Wade Defense

1 variations · 238K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Key Finding

Wade Defense leaves Black at 47.2% — consider alternatives.

The minimum advantage of -6.1% suggests this opening underperforms statistically at your level.

You play

Tough Sell

Rating

Time

Black Expected Score0.0%Range (90% confident): 47.0% – 47.4%Aggregated from 1 variations

0%47.2%100%

Range (90% confident): 47.0% – 47.4%

ContextOverall · n=238K

Outcome Distribution

44.5%5.3%50.2%

Win

Draw

Loss

2...Bg4

Wade Defense

Variations1

Games (Context)238K

Avg Length37 moves

Draw Rate5.3%

What Should I Play?

Player-controlled continuations for Black · Overall

#1Wade DefenseTop Pick

1.d4 d6 2.Nf3 Bg4

Min adv -6.1% · n=238K

47.2%

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 Wade Defense family has a 47.2% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 47.0% and 47.4%), aggregated from 1 variations and 238K Lichess games.

Black Win% by Rating

Declines with rating: 46% → 40%

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

2200

2500+

Black Win% by Time Control

Best in UltraBullet (47%), worst in Classical (42%)

UltraBullet

Bullet

Blitz

Rapid

Classical

Rating vs Time Control Matrix

Click cells to filter · Black expected scores

Black% by Rating × Time Control

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

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: 66.0% expected score (11 games)
0-999 rating, Bullet: 46.8% expected score (1,612 games)
0-999 rating, Blitz: 48.1% expected score (3,707 games)
0-999 rating, Rapid: 48.1% expected score (1,271 games)
0-999 rating, Classical: 46.0% expected score (11 games)
1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 58.6% expected score (98 games)
1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 46.3% expected score (2,826 games)
1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 47.3% expected score (7,457 games)
1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 47.2% expected score (2,217 games)
1000-1199 rating, Classical: 42.5% expected score (45 games)
1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 57.3% expected score (369 games)
1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 47.1% expected score (4,654 games)
1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 46.6% expected score (12,696 games)
1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 46.9% expected score (4,445 games)
1200-1399 rating, Classical: 40.3% expected score (153 games)
1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 50.6% expected score (633 games)
1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 47.8% expected score (6,341 games)
1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 46.9% expected score (17,951 games)
1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 46.2% expected score (6,614 games)
1400-1599 rating, Classical: 49.7% expected score (424 games)
1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 49.8% expected score (1,031 games)
1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 46.8% expected score (8,765 games)
1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 47.4% expected score (19,062 games)
1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 46.8% expected score (7,400 games)
1600-1799 rating, Classical: 45.9% expected score (451 games)
1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 44.3% expected score (1,021 games)
1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 46.4% expected score (10,989 games)
1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 47.6% expected score (19,339 games)
1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 46.6% expected score (6,385 games)
1800-1999 rating, Classical: 45.3% expected score (347 games)
2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 43.1% expected score (530 games)
2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 47.3% expected score (13,656 games)
2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (21,835 games)
2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 43.4% expected score (2,642 games)
2000-2199 rating, Classical: 40.6% expected score (94 games)
2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 39.3% expected score (120 games)
2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 46.8% expected score (14,667 games)
2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 48.6% expected score (26,172 games)
2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 43.5% expected score (1,143 games)
2200-2499 rating, Classical: 33.7% expected score (20 games)
2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
2500+ rating, Bullet: 45.1% expected score (5,037 games)
2500+ rating, Blitz: 42.8% expected score (3,407 games)
2500+ rating, Rapid: 33.6% expected score (41 games)
2500+ rating, Classical: 27.8% expected score (3 games)

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

Variations (1)

Wade Defense238K games

Losing47.2%

Analyze Wade Defense PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Wade Defense win rate?

The Wade Defense family has a 50.2% (90% CI: 50.0%-50.4%) win rate for white, aggregated from 1 variations and 238K rated games from Lichess.

How many Wade Defense variations are there?

This analysis covers 1 Wade Defense 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 Wade Defense perform best?

The Wade Defense family performs best at 2500+ Elo with a 51.7% win rate for white (8.5K games). Performance may vary by specific variation.

Is the Wade Defense better in blitz or rapid?

Bullet (51.3%) outperforms UltraBullet (50.2%) by 1.1% across all Wade Defense variations.

How sharp is the Wade Defense?

Wade Defense games are 94.7% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 37 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.

Is the Wade Defense a good opening family?

The Wade Defense family is statistically favors white overall with a 50.2% (90% CI: 50.0%-50.4%) aggregated win rate. However, win rates vary significantly between the 1 variations—explore individual lines to find the best fit for your style.