Crab Opening

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

No move sequence recorded for this opening

White expected score · Overall

45.8%

40%55%

Floor45.5%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 46.2%.

Measured over 56K games at this level and clock.

Tough Sellloses more often than it wins at this level

White comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the ranked list.

Outcomes for White

43.8%3.9%52.3%

Win

Draw

Loss

Draw 3.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 56K games

Rank among the families White can choose here: not ranked — under 500 games here
Games in this context: 56K
Best context: 51.4% at 2000-2199 Blitz
Worst context: 41.0% at 0-999 Rapid
Variations measured: 1
Average game length: 32 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 data

Not 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: 45.0% at 0-999, 55.0% 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, 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)

1 variations · ranked by floor

Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.

Crab Opening56K games

Losing45.8%Floor 45.5%

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the Crab Opening family scores 45.8% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 45.5% and 46.2% — from 56K Lichess games across 1 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: 56K+ 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 Crab Opening win rate?

Across the Crab Opening's 1 variations, White wins 43.8%, draws 3.9% and loses 52.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.8%. It rests on 56K rated games from Lichess.

How many Crab Opening variations are there?

1 Crab Opening variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.

At what rating does the Crab Opening perform best?

The Crab Opening family performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 54.5% (398 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.

Is the Crab Opening better in blitz or rapid?

For White, the Crab Opening scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 46.3% in Blitz (30K games) against 43.5% in Rapid (11K games).

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 hard work for White — it favours Black overall. Across its games, White wins 43.8% and loses 52.3%. Results differ between its 1 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.