Best replies to 1.d4
This guide ranks Black's replies to 1. by how many points Black scores on Lichess. Each row is a specific line, with its game count and the points Black takes out of every 100 on offer. You get one table for all ratings combined and one per rating band, from 900 to 1700.
Don't read too much into small gaps. Almost every line sits between 49 and 55 points out of 100. In the overall table, the top line and the tenth are only about 4 points apart. Lines with few games, like the West Indian at 10,330, swing more than the Benoni at 213,714.
Choosing here means choosing your first move. The tables cover eight of them: , , , , , , and . In the longer rows, White plays the next move and then you reply. After , for example, White chooses between 2. and 2.. Then it's your call: is the Hartlaub-Charlick, the Reversed Krebs. Find the row for your first move before you look at the top of the table.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
All bands together
Across all ratings, the Reversed Krebs leads: after 2. you push and kick the knight off f3. It scores 54 out of 100 over 8,421 games. White chooses 2., and you choose . Of 592,052 games with , 8,421 end up in the Reversed Krebs. Far more reach the Hartlaub-Charlick, 2. : 94,705 of them, at 51 out of 100. works the same way. The West Indian, at 53, needs White to play 2., and the East Indian, at 52, needs 2.. In both, your reply is .
| Opening | Score | Games | Share | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Englund Gambit Declined: Reversed Krebs | 53.6%between 52.5% and 54.7% | 8,421 | under 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Indian Defense: West Indian Defense | 52.6%between 51.6% and 53.5% | 10,330 | under 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| East Indian Defense | 51.7%between 51.1% and 52.4% | 20,620 | 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Englund Gambit: Hartlaub-Charlick Gambit | 51.2%between 50.9% and 51.5% | 94,705 | 0.3% | 1. 2. |
| Benoni Defense: Old Benoni | 49.9%between 49.6% and 50.2% | 107,744 | 0.4% | 1. |
| Dutch Defense: Normal Variation | 49.9%between 48.7% and 51.0% | 6,820 | under 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Indian Defense: Budapest Gambit | 49.8%between 49.0% and 50.6% | 14,901 | 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Benoni Defense | 49.6%between 49.4% and 49.8% | 213,714 | 0.7% | 1. 2. |
| Englund Gambit | 49.6%between 49.5% and 49.8% | 592,052 | 1.9% | 1. |
| Trompowsky Attack: Classical Defense | 49.6%between 48.5% and 50.6% | 8,281 | under 0.1% | 1. 2. |
900 to 1100
In this band no line beats 53 out of 100. The East Indian is ahead: and against 2.. It rests on only 2,171 games, though. Just behind, nearly tied at 51, sit the Wade-Tartakower with and the Modern Defense with an immediate . The most solid number in this band belongs to the Indian Defense, the row: 41,274 games and 49 out of 100.
| Opening | Score | Games | Share | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Indian Defense | 52.6%between 50.5% and 54.7% | 2,171 | 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Indian Defense: Wade-Tartakower Defense | 50.7%between 48.6% and 52.8% | 2,204 | 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Queen's Pawn Game: Modern Defense | 50.5%between 49.7% and 51.3% | 15,991 | 0.4% | 1. |
| Queen's Pawn Game: Krause Variation | 50.4%between 48.5% and 52.2% | 2,778 | 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Englund Gambit: Hartlaub-Charlick Gambit | 50.3%between 49.2% and 51.3% | 8,618 | 0.2% | 1. 2. |
| Indian Defense | 50.2%between 49.6% and 50.8% | 26,756 | 0.7% | 1. |
| Benoni Defense: Old Benoni | 49.4%between 48.3% and 50.6% | 7,602 | 0.2% | 1. |
| Queen's Pawn Game: Symmetrical Variation | 49.3%between 48.2% and 50.3% | 8,606 | 0.2% | 1. 2. |
| English Defense | 49.0%between 48.1% and 49.8% | 12,318 | 0.3% | 1. |
| Benoni Defense | 48.7%between 48.0% and 49.5% | 16,400 | 0.4% | 1. 2. |
1100 to 1300
This band holds the highest numbers in the guide. The Reversed Krebs, against 2., scores 55 out of 100, and the West Indian, against 2., scores 54. Those are only 1,706 and 1,998 games. If your opponent takes with 2. after , the Hartlaub-Charlick Gambit with offers a second pawn and scores 51 out of 100 across 18,792 games.
| Opening | Score | Games | Share | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Englund Gambit Declined: Reversed Krebs | 54.7%between 52.3% and 57.0% | 1,706 | under 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Indian Defense: West Indian Defense | 54.2%between 52.0% and 56.4% | 1,998 | under 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| East Indian Defense | 52.7%between 51.2% and 54.2% | 4,307 | 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Trompowsky Attack: Classical Defense | 50.9%between 48.2% and 53.6% | 1,304 | under 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Englund Gambit: Hartlaub-Charlick Gambit | 50.7%between 50.0% and 51.4% | 18,792 | 0.3% | 1. 2. |
| Indian Defense: Budapest Gambit | 50.7%between 48.0% and 53.3% | 1,341 | under 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Queen's Pawn Game: Modern Defense | 49.7%between 49.2% and 50.2% | 38,245 | 0.5% | 1. |
| Benoni Defense | 49.5%between 49.0% and 50.0% | 38,529 | 0.6% | 1. 2. |
| Benoni Defense: Old Benoni | 49.5%between 48.8% and 50.2% | 18,637 | 0.3% | 1. |
| Englund Gambit | 49.5%between 49.3% and 49.8% | 137,203 | 2.0% | 1. |
1300 to 1500
The Reversed Krebs stays on top, a little over 53 out of 100 across 2,760 games. The East Indian and the Hartlaub-Charlick both land on 52. The Hartlaub-Charlick, 2. , has 30,620 games behind it, which makes it the most solid high score in this band. The Englund Gambit with has 191,103 games and sits at 50. The Benoni with , on 68,622 games, and the Modern both sit at 49.
| Opening | Score | Games | Share | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Englund Gambit Declined: Reversed Krebs | 53.5%between 51.7% and 55.4% | 2,760 | under 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| East Indian Defense | 52.4%between 51.2% and 53.6% | 6,372 | 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Englund Gambit: Hartlaub-Charlick Gambit | 51.8%between 51.2% and 52.3% | 30,620 | 0.3% | 1. 2. |
| Indian Defense: West Indian Defense | 51.8%between 50.1% and 53.4% | 3,425 | under 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Englund Gambit | 50.0%between 49.8% and 50.2% | 191,103 | 2.0% | 1. |
| Indian Defense: Budapest Gambit | 49.7%between 48.2% and 51.2% | 4,283 | under 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Queen's Pawn Game: Symmetrical Variation | 49.6%between 48.9% and 50.3% | 20,230 | 0.2% | 1. 2. |
| Benoni Defense: Old Benoni | 49.5%between 48.9% and 50.0% | 34,427 | 0.4% | 1. |
| Indian Defense | 49.4%between 49.0% and 49.7% | 83,481 | 0.9% | 1. |
| Benoni Defense | 49.3%between 48.9% and 49.7% | 68,622 | 0.7% | 1. 2. |
1500 to 1700
The gaps narrow here. The Reversed Krebs and the West Indian both score 52 out of 100, and the Hartlaub-Charlick 51 over 36,675 games. The Dutch shows up, 2. , at 51, but on only 3,033 games, so its true score could be below 50. The Benoni with and the Englund Gambit settle at 50, with 90,163 and 189,697 games. All ten lines in this band fit within about 3 points, so any of them works if you know it well.
| Opening | Score | Games | Share | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Englund Gambit Declined: Reversed Krebs | 52.4%between 50.7% and 54.2% | 3,133 | under 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Indian Defense: West Indian Defense | 51.8%between 50.3% and 53.4% | 4,063 | under 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Englund Gambit: Hartlaub-Charlick Gambit | 51.1%between 50.6% and 51.6% | 36,675 | 0.4% | 1. 2. |
| Dutch Defense: Normal Variation | 50.9%between 49.1% and 52.7% | 3,033 | under 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| East Indian Defense | 50.4%between 49.3% and 51.5% | 7,770 | 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Benoni Defense: Old Benoni | 50.3%between 49.9% and 50.8% | 47,078 | 0.5% | 1. |
| Benoni Defense | 50.0%between 49.7% and 50.3% | 90,163 | 0.9% | 1. 2. |
| Indian Defense: Budapest Gambit | 50.0%between 48.9% and 51.0% | 8,857 | 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Englund Gambit | 49.9%between 49.7% and 50.1% | 189,697 | 1.9% | 1. |
| Queen's Pawn Game: Anglo-Slav Opening | 49.8%between 48.2% and 51.4% | 3,689 | under 0.1% | 1. 2. |