King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense
3.2M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
42.3%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. Its best is the same figure — the band is too tight to plot.
Measured over 3.2M games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 3.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 3.2M games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 3.2M
- Best context
- 52.9% at 0-999 UltraBullet
- Worst context
- 26.0% at 1800-1999 Classical
- Average game length
- 31 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.1%
- Draws
- 3.9%
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.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
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: 46.1% at 0-999, 35.9% 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: 52.9% expected score (504 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 44.7% expected score (112,440 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 44.8% expected score (468,205 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 43.8% expected score (259,101 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 44.2% expected score (2,595 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 44.2% expected score (992 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 43.9% expected score (126,664 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 42.2% expected score (485,788 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 40.6% expected score (278,565 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 40.9% expected score (9,512 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 45.6% expected score (1,272 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 44.1% expected score (132,658 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 41.8% expected score (346,152 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 39.5% expected score (223,711 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 37.3% expected score (14,484 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 48.6% expected score (1,600 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 43.6% expected score (102,804 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 41.0% expected score (176,775 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 37.9% expected score (110,491 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 34.2% expected score (12,853 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 46.5% expected score (903 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 44.9% expected score (64,628 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 41.8% expected score (86,241 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 37.0% expected score (37,098 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 30.8% expected score (4,110 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 46.9% expected score (455 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 44.8% expected score (35,607 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 41.7% expected score (38,510 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 39.9% expected score (14,159 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 26.0% expected score (629 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 35.7% expected score (198 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 43.2% expected score (12,845 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 43.2% expected score (10,513 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 41.2% expected score (3,691 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 30.8% expected score (53 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 37.1% expected score (41 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 44.0% expected score (5,190 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 45.5% expected score (2,130 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 38.1% expected score (517 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 86.4% expected score (4 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 19.3% expected score (5 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 44.8% expected score (1,774 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 47.8% expected score (180 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 31.9% expected score (4 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense scores 42.3% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 42.3% and 42.4% — from 3.2M Lichess games. 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
- 3.2M+ 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 King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense win rate?
Playing the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense, Black wins 40.4%, draws 3.9% and loses 55.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.3%. It rests on 3.2M rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense perform best?
The King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense performs best for Black at 0-999, with an Expected Score of 44.5% (843K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 42.7% in Blitz (1.6M games) against 40.7% in Rapid (927K games).
How sharp is the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense?
The King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense has a sharpness score of 96.1 (very decisive), meaning 96.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 31 moves.
What is the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, Black wins 42.3%, draws 4.4% and loses 53.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.5%. It rests on 843K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 40.0%, draws 3.8% and loses 56.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.9%. It rests on 902K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 39.6%, draws 3.6% and loses 56.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.4%. It rests on 718K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 38.9%, draws 3.5% and loses 57.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 40.6%. It rests on 405K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 39.9%, draws 3.5% and loses 56.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.7%. It rests on 193K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 40.8%, draws 3.5% and loses 55.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.6%. It rests on 89K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 40.9%, draws 3.8% and loses 55.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.8%. It rests on 27K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 41.9%, draws 4.1% and loses 53.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.0%. It rests on 7.9K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 42.5%, draws 5.0% and loses 52.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.0%. It rests on 2.0K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense win rate in UltraBullet?
In UltraBullet, Black wins 45.9%, draws 1.3% and loses 52.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.6%. It rests on 6.0K Lichess games.
What is the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 43.1%, draws 2.1% and loses 54.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.2%. It rests on 595K Lichess games.
What is the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 40.7%, draws 4.1% and loses 55.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.7%. It rests on 1.6M Lichess games.
What is the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 38.4%, draws 4.6% and loses 57.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 40.7%. It rests on 927K Lichess games.
What is the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 34.5%, draws 4.5% and loses 61.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 36.8%. It rests on 44K Lichess games.
Is the King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense a good opening?
The King's Pawn Game: Damiano Defense is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 40.4% of its games and loses 55.8%. It performs best at 0-999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.