Chess openings by rating

Chess Openings for Players Rated Under 1200

Under 1200, the king's pawn rules. 1.e4 holds nearly two thirds of the weighted share for White's first move, and Black usually mirrors it with 1...e5. Early queen sorties and quick shots at f7 carry more weight here than at any other level.

1.e4 and a mirrored reply

Against 1.e4, the symmetrical 1...e5 leads by a wide margin, with the Scandinavian's 1...d5 a distant second. Against 1.d4, 1...d5 is just as far ahead, and 1...Nf6 sits only third.

White's first move

  1. 1. e464%
  2. 1. d420%
  3. 1. e34%
  4. 1. Nf33%

Black against 1.e4

  1. 1... e557%
  2. 1... d512%
  3. 1... e69%
  4. 1... c58%

Black against 1.d4

  1. 1... d554%
  2. 1... e615%
  3. 1... Nf68%
  4. 1... d65%

Where games under 1200 go

The list leans on simple developing lines: the King's Knight Opening, the Scandinavian and the Philidor's quick ...d6. The Wayward Queen Attack, with an early Qh5, already makes the top ten.

  1. King's Knight Opening17.5%
  2. Scandinavian Defense7.6%
  3. King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation7.5%
  4. French Defense5.5%
  5. Sicilian Defense5.3%
  6. King's Pawn Game: Wayward Queen Attack3.9%
  7. Philidor Defense3.8%
  8. Bishop's Opening3.6%
  9. Center Game3.4%
  10. Horwitz Defense2.9%
  11. Scandinavian Defense: Mieses-Kotroc Variation2.5%
  12. Italian Game2.3%
  13. Petrov's Defense2.3%
  14. Queen's Gambit2.3%
  15. King's Pawn Game: Leonardis Variation2%

Lines with a bigger share below 1200

Early queen moves and offbeat first moves stand out. The Wayward Queen Attack has about three times its average share here, and 1.e3 (Van't Kruijs) and 1.d3 (Mieses) also score above their averages.

  1. King's Pawn Game: Wayward Queen Attack3.9% here, 1.3% overall
  2. King's Pawn Game: Leonardis Variation2% here, 0.9% overall
  3. Queen's Pawn Game: Chigorin Variation1.7% here, 0.8% overall
  4. Van't Kruijs Opening4.4% here, 2.1% overall
  5. Mieses Opening0.9% here, 0.5% overall
  6. Center Game3.4% here, 1.9% overall

What has not arrived yet

The Sicilian and its main lines have a fraction of their usual share, and the 1.d4 Nf6 Indian systems sit far below their average. The King's Gambit and the Caro-Kann trail too.

  1. Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations0.5% here, 2.4% overall
  2. Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian0.6% here, 2.6% overall
  3. Indian Defense1.5% here, 5.8% overall
  4. King's Gambit0.7% here, 2% overall
  5. Sicilian Defense5.3% here, 12.9% overall
  6. Caro-Kann Defense1.3% here, 3% overall

Openings by rating

Published by BeaconChess

AI-generated content. Every figure comes from the opening books BeaconChess opponents play from, built from rated Lichess games. Check important lines on the board before relying on them.

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