Continuations show the most common variations from this opening. Higher expected scores indicate better statistical outcomes, but familiarity and playstyle matter too.

Snapshot

Overall, the Portuguese Opening family has a 45.7% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 45.6% and 45.8%), aggregated from 3 variations and 684K Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 38% → 60%

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

2200

2500+

White Win% by Time Control

Best in UltraBullet (47%), worst in Classical (33%)

UltraBullet

Bullet

Blitz

Rapid

Classical

Rating vs Time Control Matrix

Click cells to filter · White expected scores

White% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

Rating	UB	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: 37.8% expected score (617 games)
0-999 rating, Bullet: 40.0% expected score (30,060 games)
0-999 rating, Blitz: 41.3% expected score (74,853 games)
0-999 rating, Rapid: 40.7% expected score (100,942 games)
0-999 rating, Classical: 36.6% expected score (1,788 games)
1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 45.6% expected score (1,074 games)
1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 44.9% expected score (17,338 games)
1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 46.6% expected score (48,550 games)
1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 41.6% expected score (30,637 games)
1000-1199 rating, Classical: 38.2% expected score (2,409 games)
1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 51.5% expected score (1,736 games)
1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 47.5% expected score (19,656 games)
1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 49.3% expected score (61,022 games)
1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 46.2% expected score (32,993 games)
1200-1399 rating, Classical: 38.2% expected score (2,864 games)
1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 46.8% expected score (1,495 games)
1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 46.2% expected score (21,395 games)
1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 48.7% expected score (58,460 games)
1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 46.1% expected score (35,430 games)
1400-1599 rating, Classical: 27.1% expected score (3,063 games)
1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 52.7% expected score (663 games)
1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.0% expected score (17,810 games)
1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.6% expected score (41,436 games)
1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 50.9% expected score (26,811 games)
1600-1799 rating, Classical: 45.4% expected score (936 games)
1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 52.0% expected score (374 games)
1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 49.6% expected score (10,860 games)
1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.6% expected score (18,581 games)
1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 50.9% expected score (8,486 games)
1800-1999 rating, Classical: 48.5% expected score (302 games)
2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.9% expected score (166 games)
2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.2% expected score (3,135 games)
2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.3% expected score (4,360 games)
2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 53.6% expected score (1,320 games)
2000-2199 rating, Classical: 35.2% expected score (12 games)
2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 48.6% expected score (101 games)
2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 49.3% expected score (1,417 games)
2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 56.7% expected score (717 games)
2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 49.4% expected score (85 games)
2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
2500+ rating, Bullet: 58.7% expected score (85 games)
2500+ rating, Blitz: 76.3% expected score (29 games)
2500+ rating, Rapid: 59.1% expected score (4 games)

Matrix view reveals how performance varies across rating brackets and time controls. Green indicates favorable, red indicates challenging contexts.

Variations (3)

Portuguese Opening677K games

Losing45.7%

Portuguese Opening: Portuguese Gambit7.1K games

Losing43.4%

Portuguese Opening: Miguel Gambit248 games

Losing36.6%

Analyze Portuguese Opening PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Portuguese Opening win rate?

The Portuguese Opening family has a 43.4% (90% CI: 43.3%-43.5%) win rate for white, aggregated from 3 variations and 684K rated games from Lichess.

How many Portuguese Opening variations are there?

This analysis covers 3 Portuguese Opening variations with sufficient game data. Each variation has its own statistics page with detailed win rates by rating and time control.

At what rating does the Portuguese Opening perform best?

The Portuguese Opening family performs best at 2500+ Elo with a 59.8% win rate for white (118 games). Performance may vary by specific variation.

Is the Portuguese Opening better in blitz or rapid?

UltraBullet (47.3%) outperforms Classical (33.3%) by 14.0% across all Portuguese Opening variations.

How sharp is the Portuguese Opening?

Portuguese Opening games are 95.5% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 31 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.

Is the Portuguese Opening a good opening family?

The Portuguese Opening family is slightly favors black overall with a 43.4% (90% CI: 43.3%-43.5%) aggregated win rate. However, win rates vary significantly between the 3 variations—explore individual lines to find the best fit for your style.

What Should I Play?

What is the Portuguese Opening expected score for White?