle in 36.5%; in UltraBullet, 54.5% and 37.8%.

Is queenside castling worse than kingside castling?

This page can't tell you. It counts how often each side castles queenside (12.6% of White players, 11.6% of Black), not how those games end.

What percentage of games have opposite-side castling?

The kings end up castled on opposite sides in 14.2% of Lichess games.