According to Lichess (September 2026, N = 21,266 games rated 900 to 1700), you score 46.6% with the Clemenz Opening, 1.. It is a waiting move: it leaves the center alone and lets your opponent claim it first. Strong players follow 2. 3. 4. 5., and that is the line explained here.
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.
2 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
At your level, after 1. your opponent answers in 43 of every 100 games and in 26. After , most players pick 2., 2. or 2.. Online players rated over 2200 prefer 2., 2., 2. or 2., moves that take the center or prepare to. The biggest gap comes after 2.. Strong players reply in all 78 of their games; at your level only 27 in 100 do, and more than 1 in 3 go for instead. With 1. you score between 45 and 48 out of 100 in every band from 900 to 1700; players over 2200 score 58.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43.3% | 45.6% | 39.0% | no data | |
| 25.6% | 46.7% | 28.2% | no data | |
| 6.4% | 49.9% | no data | no data | |
| 4.6% | 47.2% | 5.2% | no data | |
| 3.2% | 46.3% | 2.7% | no data | |
| 3.2% | 45.5% | 8.3% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 4.4% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28.5% | 47.8% | no data | no data | |
| 18.0% | 46.6% | 9.1% | no data | |
| 17.9% | 48.5% | 21.5% | no data | |
| 8.0% | 44.8% | no data | no data | |
| 5.5% | 42.7% | no data | no data | |
| 5.4% | 46.5% | 18.5% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 21.2% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 18.8% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 5.8% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34.5% | 50.8% | no data | no data | |
| 27.4% | 49.9% | 100.0% | no data | |
| 11.1% | 51.8% | no data | no data | |
| 9.6% | 49.3% | no data | no data | |
| 7.5% | 50.4% | no data | no data | |
| 2.4% | 44.4% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39.5% | 49.9% | 6.7% | no data | |
| 24.8% | 48.9% | 45.3% | no data | |
| 12.2% | 57.1% | no data | no data | |
| 7.2% | 52.5% | 48.0% | no data | |
| 5.8% | 51.4% | no data | no data | |
| 3.3% | 41.7% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36.2% | 51.9% | no data | no data | |
| 30.3% | 46.0% | 75.0% | no data | |
| 23.5% | 50.2% | no data | no data | |
| 5.8% | 65.0% | no data | no data | |
| 4.2% | 43.1% | 25.0% | no data |
1. does not fight for the center. It covers g4 and lets you see what your opponent wants. The strong-player line, 2. 3. 4. 5., ends in an open position with level material, your knight on e5, and the h3 pawn doing a real job.
After , 2. puts your pawn in the center. attacks it at once, and nothing defends it. Instead of covering it, 3. hits back: your knight attacks e5, which is just as loose. Your opponent grabs first with . Now 4. comes before winning the pawn back, because it attacks the knight on e4 and forces it to move. If you took on e5 straight away, the black knight would stay on e4, eyeing f2. After , 5. wins the pawn back and the material is level.
In the final position your knight on e5 hits f7 and d7, and this is where 1. pays off: the f6 knight cannot jump to g4 to challenge yours, because your h3 pawn would take it. What you need to watch is the e-file. Nothing stands between your knight and your king on e1, so a black queen or rook landing on that file pins it. Get the f1 bishop out early and get ready to castle.
The numbers back this line up. After , you score 49 out of 100 at your level with 2. and 47 with 2.; players over 2200 score 63 with 2.. After , the most common choice is 3., which guards e4 but gives up the counterattack: you score 50 out of 100 with 3. and 52 with 3.. The gap is small. What changes is your opponent's reply. After 3., strong players take with in 75 of every 100 games; at your level only 30 do. The most common reply is , 36 in 100, which guards e5 and leaves your e4 pawn attacked and undefended: cover it with 4. or 4. before anything else. Against , 24 in 100, the bishop eyes f2 and your e4 pawn is still loose.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 878 | 39.0% | |
| 330 | 21.5% | |
| 78 | 100.0% | |
| 75 | 48.0% | |
| 36 | 75.0% | |
| 27 | 100.0% | |
| 24 | 100.0% | |
| 24 | 100.0% |
Blunder, and a trap. After 2. , 3. empties f2, and nothing can block on g3 because your g- and h-pawns have already moved up. is mate. 3 in 100 players walk into it here. Opponents don't always spot it: you still score 31 out of 100, against 54 with 3..
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 10 pawns of advantage. It scores 31.0%; scores 54.2%.
After , 2. pushes another wing pawn and ignores the center. Then 3. , hitting g4, and 4.; then attacks your c4 pawn, and after 5. the center opens with your kingside already loose. 18 in 100 players choose it. It rarely gets punished: you score 47 out of 100, against 49 with 2..
18 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.3 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.6%; scores 48.5%.
After , 2. goes back to the wing. offers a pawn: after 3. your opponent takes the center with , and 4. 5. leaves you with five pawn moves and no pieces developed. Almost 20 in 100 players choose it. It is hardly punished: you score 46 out of 100, against 48 with 2..
20 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.4%; scores 48.2%.
After 2. , 3. spends another tempo on the wing against two central pawns. With 4. your opponent gives a pawn for development, and after 5. 6. the center opens with your king on e1. 14 in 100 players choose it. It is rarely punished: you score 50 out of 100, against 54 with 3..
14 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.4 pawns of advantage. It scores 49.8%; scores 53.9%.
After , 2. is another slow step on the kingside, and your opponent uses it to build a three-pawn center: 3. 4. 5., with pawns on c5, d5 and e5. 8 in 100 players choose it. It is rarely punished: you score 45 out of 100, against 49 with 2..
8 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 44.8%; scores 48.5%.
After 2. , 3. guards e4 but opens the diagonal to your king. After 4. , blocking on g3 fails: no pawn guards that square. After 5. 6. you have a knight for two pawns but cannot castle. Fewer than 3 in 100 players choose it. You score 39 out of 100; with 3., 52.
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 4.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 39.4%; scores 52.5%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Not castled | 5,064 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 5,046 |
| 4,779 | ||
| Not castled | 1,726 | |
| Not castled | 1,364 | |
| 1,283 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Not castled | 1 | |
| 1 |
1. 2. · A00
34 amateur games · White's score: 45.6%