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Rat Defense: Harmonist

2.0M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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Analyze this line move by move

White expected score · All ratings · All speeds

52.7%

45%60%
Floor52.6%

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

Measured over 2.0M games at this level and clock.

Play Thiswins clearly more often than it loses at this level

A strong choice for White at this level and clock.

Outcomes for White

Draw 3.1 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 2.0M games

Rank among the families White can choose here
not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
Games in this context
2.0M
Best context
63.7% at 2500+ Blitz
Worst context
42.0% at 1000-1199 UltraBullet
Average game length
33 moves
Games that end decisively
96.9%
Draws
3.1%

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.

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: 44.6% at 0-999, 61.3% at 2500+.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
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: 34.5% expected score (307 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 48.6% expected score (15,826 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 49.4% expected score (19,859 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 48.1% expected score (6,106 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 42.5% expected score (45 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 42.0% expected score (582 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 51.3% expected score (37,690 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 52.1% expected score (41,334 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 51.4% expected score (10,395 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 49.4% expected score (163 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 46.0% expected score (1,286 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 52.1% expected score (79,387 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 53.2% expected score (84,217 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 51.5% expected score (18,533 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 49.9% expected score (503 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 44.7% expected score (1,829 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 52.2% expected score (125,047 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 53.4% expected score (178,064 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 52.4% expected score (34,637 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 52.0% expected score (1,302 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 46.5% expected score (1,647 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 52.4% expected score (170,339 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.1% expected score (288,133 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 53.4% expected score (61,328 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 54.0% expected score (2,476 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 46.1% expected score (225 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 52.4% expected score (176,268 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 52.7% expected score (274,641 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 53.5% expected score (66,402 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 54.7% expected score (1,906 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 34.1% expected score (55 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 52.1% expected score (104,668 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.9% expected score (109,522 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 53.4% expected score (21,121 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 59.1% expected score (262 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 41.8% expected score (41 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.6% expected score (41,787 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.5% expected score (17,274 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 58.3% expected score (1,505 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (13 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 56.0% expected score (4,318 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 63.7% expected score (563 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 64.3% expected score (9 games)

Related Openings

Variations (5)
Rat Defense: Small Center Defense
50.2%
Rat Defense: Antal Defense
48.5%
Rat Defense: English Rat
47.8%
Rat Defense: Balogh Defense
51.0%
Rat Defense: English Rat, Lisbon Gambit
44.5%
Analyze Rat Defense: Harmonist PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the Rat Defense: Harmonist scores 52.7% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 52.6% and 52.7% — from 2.0M 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
2.0M+ 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 Rat Defense: Harmonist win rate?

Playing the Rat Defense: Harmonist, White wins 51.1%, draws 3.1% and loses 45.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 2.0M rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Rat Defense: Harmonist perform best?

The Rat Defense: Harmonist performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 56.9% (4.9K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.

Is the Rat Defense: Harmonist better in blitz or rapid?

For White, the Rat Defense: Harmonist scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 53.0% in Blitz (1.0M games) against 52.9% in Rapid (220K games).

How sharp is the Rat Defense: Harmonist?

The Rat Defense: Harmonist has a sharpness score of 96.9 (very decisive), meaning 96.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 33 moves.

What is the Rat Defense: Harmonist win rate at 0-999?

At 0-999, White wins 47.1%, draws 3.3% and loses 49.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.8%. It rests on 42K Lichess games, which average 26 moves.

What is the Rat Defense: Harmonist win rate at 1000-1199?

At 1000-1199, White wins 50.4%, draws 2.4% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.6%. It rests on 90K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.

What is the Rat Defense: Harmonist win rate at 1200-1399?

At 1200-1399, White wins 51.3%, draws 2.3% and loses 46.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.5%. It rests on 184K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.

What is the Rat Defense: Harmonist win rate at 1400-1599?

At 1400-1599, White wins 51.5%, draws 2.6% and loses 45.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.8%. It rests on 341K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.

What is the Rat Defense: Harmonist win rate at 1600-1799?

At 1600-1799, White wins 51.4%, draws 3.0% and loses 45.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.9%. It rests on 524K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.

What is the Rat Defense: Harmonist win rate at 1800-1999?

At 1800-1999, White wins 51.0%, draws 3.5% and loses 45.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 519K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.

What is the Rat Defense: Harmonist win rate at 2000-2199?

At 2000-2199, White wins 50.7%, draws 3.8% and loses 45.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.6%. It rests on 236K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.

What is the Rat Defense: Harmonist win rate at 2200-2499?

At 2200-2499, White wins 51.2%, draws 4.1% and loses 44.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.3%. It rests on 61K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.

What is the Rat Defense: Harmonist win rate at 2500+?

At 2500+, White wins 54.3%, draws 5.2% and loses 40.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.9%. It rests on 4.9K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.

What is the Rat Defense: Harmonist win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet, White wins 44.1%, draws 0.9% and loses 55.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.6%. It rests on 6.0K Lichess games.

What is the Rat Defense: Harmonist win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet, White wins 51.1%, draws 2.2% and loses 46.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.2%. It rests on 755K Lichess games.

What is the Rat Defense: Harmonist win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz, White wins 51.2%, draws 3.6% and loses 45.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.0%. It rests on 1.0M Lichess games.

What is the Rat Defense: Harmonist win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid, White wins 50.8%, draws 4.1% and loses 45.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.9%. It rests on 220K Lichess games.

What is the Rat Defense: Harmonist win rate in Classical?

In Classical, White wins 51.2%, draws 4.5% and loses 44.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.5%. It rests on 6.7K Lichess games.

Is the Rat Defense: Harmonist a good opening?

The Rat Defense: Harmonist is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 51.1% of its games and loses 45.8%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.