Crab Opening

1 variations · 56K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Key Finding

Crab Opening leaves White at 45.8% — consider alternatives.

The minimum advantage of -9.1% suggests this opening underperforms statistically at your level.

You play

Tough Sell

Rating

Time

White Expected Score0.0%Range (90% confident): 45.5% – 46.2%Aggregated from 1 variations

0%45.8%100%

Range (90% confident): 45.5% – 46.2%

ContextOverall · n=56K

Outcome Distribution

43.8%3.9%52.3%

Win

Draw

Loss

No position data

Crab Opening

Variations1

Games (Context)56K

Avg Length32 moves

Draw Rate3.9%

What Should I Play?

Player-controlled continuations for White · Overall · limited data

No continuation list is available for this context yet (needs more games).

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 Crab Opening family has a 45.8% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 45.5% and 46.2%), aggregated from 1 variations and 56K Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 41% → 52%

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

2200

2500+

White Win% by Time Control

Best in UltraBullet (49%), worst in Classical (32%)

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	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, UltraBullet: 60.4% expected score (13 games)
0-999 rating, Bullet: 44.2% expected score (2,491 games)
0-999 rating, Blitz: 43.3% expected score (6,220 games)
0-999 rating, Rapid: 41.0% expected score (2,990 games)
0-999 rating, Classical: 36.3% expected score (53 games)
1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 39.4% expected score (41 games)
1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 47.6% expected score (3,428 games)
1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 47.9% expected score (6,409 games)
1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 42.8% expected score (2,838 games)
1000-1199 rating, Classical: 33.3% expected score (97 games)
1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 51.8% expected score (55 games)
1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 47.2% expected score (2,236 games)
1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 46.6% expected score (6,626 games)
1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 44.0% expected score (2,514 games)
1200-1399 rating, Classical: 37.2% expected score (185 games)
1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 51.4% expected score (142 games)
1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 44.8% expected score (1,716 games)
1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 45.9% expected score (4,888 games)
1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 44.8% expected score (2,193 games)
1400-1599 rating, Classical: 29.9% expected score (160 games)
1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 38.5% expected score (29 games)
1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 46.4% expected score (1,341 games)
1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 46.6% expected score (3,275 games)
1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 48.6% expected score (595 games)
1600-1799 rating, Classical: 37.7% expected score (31 games)
1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 55.6% expected score (34 games)
1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 49.4% expected score (806 games)
1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 48.1% expected score (1,431 games)
1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 47.5% expected score (232 games)
1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (12 games)
2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 48.3% expected score (28 games)
2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.9% expected score (791 games)
2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (586 games)
2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.0% expected score (86 games)
2000-2199 rating, Classical: 68.2% expected score (4 games)
2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 53.0% expected score (48 games)
2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 46.9% expected score (677 games)
2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.5% expected score (289 games)
2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 51.3% expected score (36 games)
2200-2499 rating, Classical: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
2500+ rating, Bullet: 53.1% expected score (306 games)
2500+ rating, Blitz: 59.3% expected score (85 games)
2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (2 games)

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

Variations (1)

Crab Opening56K games

Losing45.8%

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Crab Opening win rate?

The Crab Opening family has a 43.8% (90% CI: 43.5%-44.2%) win rate for white, aggregated from 1 variations and 56K rated games from Lichess.

How many Crab Opening variations are there?

This analysis covers 1 Crab 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 Crab Opening perform best?

The Crab Opening family performs best at 2500+ Elo with a 51.7% win rate for white (398 games). Performance may vary by specific variation.

Is the Crab Opening better in blitz or rapid?

UltraBullet (49.3%) outperforms Classical (32.4%) by 16.9% across all Crab Opening variations.

How sharp is the Crab Opening?

Crab Opening games are 96.1% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 32 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.

Is the Crab Opening a good opening family?

The Crab Opening family is slightly favors black overall with a 43.8% (90% CI: 43.5%-44.2%) aggregated win rate. However, win rates vary significantly between the 1 variations—explore individual lines to find the best fit for your style.