Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack
263K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
54.2%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 54.3%.
Measured over 263K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.5 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 263K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 263K
- Best context
- 61.4% at 2200-2499 Rapid
- Worst context
- 49.7% at 0-999 Bullet
- Average game length
- 32 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.5%
- Draws
- 4.5%
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: 48.9% at 0-999, 63.5% 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: 54.8% expected score (51 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 49.7% expected score (9,494 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (21,513 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 50.3% expected score (12,794 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 38.0% expected score (103 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 42.9% expected score (154 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 52.3% expected score (9,582 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 53.7% expected score (16,599 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 52.8% expected score (10,461 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 50.2% expected score (250 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 53.9% expected score (230 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 53.0% expected score (10,274 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 54.7% expected score (19,535 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 55.1% expected score (14,945 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 55.4% expected score (349 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 55.1% expected score (450 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 54.7% expected score (8,771 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 54.0% expected score (18,159 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 53.4% expected score (9,975 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 51.6% expected score (851 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 54.4% expected score (321 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 54.1% expected score (7,971 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 55.9% expected score (16,932 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 56.5% expected score (8,128 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 54.5% expected score (522 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 51.3% expected score (364 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 54.2% expected score (7,468 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 56.0% expected score (15,356 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 57.6% expected score (4,785 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 60.6% expected score (240 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 55.3% expected score (158 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 54.3% expected score (7,908 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 57.4% expected score (11,817 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 58.3% expected score (2,345 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (56 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 44.4% expected score (60 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 55.2% expected score (7,367 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 59.5% expected score (4,482 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 61.4% expected score (653 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 73.1% expected score (18 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 63.4% expected score (6 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 56.2% expected score (1,604 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 59.4% expected score (281 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 74.8% expected score (45 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack scores 54.2% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 54.0% and 54.3% — from 263K 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
- 263K+ 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 Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack win rate?
Playing the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack, White wins 51.9%, draws 4.5% and loses 43.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.2%. It rests on 263K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack perform best?
The Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack performs best for White at 2200-2499, with an Expected Score of 57.0% (13K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 54.7% in Blitz (125K games) against 54.1% in Rapid (64K games).
How sharp is the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack?
The Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack has a sharpness score of 95.5 (very decisive), meaning 95.5% of games end decisively. Average game length is 32 moves.
What is the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 48.3%, draws 4.8% and loses 46.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.7%. It rests on 44K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 51.0%, draws 4.0% and loses 45.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.0%. It rests on 37K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 52.5%, draws 3.9% and loses 43.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.5%. It rests on 45K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 51.8%, draws 4.3% and loses 43.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.0%. It rests on 38K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 53.3%, draws 4.6% and loses 42.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.6%. It rests on 34K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 53.4%, draws 4.8% and loses 41.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.8%. It rests on 28K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 53.9%, draws 5.0% and loses 41.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.4%. It rests on 22K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 54.0%, draws 6.0% and loses 40.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.0%. It rests on 13K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 53.2%, draws 7.8% and loses 39.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.1%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack win rate in UltraBullet?
In UltraBullet, White wins 51.8%, draws 1.8% and loses 46.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 1.8K Lichess games.
What is the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 51.8%, draws 3.1% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.4%. It rests on 70K Lichess games.
What is the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 52.2%, draws 5.0% and loses 42.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.7%. It rests on 125K Lichess games.
What is the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 51.4%, draws 5.3% and loses 43.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.1%. It rests on 64K Lichess games.
What is the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 50.8%, draws 5.6% and loses 43.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.6%. It rests on 2.4K Lichess games.
Is the Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack a good opening?
The Van Geet Opening: Napoleon Attack is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 51.9% of its games and loses 43.6%. It performs best at 2200-2499. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.