Queen's Pawn Game: Colle System (1. 2. 3.)
The Colle System comes from 1. 2. 3.. The e3 pawn props up d4 and clears the way for your f1 bishop to reach d3, at the cost of shutting in the bishop on c1. Between 900 and 1700 you score 52.5% across 136,155 Lichess games from September 2026, and that figure barely shifts from one rating band to the next.
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.
At a glance
- Moves
- 1. 2. 3.
- ECO
- D04, D05
- Amateur games
- 136,155
- Of all games rated 900 to 1700
- 0.4%
- White's score
- Lichess 900–1700: 52.5% · Online, 2200+: 51.4% · Over the board, 2300+: 55.7%
- Evaluation after 3.
- +0.03
4 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
By rating
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
What amateurs play and what strong players play
You often get here by another order, such as 1. 2. 3.. Once e3 is in, opponents at your level spread their answers around: in 25 of every 100 games, in 23, in 18 and in 14. Online players rated 2200 and up reach for most often, 29 times in 100, yet it turns up in only 6 in 100 of your games. Against , 4. is the top choice in both groups. After the paths split: 82 in 100 players at your level go 5., while strong players pick 5. 41 times in 100 and 5. 37 times.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24.6% | 52.9% | no data | no data | |
| 23.2% | 53.5% | 23.9% | 45.8% | |
| 18.4% | 51.6% | 10.9% | no data | |
| 14.3% | 51.0% | 16.0% | 6.0% | |
| 5.7% | 50.2% | 28.6% | 48.2% | |
| 5.1% | 49.2% | 6.7% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 11.7% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30.6% | 51.9% | 24.0% | no data | |
| 16.9% | 49.2% | 12.5% | 100.0% | |
| 16.1% | 52.5% | 20.1% | no data | |
| 14.8% | 51.0% | 15.9% | no data | |
| 7.4% | 48.1% | 8.7% | no data | |
| 5.5% | 48.4% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 11.8% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56.3% | 52.6% | 58.2% | no data | |
| 21.8% | 51.7% | 22.9% | no data | |
| 8.7% | 53.9% | 2.3% | no data | |
| 8.6% | 49.6% | 11.6% | no data | |
| 3.2% | 55.9% | no data | no data | |
| 1.5% | 50.0% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 4.0% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.1% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81.9% | 51.8% | 37.4% | no data | |
| 9.5% | 40.7% | 22.0% | no data | |
| 5.7% | 42.9% | no data | no data | |
| 2.9% | 71.4% | 40.7% | no data |
What to do here
The line strong players repeat most from here is 4. 5. 6. 7.. It starts as a fight over your d4 pawn and, once you capture, becomes a fight over the pawn you pick up on c5. You won't meet it often, since shows up in just 6 in 100 games at your level, but it's worth knowing.
hits d4 with a pawn. 4. brings a fourth defender alongside your queen, the e3 pawn and the f3 knight, and keeps the c3, d4, e3 chain intact. That c3 pawn has a second job you'll see three moves later: supporting b4. At your level 4. is also the most common reply, 31 times in 100, and your opponent follows with in 56 of every 100 of those games. So when does appear, the move-five position is the one you'll meet most.
adds a second attacker on d4. Rather than keep defending, you take with 5.. Your opponent can't win the pawn back right away: the e7 pawn blocks the f8 bishop, and no black piece reaches c5. Now you're aiming for b4, to back up that pawn with another one.
stops that for the moment. The b4 square is covered by the a5 pawn and the c6 knight, and only your c3 pawn guards it. 6. solves half the problem. With the d7 pawn already gone to d5, the bishop pins the c6 knight to the black king, and a pinned knight can't capture on b4.
finally opens the f8 bishop's diagonal, and it now eyes c5. That's the moment for 7.: the c5 pawn gets a pawn defender, and on b4 only the a5 pawn can capture, with your c3 pawn ready to recapture. That's why the order matters. Without the pin, b4 would be hit twice and defended once.
At your level the game rarely goes this way. After , 82 in 100 players choose 5. and score 52 in 100. It's a sound move: the bishop covers e4 and looks through f5 and g6 to h7, right by the enemy king once it castles short. It does block your queen, so d4 is down to three defenders: the c3 and e3 pawns and the f3 knight. If you want to try the stronger players' line, remember the sequence: take on c5, pin the knight, and only then push to b4.
The strong players' line
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 5,986 | 28.8% | |
| 2,108 | 23.8% | |
| 476 | 58.2% | |
| 246 | 40.7% | |
| 111 | 48.6% | |
| 52 | 100.0% | |
| 22 | 100.0% | |
| 22 | 100.0% |
How players castle
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 87,898 | ||
| Not castled | 13,237 | |
| Not castled | 9,943 | |
| 9,576 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 7,080 |
| 4,108 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 89 | ||
| Not castled | 6 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 5 |
| 2 | ||
| Not castled | 1 | |
| Not castled | 1 |
Variations
Anti-Colle
1. 2. 3. · 19,549 amateur games · 4 over the board
develops the bishop before you can play 4., contesting d3 and e4 from f5.
Traditional Colle
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · 5,323 amateur games · 4 over the board
Another move order: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.. You score 58 in 100.
Grünfeld Formation
1. 2. 3. 4. · 3,859 amateur games
4. puts the bishop on the long diagonal, behind the f6 knight.
Other move orders that get here
- 1. 2. 3. 43,358 games
- 1. 2. 3. 28,248 games
- 1. 2. 3. 11,175 games