Openings for 1400-rated players
This guide lists the openings that score best on Lichess for players rated 1300 to 1500, the band around 1400. The data is from September 2026. For each opening you see how many games were played and how many points out of 100 the side choosing it takes home. With White, the Danish Gambit reaches 56 out of 100 after 3.. With Black the numbers drop: the East Indian Defense scores 52 out of 100, while the Sicilian and the Caro-Kann sit around 50. Check how many games stand behind each number, too. The Danish tops the White table on 36,548 games, while the Scotch scores almost the same, 55 out of 100, on 288,322 games.
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.
With White
All ten White openings score between 53 and 56 points out of 100. The Danish Gambit tops the table: it offers a pawn with 3. after and scores 56 out of 100. The King's Gambit with 2. lands mid-table, at 55 out of 100 across 139,749 games. If you want something calmer, the Scotch with 3. and the Queen's Gambit with 2. score almost the same with far more games behind them: 423,489 for the Queen's Gambit. The Réti and the Catalan have few games, 7,620 and 2,121, so treat their numbers with care. The Vienna with 2. and the Bishop's Opening with 2. close the table at 54 and 53.
| Opening | Score | Games | Share | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danish Gambit | 55.7%between 55.2% and 56.2% | 36,548 | 0.4% | 1. 2. 3. |
| Réti Opening | 55.4%between 54.3% and 56.5% | 7,620 | 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Catalan Opening | 55.2%between 53.1% and 57.3% | 2,121 | under 0.1% | 1. 2. 3. |
| Scotch Game | 55.2%between 55.0% and 55.4% | 288,322 | 3.0% | 1. 2. 3. |
| Polish Opening | 55.0%between 54.5% and 55.4% | 47,450 | 0.5% | 1. |
| King's Gambit | 54.7%between 54.4% and 54.9% | 139,749 | 1.5% | 1. 2. |
| Queen's Gambit | 54.6%between 54.4% and 54.7% | 423,489 | 4.4% | 1. 2. |
| Rapport-Jobava System | 53.8%between 53.4% and 54.1% | 63,406 | 0.7% | 1. 2. 3. |
| Vienna Game | 53.6%between 53.4% and 53.8% | 163,673 | 1.7% | 1. 2. |
| Bishop's Opening | 53.3%between 53.1% and 53.5% | 264,223 | 2.8% | 1. 2. |
With Black
With Black nothing scores above 52 out of 100. Compare that with the White table, where every opening sits between 53 and 56. The East Indian, with against 1. and after 2., scores 52 out of 100, but over just 6,372 games. The Lion Defense also reaches 52, on 2,508 games. With so few games, the Lion's true score could be anywhere from about 50 to 54. Against 1., the Sicilian with , the French with and the Caro-Kann with all hold about 50 out of 100, with over half a million games each. Those are the most reliable numbers in the table. The Modern with ends the list at 49.
| Opening | Score | Games | Share | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Indian Defense | 52.4%between 51.2% and 53.6% | 6,372 | 0.1% | 1. 2. |
| Lion Defense | 51.6%between 49.7% and 53.6% | 2,508 | under 0.1% | 1. 2. 3. |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 50.3%between 50.1% and 50.4% | 529,208 | 5.5% | 1. |
| Sicilian Defense | 50.3%between 50.2% and 50.4% | 751,890 | 7.8% | 1. |
| Englund Gambit | 50.0%between 49.8% and 50.2% | 191,103 | 2.0% | 1. |
| French Defense | 49.9%between 49.8% and 50.1% | 593,540 | 6.2% | 1. |
| Grünfeld Defense | 49.9%between 48.5% and 51.3% | 4,775 | 0.1% | 1. 2. 3. |
| 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. |
| Elephant Gambit | 49.3%between 48.8% and 49.9% | 33,765 | 0.4% | 1. 2. |