In 134,507 Lichess games between players rated 900 to 1700 (September 2026 data), you score 48.8% with the Mieses Opening, 1.. It is rare: only 4 in every 1000 games start this way. Your opponent answers in 36 out of every 100 games and in 30 out of every 100. Against , strong players go 2., 3. and 4..
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.
4 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After 1. , players at your level mostly choose 2., in 21 out of every 100 games, 2., in 20 out of every 100, and 2., in 15 out of every 100. Strong players, 2200 and up on Lichess, pick 2. in 28 out of every 100 games and score 58 points out of every 100 with it. Their second choice is 2., in 17 out of every 100. The two knights do different jobs: on f3 it watches d4 and e5, and on d2 it backs up e4, a square your d3 pawn already covers.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35.5% | 48.8% | 40.5% | no data | |
| 30.5% | 48.3% | 11.9% | no data | |
| 7.7% | 50.4% | 4.3% | no data | |
| 5.7% | 49.1% | 17.4% | no data | |
| 4.6% | 48.6% | 7.7% | no data | |
| 3.7% | 48.3% | 7.2% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.4% | 49.0% | 6.7% | no data | |
| 19.5% | 48.6% | 10.0% | no data | |
| 14.5% | 49.8% | 27.5% | no data | |
| 6.6% | 50.5% | 9.2% | no data | |
| 6.4% | 51.1% | 13.0% | no data | |
| 4.1% | 45.8% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 16.8% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32.8% | 49.9% | 10.5% | no data | |
| 16.8% | 49.7% | 43.8% | no data | |
| 11.1% | 50.5% | 5.5% | no data | |
| 10.6% | 50.8% | 18.0% | no data | |
| 8.0% | 48.6% | no data | no data | |
| 6.6% | 54.0% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 11.4% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 4.1% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35.9% | 50.7% | 54.8% | no data | |
| 18.0% | 53.4% | 29.4% | no data | |
| 9.2% | 50.9% | 2.9% | no data | |
| 8.1% | 46.0% | no data | no data | |
| 7.2% | 49.7% | 1.6% | no data | |
| 6.8% | 43.5% | 1.8% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 6.9% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42.0% | 52.6% | 9.4% | no data | |
| 16.0% | 53.6% | no data | no data | |
| 14.6% | 50.0% | 9.9% | no data | |
| 7.9% | 50.0% | 25.7% | no data | |
| 7.8% | 51.6% | 11.6% | no data | |
| 7.7% | 45.5% | 23.3% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 10.7% | no data |
Strong players follow 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.. The idea is to develop your kingside pieces, put the bishop on the long diagonal and castle within five moves, without pushing your center pawns any further. You let Black take the center and then aim at it.
1. frees the diagonal for the c1 bishop and covers e4 and c4. 2. develops a piece and watches d4 and e5: if Black pushes , that pawn is attacked by your knight with nothing defending it. Strong players answer , which eyes e4.
3. makes room on g2, and 4. puts the bishop on the h1 to a8 diagonal. For now the f3 knight blocks its view; once the knight moves, the bishop looks at e4 and d5. With the knight and bishop gone, f1 and g1 are empty, and 5. tucks your king behind the f2, g3 and h2 pawns. That is the order: knight, pawn, bishop, castle.
Black spends those moves on the center. and both hit d4, the square your d3 pawn would go to, while the d5 pawn and the f6 knight cover e4. So your pawn stays on d3 for now. Black has the bigger center, but you have already castled and Black has not.
At your level, after 3., 42 out of every 100 opponents play ; among strong players it is just 9 out of every 100. That knight also hits d4 and e5, so your plan stays the same: 4. and 5..
Against , which shows up in 30 out of every 100 games at your level, the setup starts the same way: 2. attacks the e5 pawn and makes Black spend a move defending it.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 5,971 | 40.5% | |
| 2,407 | 27.5% | |
| 1,403 | 43.8% | |
| 894 | 54.8% | |
| 467 | 25.7% | |
| 123 | 100.0% | |
| 201 | 96.5% | |
| 237 | 90.3% |
After 1. , 2. takes the f3 square from your knight and develops no piece. Black grabs e5 with , and to hit it you spend another move on 3.. After 4. it is defended twice. Play 2. instead. At your level it rarely gets punished: you score 50 out of 100, against 49 with 2..
4 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.2 pawns of advantage. It scores 49.7%; scores 48.6%.
After 1. , 2. takes f3 from your knight and empties f2. After 3. , the black bishop hits your g1 knight down that diagonal, and after 4. you have to shut it with 5.. Play 2. instead, attacking e5. This one does cost you: you score 47 out of 100, against 50 with 2..
2 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.6%; scores 50.2%.
After 1. , 2. moves the same pawn twice to trade it: 3. 4. , and your queen, hit by the knight, drops back with 5.. Black has a pawn on d5 and you have none in the center. It's an inaccuracy, but at your level it hurts: you score 41 out of 100, against 50 with 2..
2 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 40.9%; scores 50.2%.
After 1. , 2. takes f3 from your knight. Black pushes and you correct with 3.. After 4. , Black has traded the e-pawn for your f-pawn and has a pawn on d5. Play 2. instead. At your level it barely shows: you score 49 points out of 100, against 50 with 2..
4 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.2 pawns of advantage. It scores 48.7%; scores 49.6%.
After 1. , 2. is an inaccuracy. With 3. 4. , Black trades the e-pawn for your f-pawn, and when you hit d5 with 5., the c6 pawn holds it. Play 2. from the start. You score 46 out of 100, against 48: at your level opponents often don't punish it.
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.3%; scores 48.3%.
After 1. , 2. takes f3 from your knight. With 3. 4. , your d-pawn has moved twice to be traded, and the black knight lands on e5, where it hits your f3 pawn. Play 2. instead. At your level it almost never gets punished: with 2. you score 61 out of 100, against 52 with 2..
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.3 pawns of advantage. It scores 60.5%; scores 51.8%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 41,551 | ||
| Not castled | 26,547 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 20,899 |
| Not castled | 10,609 | |
| Not castled | 10,060 | |
| 9,520 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 1 |
| Not castled | 1 |
1. · 33,002 amateur games
After 1. , Black takes the center and 2. attacks that pawn. You score 48 out of 100.
1. 2. · A00
27 amateur games · White's score: 46.3%
1. 2. 3. · A00
15 amateur games · White's score: 46.7%