Colle System
2 variations · 10K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · Overall
48.7%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 49.5%.
Measured over 10K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.4 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 10K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — under 500 games here
- Games in this context
- 10K
- Best context
- 57.2% at 2200-2499 Bullet
- Worst context
- 45.3% at 1400-1599 Bullet
- Variations measured
- 2
- Average game length
- 37 moves
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.
What to play from here
White · Overall · limited dataNot enough games here yet to rank what comes next. Pick another rating or time control above.
These are the moves players actually choose from here, ranked by how they score. A higher score is a better bet on the numbers alone — familiarity and playstyle still matter.
Where it holds · White score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It gets better as the rating rises: 39.5% at 0-999, 53.0% at 2500+.
| Rating | UB | Bulle | Blitz | Rapid | 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, Bullet: 39.3% expected score (31 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 55.2% expected score (66 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 23.9% expected score (10 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 44.3% expected score (147 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 46.4% expected score (124 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 42.4% expected score (18 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 46.0% expected score (320 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 48.2% expected score (349 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 54.8% expected score (62 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 45.3% expected score (543 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 46.3% expected score (715 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 47.0% expected score (162 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 45.9% expected score (781 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 46.1% expected score (1,169 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 47.8% expected score (272 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 63.4% expected score (6 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 73.1% expected score (5 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 49.7% expected score (1,168 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 46.2% expected score (1,098 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 54.1% expected score (209 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 65.4% expected score (5 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 48.8% expected score (839 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 54.4% expected score (469 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 40.6% expected score (41 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 57.2% expected score (745 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 52.1% expected score (287 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 53.7% expected score (12 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 53.5% expected score (282 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 55.4% expected score (73 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
2 variations · ranked by floor
Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Colle System family scores 48.7% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 47.9% and 49.5% — from 10K Lichess games across 2 variations. 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
- 10K+ 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 Colle System win rate?
Across the Colle System's 2 variations, White wins 46.5%, draws 4.4% and loses 49.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.7%. It rests on 10K rated games from Lichess.
How many Colle System variations are there?
2 Colle System variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.
At what rating does the Colle System perform best?
The Colle System family performs best for White at 2200-2499, with an Expected Score of 55.8% (1.0K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.
Is the Colle System better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Colle System scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 48.0% in Blitz (4.3K games) against 49.1% in Rapid (788 games).
How sharp is the Colle System?
Colle System games are 95.6% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 37 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.
Is the Colle System a good opening family?
The Colle System family is hard work for White — it favours Black overall. Across its games, White wins 46.5% and loses 49.1%. Results differ between its 2 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.