Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line
8.0K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
48.1%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 49.0%.
Measured over 8.0K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 7.1 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 8.0K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 8.0K
- Best context
- 50.2% at 1800-1999 Bullet
- Worst context
- 46.7% at 2000-2199 Blitz
- Average game length
- 37 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 92.9%
- Draws
- 7.1%
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 · 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: 53.9% at 0-999, 45.9% 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, Bullet: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 75.5% expected score (26 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 47.9% expected score (22 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 59.8% expected score (55 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 47.9% expected score (71 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 58.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 44.3% expected score (122 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 46.1% expected score (188 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 35.4% expected score (50 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (7 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 57.0% expected score (249 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 50.3% expected score (383 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 49.1% expected score (111 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 40.5% expected score (9 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.2% expected score (501 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 48.2% expected score (855 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 46.1% expected score (165 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 54.7% expected score (20 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 48.5% expected score (694 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 46.7% expected score (1,403 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 50.3% expected score (177 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (13 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 48.5% expected score (891 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 47.3% expected score (1,269 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 45.2% expected score (175 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 36.7% expected score (6 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 44.6% expected score (332 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 46.1% expected score (204 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 43.0% expected score (20 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line scores 48.1% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 47.2% and 49.0% — from 8.0K 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
- 8.0K+ 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 Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line win rate?
Playing the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line, Black wins 44.5%, draws 7.1% and loses 48.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.1%. It rests on 8.0K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line perform best?
The Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line performs best for Black at 1000-1199, with an Expected Score of 61.5% (51 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 47.5% in Blitz (4.4K games) against 46.7% in Rapid (712 games).
How sharp is the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line?
The Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line has a sharpness score of 92.9 (decisive), meaning 92.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 37 moves.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 50.2%, draws 6.9% and loses 43.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.6%. It rests on 137 Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 42.5%, draws 3.1% and loses 54.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.1%. It rests on 367 Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 50.0%, draws 4.4% and loses 45.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.2%. It rests on 752 Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 46.0%, draws 5.4% and loses 48.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.7%. It rests on 1.5K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 44.6%, draws 5.9% and loses 49.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.6%. It rests on 2.3K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 43.5%, draws 7.9% and loses 48.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.5%. It rests on 2.3K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 34.9%, draws 20.3% and loses 44.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.1%. It rests on 558 Lichess games, which average 52 moves.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 46.7%, draws 5.3% and loses 48.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.4%. It rests on 2.9K Lichess games.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 43.7%, draws 7.6% and loses 48.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.5%. It rests on 4.4K Lichess games.
What is the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 41.3%, draws 10.7% and loses 48.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.7%. It rests on 712 Lichess games.
Is the Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line a good opening?
The Tarrasch Defense: Prague Variation, Main Line is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 44.5% of its games and loses 48.4%. It performs best at 1000-1199. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.