Czech Defense

1 variations · 1.7M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

3...c6

Analyze this line move by move

Black expected score · Overall

48.8%

45%55%

Floor48.8%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. Its best is the same figure — the band is too tight to plot.

Measured over 1.7M games at this level and clock.

Playablewins about as often as it loses at this level

Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.

Outcomes for Black

46.8%4.0%49.2%

Win

Draw

Loss

Draw 4.0 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 1.7M games

Rank among the families Black can choose here: #22 of 62
Games in this context: 1.7M
Best context: 53.5% at 0-999 Bullet
Worst context: 40.8% at 2000-2199 Classical
Variations measured: 1
Average game length: 34 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

Black · Overall

#1Czech DefenseBest here

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 c6

Floor 48.8% · 1.7M games

48.8%

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 · Black score by rating × clock

Green is clearly ahead for Black, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It falls away as the rating rises: 48.9% at 0-999, 36.1% 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: 68.2% expected score (4 games)
0-999 rating, Bullet: 53.5% expected score (7,906 games)
0-999 rating, Blitz: 49.8% expected score (16,714 games)
0-999 rating, Rapid: 49.5% expected score (5,623 games)
0-999 rating, Classical: 23.3% expected score (34 games)
1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (22 games)
1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 52.0% expected score (18,472 games)
1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 48.9% expected score (45,389 games)
1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 47.1% expected score (18,211 games)
1000-1199 rating, Classical: 51.7% expected score (208 games)
1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 68.8% expected score (49 games)
1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (32,460 games)
1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 49.0% expected score (84,706 games)
1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 47.8% expected score (39,888 games)
1200-1399 rating, Classical: 47.6% expected score (1,164 games)
1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 52.7% expected score (255 games)
1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.6% expected score (43,530 games)
1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 49.4% expected score (136,015 games)
1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 48.1% expected score (67,361 games)
1400-1599 rating, Classical: 48.7% expected score (2,845 games)
1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 47.5% expected score (413 games)
1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.6% expected score (59,491 games)
1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 49.4% expected score (166,050 games)
1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 48.7% expected score (79,640 games)
1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.8% expected score (5,137 games)
1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 51.5% expected score (200 games)
1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 49.5% expected score (67,322 games)
1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 49.5% expected score (189,716 games)
1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 48.4% expected score (68,878 games)
1800-1999 rating, Classical: 46.2% expected score (4,751 games)
2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 51.9% expected score (180 games)
2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 49.1% expected score (75,214 games)
2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 48.5% expected score (161,018 games)
2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 46.8% expected score (35,575 games)
2000-2199 rating, Classical: 40.8% expected score (1,185 games)
2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 47.1% expected score (100 games)
2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 48.0% expected score (86,752 games)
2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 46.4% expected score (88,971 games)
2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 42.2% expected score (8,475 games)
2200-2499 rating, Classical: 45.1% expected score (121 games)
2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 38.0% expected score (11 games)
2500+ rating, Bullet: 47.0% expected score (27,911 games)
2500+ rating, Blitz: 43.7% expected score (6,810 games)
2500+ rating, Rapid: 35.0% expected score (394 games)
2500+ rating, Classical: 16.7% expected score (3 games)

1 variations · ranked by floor

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

Czech Defense1.7M games

Balanced48.8%Floor 48.8%

Analyze Czech Defense PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the Czech Defense family scores 48.8% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 48.8% and 48.9% — from 1.7M 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: 1.7M+ 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 Czech Defense win rate?

Across the Czech Defense's 1 variations, Black wins 46.8%, draws 4.0% and loses 49.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.8%. It rests on 1.7M rated games from Lichess.

How many Czech Defense variations are there?

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

At what rating does the Czech Defense perform best?

The Czech Defense family performs best for Black at 0-999, with an Expected Score of 50.7% (30K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.

Is the Czech Defense better in blitz or rapid?

For Black, the Czech Defense scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 48.8% in Blitz (895K games) against 47.9% in Rapid (324K games).

How sharp is the Czech Defense?

Czech Defense games are 96.0% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 34 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.

Is the Czech Defense a good opening family?

The Czech Defense family is about level overall. Across its games, Black wins 46.8% and loses 49.2%. Results differ between its 1 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.