Openings by the numbers
How 155 openings actually score in club play, and which popular replies quietly do worse than the main line. Only positions with at least 400 games behind them are listed — below that the numbers are noise.
ECO A
- Benoni Defense: Old Benoni A43 · 1,173 games
- Bird Opening A02 · 1,195 games
- Bird Opening: Dutch Variation A03 · 511 games
- Dutch Defense A80 · 809 games
- English Defense A40 · 939 games
- English Opening A10 · 3,717 games
- English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense A15 · 596 games
- English Opening: King's English Variation A20 · 1,415 games
- English Opening: King's English Variation, Reversed Sicilian A21 · 851 games
- Englund Gambit A40 · 923 games
- Horwitz Defense A40 · 4,662 games
- Hungarian Opening A00 · 1,699 games
- Indian Defense A45 · 6,923 games
- Indian Defense: Knights Variation A46 · 1,212 games
- Indian Defense: Normal Variation A50 · 3,338 games
- Mieses Opening A00 · 498 games
- Nimzo-Larsen Attack A01 · 1,142 games
- Polish Opening A00 · 603 games
- Queen's Pawn Game A40 · 40,173 games
- Queen's Pawn Game A41 · 955 games
- Queen's Pawn Game: Chigorin Variation A45 · 899 games
- Queen's Pawn Game: Modern Defense A40 · 1,379 games
- Van Geet Opening A00 · 752 games
- Van't Kruijs Opening A00 · 2,640 games
- Zukertort Opening A04 · 3,370 games
- Zukertort Opening A06 · 1,256 games
- Zukertort Opening A05 · 505 games
- Zukertort Opening: Black Mustang Defense A04 · 424 games
ECO B
- Alekhine Defense B02 · 1,606 games
- Alekhine Defense: Normal Variation B02 · 770 games
- Caro-Kann Defense B10 · 4,146 games
- Caro-Kann Defense B12 · 1,954 games
- Caro-Kann Defense B15 · 603 games
- Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation B13 · 494 games
- King's Pawn Game B00 · 101,082 games
- Modern Defense B06 · 2,012 games
- Nimzowitsch Defense B00 · 2,230 games
- Nimzowitsch Defense: Declined Variation B00 · 892 games
- Nimzowitsch Defense: Kennedy Variation B00 · 532 games
- Owen Defense B00 · 2,608 games
- Pirc Defense B00 · 2,362 games
- Scandinavian Defense B01 · 7,042 games
- Scandinavian Defense: Main Line B01 · 1,077 games
- Scandinavian Defense: Mieses-Kotroc Variation B01 · 4,012 games
- Scandinavian Defense: Modern Variation B01 · 819 games
- Scandinavian Defense: Valencian Variation B01 · 840 games
- Sicilian Defense B20 · 18,812 games
- Sicilian Defense B27 · 9,371 games
- Sicilian Defense B50 · 1,436 games
- Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation B22 · 507 games
- Sicilian Defense: Bowdler Attack B20 · 3,156 games
- Sicilian Defense: Closed B23 · 988 games
- Sicilian Defense: Closed, Traditional B23 · 445 games
- Sicilian Defense: French Variation B40 · 1,511 games
- Sicilian Defense: Löwenthal Variation B32 · 543 games
- Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack B21 · 983 games
- Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations B50 · 3,018 games
- Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation B90 · 491 games
- Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack B30 · 675 games
- Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian B30 · 4,452 games
- Sicilian Defense: Open B32 · 2,016 games
- Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit B21 · 1,297 games
- Sicilian Defense: Staunton-Cochrane Variation B20 · 851 games
- St. George Defense B00 · 508 games
ECO C
- Bishop's Opening C23 · 6,764 games
- Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense C24 · 2,522 games
- Bishop's Opening: Boi Variation C23 · 813 games
- Center Game C20 · 2,759 games
- Center Game Accepted C21 · 2,085 games
- Center Game: Normal Variation C22 · 679 games
- Danish Gambit C21 · 1,043 games
- English Opening: The Whale C20 · 722 games
- Four Knights Game C47 · 1,315 games
- Four Knights Game: Italian Variation C47 · 924 games
- Four Knights Game: Italian Variation C50 · 558 games
- Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation C48 · 471 games
- French Defense C00 · 9,709 games
- French Defense: Advance Variation C02 · 1,757 games
- French Defense: Advance Variation, Nimzowitsch System C02 · 417 games
- French Defense: Advance Variation, Paulsen Attack C02 · 466 games
- French Defense: Exchange Variation C01 · 859 games
- French Defense: Franco-Sicilian Defense C00 · 582 games
- French Defense: Knight Variation C00 · 2,823 games
- French Defense: La Bourdonnais Variation C00 · 530 games
- French Defense: Normal Variation C00 · 5,392 games
- French Defense: Paulsen Variation C10 · 783 games
- French Defense: Steinitz Attack C00 · 406 games
- Italian Game C50 · 6,854 games
- Italian Game: Anti-Fried Liver Defense C50 · 1,476 games
- Italian Game: Blackburne-Kostić Gambit C50 · 425 games
- Italian Game: Classical Variation C53 · 601 games
- Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo C50 · 508 games
- Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Normal C50 · 438 games
- Italian Game: Giuoco Piano C50 · 1,907 games
- Italian Game: Paris Defense C50 · 948 games
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense C55 · 2,066 games
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Modern Bishop's Opening C55 · 631 games
- King's Gambit C30 · 3,943 games
- King's Gambit Accepted C33 · 2,097 games
- King's Gambit Accepted: King's Knight's Gambit C34 · 1,913 games
- King's Knight Opening C40 · 30,236 games
- King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation C44 · 18,740 games
- King's Pawn Game C20 · 49,362 games
- King's Pawn Game: Busch-Gass Gambit C40 · 487 games
- King's Pawn Game: Leonardis Variation C20 · 1,101 games
- King's Pawn Game: McConnell Defense C40 · 674 games
- King's Pawn Game: Napoleon Attack C20 · 459 games
- King's Pawn Game: Wayward Queen Attack C20 · 1,359 games
- Latvian Gambit C40 · 404 games
- Petrov's Defense C42 · 2,386 games
- Petrov's Defense: Italian Variation C42 · 738 games
- Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game C42 · 1,094 games
- Philidor Defense C41 · 7,305 games
- Philidor Defense: Exchange Variation C41 · 1,313 games
- Ponziani Opening C44 · 519 games
- Rat Defense: Small Center Defense C00 · 566 games
- Ruy Lopez C60 · 6,197 games
- Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense C65 · 785 games
- Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation C64 · 672 games
- Ruy Lopez: Cozio Defense C60 · 514 games
- Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense C78 · 451 games
- Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense C62 · 1,666 games
- Scotch Game C44 · 3,144 games
- Scotch Game C45 · 1,800 games
- Scotch Game: Classical Variation C45 · 449 games
- Scotch Game: Lolli Variation C44 · 773 games
- Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit C44 · 555 games
- Three Knights Opening C46 · 1,666 games
- Vienna Game C25 · 1,323 games
- Vienna Game: Falkbeer Variation C26 · 573 games
- Vienna Game: Max Lange Defense C25 · 439 games
- Vienna Game: Stanley Variation C26 · 592 games
ECO D
- Queen's Gambit D06 · 8,755 games
- Queen's Gambit Accepted D20 · 2,332 games
- Queen's Gambit Accepted: Old Variation D20 · 598 games
- Queen's Gambit Accepted: Saduleto Variation D20 · 546 games
- Queen's Gambit Declined D30 · 3,029 games
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Marshall Defense D06 · 1,388 games
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Modern Variation D50 · 581 games
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Normal Defense D35 · 1,502 games
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation D31 · 1,450 games
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights Variation D37 · 839 games
- Queen's Pawn Game D00 · 20,661 games
- Queen's Pawn Game: Accelerated London System D00 · 1,012 games
- Queen's Pawn Game: Chigorin Variation D00 · 1,837 games
- Queen's Pawn Game: Chigorin Variation D02 · 1,093 games
- Queen's Pawn Game: Colle System D04 · 756 games
- Queen's Pawn Game: Colle System D05 · 631 games
- Queen's Pawn Game: Symmetrical Variation D02 · 1,427 games
- Queen's Pawn Game: Zukertort Variation D02 · 4,446 games
- Rapport-Jobava System D01 · 461 games
- Semi-Slav Defense: Accelerated Move Order D31 · 422 games
- Slav Defense D10 · 2,036 games
- Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation D15 · 429 games
ECO E
- Indian Defense: West Indian Defense E60 · 1,077 games