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Ware Opening

6 variations · 1.7M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

8
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a1
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1.a4
Analyze this line move by move

White expected score · Overall

48.1%

45%55%
Floor48.0%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 48.2%.

Measured over 1.7M games at this level and clock.

Tough Sellloses more often than it wins at this level

Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.

Outcomes for White

Draw 4.3 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 1.7M games

Rank among the families White can choose here
#46 of 56
Games in this context
1.7M
Best context
61.6% at 2200-2499 Rapid
Worst context
34.1% at 1400-1599 Classical
Variations measured
6
Average game length
34 moves

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.

What to play from here

White · Overall
#1Ware OpeningBest here
1.a4
Floor 48.3% · 1.5M games
48.3%
#2Ware Opening: Ware Gambit
1.a4 e5 2.a5 d5 3.e3 f5 4.a6
Floor 46.9% · 194 games
52.8%
#3Ware Opening: Crab Variation
1.a4 e5 2.h4
Floor 45.2% · 74K games
45.5%
#4Ware Opening: Meadow Hay Trap
1.a4 e5 2.Ra3
Floor 43.0% · 60K games
43.3%

These are the moves players actually choose from here, ranked by how they score. A higher score is a better bet on the numbers alone — familiarity and playstyle still matter.

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: 41.0% at 0-999, 55.7% 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: 40.3% expected score (888 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 42.1% expected score (52,080 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 44.5% expected score (115,441 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 41.2% expected score (60,220 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 36.8% expected score (1,151 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 46.5% expected score (2,265 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 47.0% expected score (57,001 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 47.4% expected score (98,071 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 46.1% expected score (49,182 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 36.7% expected score (1,832 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 48.9% expected score (11,251 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 48.0% expected score (71,849 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 47.8% expected score (117,739 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 46.9% expected score (52,036 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 40.7% expected score (3,380 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 51.3% expected score (9,073 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 46.6% expected score (91,854 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 46.7% expected score (100,948 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 43.0% expected score (41,939 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 34.1% expected score (4,330 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 48.7% expected score (7,629 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.5% expected score (118,263 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.8% expected score (88,874 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 49.0% expected score (25,355 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 46.1% expected score (1,334 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 47.6% expected score (6,827 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.4% expected score (106,624 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 49.2% expected score (65,718 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 49.1% expected score (10,206 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 51.8% expected score (481 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 56.2% expected score (4,453 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (91,254 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 49.6% expected score (29,215 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 53.5% expected score (3,842 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 53.1% expected score (81 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 51.4% expected score (1,563 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (128,229 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.0% expected score (14,294 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 61.6% expected score (1,038 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 54.2% expected score (46 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 58.8% expected score (129 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 56.5% expected score (32,979 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 53.3% expected score (4,150 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 51.7% expected score (585 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 58.0% expected score (188 games)

6 variations · ranked by floor

Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.

1
Ware Opening: Wing Gambit300 games
59.3%Floor 54.6%
2
Ware Opening: Symmetric Variation34K games
50.5%Floor 50.0%
3
Ware Opening1.5M games
48.3%Floor 48.3%
Ware Opening: Ware Gambit194 games
52.8%Floor 46.9%
Ware Opening: Crab Variation74K games
45.5%Floor 45.2%
Ware Opening: Meadow Hay Trap60K games
43.3%Floor 43.0%
Analyze Ware Opening PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the Ware Opening family scores 48.1% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 48.0% and 48.2% — from 1.7M Lichess games across 6 variations. 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
1.7M+ 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 Ware Opening win rate?

Across the Ware Opening's 6 variations, White wins 45.9%, draws 4.3% and loses 49.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.1%. It rests on 1.7M rated games from Lichess.

How many Ware Opening variations are there?

6 Ware Opening variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.

At what rating does the Ware Opening perform best?

The Ware Opening family performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 56.1% (38K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.

Is the Ware Opening better in blitz or rapid?

For White, the Ware Opening scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 47.5% in Blitz (634K games) against 45.1% in Rapid (244K games).

How sharp is the Ware Opening?

Ware Opening games are 95.7% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 34 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.

Is the Ware Opening a good opening family?

The Ware Opening family is hard work for White — it favours Black overall. Across its games, White wins 45.9% and loses 49.8%. Results differ between its 6 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.