Hungarian Opening
18 variations · 35M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · Overall
52.0%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. Its best is the same figure — the band is too tight to plot.
Measured over 35M games at this level and clock.
A strong opening choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 3.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 35M games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- #25 of 56
- Games in this context
- 35M
- Best context
- 58.8% at 2500+ UltraBullet
- Worst context
- 46.5% at 0-999 Classical
- Variations measured
- 18
- Average game length
- 36 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 · OverallThese 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: 48.8% at 0-999, 55.2% 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: 47.1% expected score (6,627 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 50.1% expected score (343,976 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.5% expected score (649,686 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 49.9% expected score (217,813 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 46.5% expected score (2,106 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 51.2% expected score (20,933 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (753,722 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 51.6% expected score (1,099,331 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 51.0% expected score (297,308 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 49.8% expected score (7,634 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 50.9% expected score (70,101 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 52.0% expected score (1,464,936 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.6% expected score (1,739,793 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 51.0% expected score (443,188 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 50.4% expected score (16,443 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 52.6% expected score (154,706 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (2,432,763 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (2,485,490 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 50.4% expected score (536,583 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 47.2% expected score (25,227 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 53.0% expected score (254,739 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 52.0% expected score (3,410,850 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (2,761,301 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 51.0% expected score (541,564 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 51.0% expected score (20,768 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 53.8% expected score (289,225 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (3,823,555 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (2,034,846 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 51.3% expected score (307,605 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 51.6% expected score (8,343 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 55.8% expected score (144,496 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 52.5% expected score (3,100,965 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.3% expected score (940,703 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 52.5% expected score (91,171 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 54.4% expected score (1,594 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 57.1% expected score (47,026 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 53.3% expected score (2,718,261 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.8% expected score (334,179 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 55.9% expected score (14,897 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 55.0% expected score (413 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 58.8% expected score (670 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.5% expected score (855,369 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 57.7% expected score (29,120 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 57.4% expected score (1,565 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 46.4% expected score (192 games)
18 variations · ranked by floor
Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Hungarian Opening family scores 52.0% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 52.0% and 52.1% — from 35M Lichess games across 18 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
- 35M+ 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 Hungarian Opening win rate?
Across the Hungarian Opening's 18 variations, White wins 50.0%, draws 3.9% and loses 46.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.0%. It rests on 35M rated games from Lichess.
How many Hungarian Opening variations are there?
18 Hungarian Opening variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.
At what rating does the Hungarian Opening perform best?
The Hungarian Opening family performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 55.5% (887K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.
Is the Hungarian Opening better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Hungarian Opening scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 51.7% in Blitz (12M games) against 50.9% in Rapid (2.5M games).
How sharp is the Hungarian Opening?
Hungarian Opening games are 96.1% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 36 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.
Is the Hungarian Opening a good opening family?
The Hungarian Opening family is good for White overall. Across its games, White wins 50.0% and loses 46.0%. Results differ between its 18 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.