According to Lichess (September 2026, N = 370,590 games rated 900 to 1700), White scores 51.5% against the Owen Defense, 1. . Your bishop comes out to b7 and hits the e4 pawn from a distance before you touch your center pawns. Strong players continue 2. 3. 4. 5. , and that's 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.
8 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
At your level, your opponent answers with 2. in 37 games out of 100, 2. in 30 and 2. in 11. Players rated over 2200 online pick 2. in 75 out of 100. Against 2., about 9 in 10 reply , both at your level and higher up. That's where the paths split: the public covers e4 with 3. in 45 games out of 100 or shuts your diagonal with 3. in 27, while strong players prefer 3., 55 in 100. The Owen shows up in 9 of every 1000 games at 900–1100 and 14 of every 1000 at 1500–1700. You score between 48 and 49 out of 100 in every band.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36.7% | 52.2% | 74.7% | 100.0% | |
| 30.1% | 51.5% | 8.9% | no data | |
| 10.9% | 50.4% | 1.1% | no data | |
| 7.6% | 51.5% | 8.1% | no data | |
| 3.2% | 52.5% | no data | no data | |
| 2.9% | 50.8% | 2.2% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.7% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88.9% | 51.8% | 92.1% | 100.0% | |
| 3.4% | 51.6% | 6.6% | no data | |
| 2.0% | 54.7% | 0.3% | no data | |
| 1.9% | 52.2% | 0.7% | no data | |
| 0.8% | 55.3% | 0.2% | no data | |
| 0.6% | 54.3% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45.2% | 52.6% | 34.5% | 8.5% | |
| 27.4% | 51.2% | 1.8% | no data | |
| 14.9% | 53.0% | 54.9% | 84.5% | |
| 4.2% | 50.2% | 4.8% | no data | |
| 2.8% | 50.2% | no data | no data | |
| 2.2% | 48.4% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 3.2% | 7.0% | |
| no data | no data | 0.3% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41.7% | 53.4% | 57.8% | 64.3% | |
| 20.7% | 51.0% | 10.3% | 10.7% | |
| 16.9% | 52.3% | 15.5% | no data | |
| 6.7% | 53.8% | 7.7% | 25.0% | |
| 4.4% | 55.2% | no data | no data | |
| 2.6% | 53.6% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 3.6% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 2.0% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29.9% | 55.3% | 45.9% | 100.0% | |
| 17.5% | 51.1% | no data | no data | |
| 16.6% | 52.4% | 5.2% | no data | |
| 10.8% | 53.2% | 4.5% | no data | |
| 6.7% | 52.6% | 4.8% | no data | |
| 5.9% | 53.6% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 21.5% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 7.9% | no data |
In the Owen you go after e4 with pieces before pawns. The b7 bishop leans on it from the long diagonal, the f6 knight joins in, and finally a pawn arrives on d5 to hit it head-on. The strong-player line, 2. 3. 4. 5. , ends with e4 attacked by your d5 pawn and your knight, and defended by the d3 bishop and the queen.
After , the e4 pawn has no defender at all, so your opponent has to spend move three on it. 3. covers it with the bishop. frees your f8 bishop and gets d5 ready with a pawn behind it. 4. develops but doesn't protect e4, so attacks it a second time: bishop and knight against a single defender. That's why strong players choose 5. in 76 games out of 100; at your level, only 14 in 100 find it. With the queen on e2 it's two against two, and brings in the pawn. That d5 pawn blocks your diagonal, but it's well supported by the e6 pawn, the knight and the b7 bishop. If your opponent pushes to e5 to kick your knight, the d4 and e5 pawns get locked in place, and pushing your c-pawn to c5 hits d4, the pawn holding the whole chain together.
At your level the most common reply to is 3., guarding e4 with the knight. Your answer follows the same idea: opens the diagonal from f8 to b4, and from b4 your bishop pins that knight to the king on e1, since d2 emptied when the d-pawn advanced.
Two more details in this line. If your opponent plays 3., e4 is left hanging and picks up the pawn. And after 3., keep your f-pawn at home: 4. 5. is the Matovinsky Gambit, where the queen checks through the f7 square your pawn just left. In the 56 public games with that line, your opponent takes 84 out of every 100 points.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 4,785 | 75.0% | |
| 4,471 | 92.3% | |
| 4,093 | 55.4% | |
| 2,256 | 57.9% | |
| 1,694 | 46.9% | |
| 944 | 38.8% | |
| 313 | 76.4% | |
| 349 | 55.6% |
After 2. 3., heads for g7 and passes on the pin from b4 that offered. Your opponent grabs space with 4. 5. 6. : with f6 taken away by the pawn, your knight lands on the rim. 22 in 100 choose it. It's rarely punished: 46 points out of 100 against 49.
22 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.2%; scores 48.8%.
After 2. 3., lets your opponent build the center at leisure: 4. 5. 6. . Your g7 bishop runs into the d4 pawn, backed by the queen and the f3 knight, and the f4 bishop watches e5. 22 in 100 play it, and it's hardly ever punished: you score 48, against 50 with .
22 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 47.8%; scores 49.6%.
After 2. 3., wins a pawn, but your bishop is left undefended and the c4 bishop eyes f7. 4. 5. checks your king and hits your bishop at the same time. After 6. material is level and you can't castle. 42 in 100 play it: you score 46, against 52 with .
42 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.0%; scores 52.3%.
After 2. 3., nothing guards e4 and takes it. With you let it go, and 4. covers the pawn. Then 5. 6. , and you're back to fighting for e4 without the extra pawn. 21 in 100 play it. At your level it barely shows: you score 50, against 51 when you take.
21 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 49.7%; scores 51.4%.
After 2. 3., blocks your bishop's diagonal, so it no longer sees e4. 4. 5. attacks the knight and sends it to e7 with ; after 6. the d5 pawn still blocks the diagonal. Fewer than 5 in 100 play it, but it costs you: you score 43, against 50 with .
5 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 43.0%; scores 49.6%.
After 2. 3., leaves the undefended e4 pawn alone instead of taking it with . Your opponent covers it with 4., and after 5. 6. they have pawns on d4 and e4 while you have none in the center. 13 in 100 choose it. It's rarely punished: you score 49, against 51 with .
13 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 49.1%; scores 51.4%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 133,811 | ||
| Not castled | 66,288 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 42,181 |
| 38,279 | ||
| 29,176 | ||
| Not castled | 22,148 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 46 | ||
| Not castled | 6 | |
| 6 | ||
| Not castled | 3 | |
| 3 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 2 |
1. 2. 3. · 11,652 amateur games
3. leaves e4 undefended and wins it. Overall you score just over 50 out of 100.
1. 2. · 3,165 amateur games
targets the f1 bishop rather than e4; here you score just over 45 out of 100.
1. 2. 3. · B00
148 amateur games · White's score: 58.4%
1. 2. 3. · B00
90 amateur games · White's score: 52.8%
1. 2. 3. · B00
61 amateur games · White's score: 52.5%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · B00
56 amateur games · White's score: 83.9%
1. 2. 3. · B00
26 amateur games · White's score: 55.8%
It's the reply to 1.. You prepare , which hits e4 from the long diagonal, and leave your center pawns for later. It appears in 12 of every 1000 public Lichess games rated 900 to 1700, and more often as ratings rise: 9 of every 1000 at 900–1100 and 14 at 1500–1700.
At your level it holds up: you score between 48 and 49 out of 100 in every band from 900 to 1700, and almost 48 among players rated over 2200 online. Over the board, among players rated 2300 and up, there are only 67 games and your opponent takes 66 out of 100 points, so that sample tells you little.
It's 1. 2. 3.. The knight develops but doesn't guard e4, so the pawn is there for the taking with . Across all its lines you score just over 50 out of 100. Playing or instead lets your opponent cover the pawn with 4. or 4..
You attack e4 with pieces first and a pawn later. After 2. 3., play to free your f8 bishop, to hit e4 a second time and, once 5. defends it, . Against 3., the same lets your bishop pin that knight from b4.