Kangaroo Defense

2 variations · 329K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

2...Bb4+

Analyze this line move by move

Black expected score · Overall

46.0%

40%55%

Floor45.8%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 46.1%.

Measured over 329K games at this level and clock.

Tough Sellloses more often than it wins at this level

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

Outcomes for Black

43.9%4.2%51.9%

Win

Draw

Loss

Draw 4.2 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 329K games

Rank among the families Black can choose here: #57 of 62
Games in this context: 329K
Best context: 55.4% at 1400-1599 UltraBullet
Worst context: 38.6% at 1400-1599 Classical
Variations measured: 2
Average game length: 35 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

#1Kangaroo DefenseBest here

1.d4 e6 2.c4 Bb4+

Floor 46.3% · 158K games

46.5%

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 gets better as the rating rises: 43.3% at 0-999, 54.4% 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: 46.2% expected score (76 games)
0-999 rating, Bullet: 44.1% expected score (3,879 games)
0-999 rating, Blitz: 44.3% expected score (9,355 games)
0-999 rating, Rapid: 44.5% expected score (4,788 games)
0-999 rating, Classical: 37.6% expected score (47 games)
1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 49.8% expected score (198 games)
1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 44.9% expected score (6,989 games)
1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 45.1% expected score (16,965 games)
1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 42.2% expected score (6,699 games)
1000-1199 rating, Classical: 37.3% expected score (211 games)
1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 53.1% expected score (654 games)
1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 45.7% expected score (10,989 games)
1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 45.4% expected score (29,469 games)
1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 44.2% expected score (9,845 games)
1200-1399 rating, Classical: 38.8% expected score (558 games)
1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 55.4% expected score (2,643 games)
1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 45.2% expected score (15,557 games)
1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 46.2% expected score (36,507 games)
1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 45.0% expected score (13,306 games)
1400-1599 rating, Classical: 38.6% expected score (812 games)
1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 52.3% expected score (3,405 games)
1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 44.8% expected score (16,877 games)
1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 45.7% expected score (32,084 games)
1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 45.7% expected score (12,843 games)
1600-1799 rating, Classical: 40.7% expected score (854 games)
1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 47.7% expected score (1,522 games)
1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 46.4% expected score (15,590 games)
1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 47.6% expected score (22,747 games)
1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 45.9% expected score (8,195 games)
1800-1999 rating, Classical: 43.3% expected score (376 games)
2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 47.1% expected score (392 games)
2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 47.3% expected score (9,215 games)
2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 48.6% expected score (12,762 games)
2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 47.6% expected score (2,959 games)
2000-2199 rating, Classical: 43.6% expected score (76 games)
2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 45.4% expected score (31 games)
2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 49.1% expected score (5,847 games)
2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 48.2% expected score (9,709 games)
2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 43.9% expected score (662 games)
2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (12 games)
2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
2500+ rating, Bullet: 47.3% expected score (1,931 games)
2500+ rating, Blitz: 46.0% expected score (1,774 games)
2500+ rating, Rapid: 58.9% expected score (38 games)
2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (3 games)

2 variations · ranked by floor

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

Kangaroo Defense158K games

Losing46.5%Floor 46.3%

Kangaroo Defense: Keres Defense, Transpositional Variation171K games

Losing45.5%Floor 45.3%

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

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the Kangaroo Defense family scores 46.0% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 45.8% and 46.1% — from 329K 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: 329K+ 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 Kangaroo Defense win rate?

Across the Kangaroo Defense's 2 variations, Black wins 43.9%, draws 4.2% and loses 51.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.0%. It rests on 329K rated games from Lichess.

How many Kangaroo Defense variations are there?

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

At what rating does the Kangaroo Defense perform best?

The Kangaroo Defense family performs best for Black at 2200-2499, with an Expected Score of 48.4% (16K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.

Is the Kangaroo Defense better in blitz or rapid?

For Black, the Kangaroo Defense scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 46.2% in Blitz (171K games) against 44.9% in Rapid (59K games).

How sharp is the Kangaroo Defense?

Kangaroo Defense games are 95.8% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 35 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.

Is the Kangaroo Defense a good opening family?

The Kangaroo Defense family is hard work for Black — it favours White overall. Across its games, Black wins 43.9% and loses 51.9%. Results differ between its 2 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.