Best Chess Openings at 1400: What People Really Play and What Scores
This article has a lot of numbers and percentages, so next to them you'll find chess boards that play the moves by themselves. There's plenty to get through, so make yourself a cup of tea and enjoy.
If you've ever searched for "best opening for 1200", you've seen the same lists again and again. The London, the Italian, the Caro-Kann, sometimes the Scandinavian. They're based on theory or on the author's taste.
I got curious about what really happens at this level. So I took rated Lichess games from June 2025 to May 2026 (as of November 2026 there's nothing newer in the Lichess opening database) where the players' average rating is 1400 to 1599 (from here on, just 1400). Blitz, rapid and classical, no bullet. For every move I looked at two numbers: how often it's played in that position, and how many points it scores for the player who made it. Next to them, for comparison, are the same numbers for games with an average rating of 2200 and above (from here on, just 2200+).
I count points as in a tournament, 1 for a win and a half for a draw. 50% means an even score. White scores about 52% on average at any level, so for White 52% is just normal. When I write "2 points more", I mean the difference in score percentage, not in rating. For example, 52% is 2 points more than 50%. And by a common move I mean one played in at least 2% of the games from that position.
A word on rating scales. 1400–1599 on Lichess is roughly 1000–1250 on Chess.com if you compare blitz with blitz (going by the ChessGoals table from July 2026). If you're around 1100 on Chess.com, this article is about you.
White's first move
8 
7 
2 
a 
b 
c 
d 
e f g 1 h - 1.e4
- 1.d4
| Move | Played at 1400 | White's score at 1400 | Played at 2200+ | White's score at 2200+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.e4 | 64% | 51.5% | 48% | 51.9% |
| 1.d4 | 24% | 52.6% | 32% | 52.6% |
| 1.c4 | 2.6% | 53.3% | 6% | 53.0% |
| 1.Nf3 | 2.5% | 52.4% | 8% | 53.9% |
1.d4 scores slightly more than 1.e4, by 1.1 points at 1400 and by 0.7 at 2200+, and by about a point at the levels in between too. That's not much. Play what you like.
After that come the differences that made the counting worthwhile.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6: Italian, Ruy Lopez or Scotch
8 7 2 a b c d e f 1 h - 3.Bc4
- 3.d4
- 3.Bb5
- 3.Nc3
| 3rd move | Played at 1400 | White's score at 1400 | Played at 2200+ | White's score at 2200+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.Bc4 (Italian) | 43% | 52.3% | 33% | 51.0% |
| 3.d4 (Scotch) | 21% | 55.3% | 16% | 52.6% |
| 3.Bb5 (Ruy Lopez) | 19% | 53.3% | 40% | 51.9% |
| 3.Nc3 | 10% | 50.2% | 9% | 54.6% |
After 2...Nc6, White at 1400 goes for the Italian in two games out of five. And of the three most common moves, it scores the least. The Scotch scores 55.3%, 3 points more than the Italian.
At 2200+ the popularity changes, but among these three moves the order by score stays the same. The Ruy Lopez is played most often there (40%) and the Italian is second, but the Scotch still scores more than the Ruy Lopez, though the gap is smaller, 52.6% against 51.9%.
And the common move that scores the most at 2200+ is 3.Nc3 (54.6%), even though it's played less often in this position than the other three, in 9% of games. At 1400 the same move scores the least of the four, with 50.2%. Part of the difference lies in what comes next. At 2200+, after 3.Nc3 Nf6, White most often plays 4.d4 or 4.Bb5 and scores 53–54%. At 1400 the most common move is 4.Bc4 (34% of games in this position), and it scores 49%.
8 7 2 a c d e f 1 h - 4.Bc4
- 4.d4
- 4.Bb5
8 7 2 a b c d e f 1 h - 4.Nxd4
- 4.Bc4
- 4.Ng5
- 4.c3
| White's 4th move | Played at 1400 | White's score at 1400 |
|---|---|---|
| 4.Nxd4 | 60.0% | 53.9% |
| 4.Bc4 | 21.4% | 56.7% |
| 4.Ng5 | 11.9% | 54.6% |
| 4.c3 | 5.5% | 57.5% |
In the Scotch itself, after 3...exd4, the usual 4.Nxd4 scores 53.9% at 1400, and the gambit moves 4.Bc4 and 4.c3 score even more, with 56.7% and 57.5%. It looks like not everyone at 1400 manages to hold an extra pawn under attack.
Two more things about the Italian. One player in six at 1400 answers 3.Bc4 with 3...h6 (17%), while at 2200+ it's about one in two hundred. And if Black plays 3...Bc5, the quiet 4.d3 scores 50% at 1400, while 4.c3 and the Evans Gambit 4.b4 score 54–55%. If you're going to play the Italian at this level, play it with a plan, and skip the "just in case" moves.
8 6 2 a b c d e 1 h 8 7 2 a b c d e 1 h - 4.d3
8 7 2 a b c d e 1 h - 4.c3
- 4.b4
The bishop to c4 reflex
This one took me a while to notice. At 1400 the bishop comes out to c4 on move two against more than just 1...e5:
8 7 2 a b c d e g 1 h 8 7 2 a b c d e g 1 h 8 7 2 a b c d e g 1 h | Opening | How often 2.Bc4 is played at 1400 | White's score with 2.Bc4 | White's score with the main move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sicilian, 1.e4 c5 | 15%, the second most common move | 47.7% | 2.Nf3: 50.0% |
| Caro-Kann, 1.e4 c6 | 10% | 45.9% | 2.d4: 50.7% |
| French, 1.e4 e6 | 6% | 47.7% | 2.d4: 50.4% |
At 2200+, 2.Bc4 against the Sicilian turns up in 0.7% of games.
The idea is clear. The bishop looks at f7. After 1.e4 e5 that's a normal move, and both 2.Bc4 and 2.Nf3 score 52.7–52.8% at 1400. But against the French the bishop runs into the e6 pawn, against the Caro-Kann it gets chased straight away by d5, and in the Sicilian a single move, e6, shuts the diagonal. That's 2–5 points gone for nothing.
Against the Sicilian, the move that scores the most at 1400 is 2.c3, the Alapin, with 51.8%.
8 7 2 a b c d e f g 1 h As Black against 1.e4
8 7 2 a b c d e f g 1 h - 1...e5
- 1...c5
- 1...d5
- 1...e6
- 1...c6
| Reply | Played at 1400 | Black's score at 1400 | Black's score at 2200+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1...e5 | 48% | 47.3% | 48.2% |
| 1...c5 (Sicilian) | 13% | 50.6% | 48.1% |
| 1...d5 (Scandinavian) | 10% | 49.3% | 48.9% |
| 1...e6 (French) | 9% | 50.3% | 48.1% |
| 1...c6 (Caro-Kann) | 8% | 50.8% | 47.5% |
This is probably the most important table in the article. Almost half of the players at 1400 answer 1.e4 with 1...e5. And by score it's the worst of all the common replies, with 47.3% against 50.6% for the Sicilian and 50.8% for the Caro-Kann. At 2200+ the difference almost disappears, and the Caro-Kann is even slightly below 1...e5 there, 47.5% against 48.2%.
I don't know exactly why. My guess is that 1...e5 gives White more simple attacking set-ups than any other reply, and at 1400 they work. The King's Gambit 2.f4, for example, scores 54.9% at 1400, but by 2200+ it's down to 49.8%.
8 7 2 a b c d e f g 1 h 8 7 2 a b c d e f g 1 h - 2...Qxd5
- 2...Nf6
| Black's 2nd move | Played at 1400 | Black's score at 1400 |
|---|---|---|
| 2...Qxd5 | 72.5% | 47.9% |
| 2...Nf6 | 19.1% | 50.9% |
| 2...c6 | 3.6% | 49.6% |
| 2...e6 | 3.0% | 48.3% |
In the Scandinavian the difference is inside the opening itself. After 2.exd5 at 1400, 72.5% of Black players take with the queen, and they score 47.9%. 2...Nf6 scores 50.9%. The queen line also has a trap in it. More on that below.
As Black against 1.d4
8 7 2 a b c d e f g 1 h - 1...d5
- 1...Nf6
- 1...e6
- 1...e5
| Reply | Played at 1400 | Black's score at 1400 | Black's score at 2200+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1...d5 | 49% | 46.5% | 47.0% |
| 1...Nf6 | 14% | 49.0% | 47.7% |
| 1...e6 | 10% | 47.3% | 46.7% |
| 1...e5 (Englund Gambit) | 8% | 49.7% | 46.1% |
1...Nf6 scores 49.0% at 1400, about 2.5 points more than 1...d5. And the Englund Gambit, which usually gets criticised, scores even more at 1400, with 49.7%. At 2200+ it's the weakest of these four replies (46.1%).
After 1.d4 d5 2.c4, the most interesting thing is what happens to the Queen's Gambit Accepted:
8 7 2 a b c d e f g 1 h - 2...dxc4
- 2...e6
- 2...c6
| Reply to 2.c4 | Played at 1400 | Black's score at 1400 | Black's score at 2200+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2...dxc4 (Accepted) | 29% | 42.9% | 49.0% |
| 2...e6 (Declined) | 23% | 46.3% | 46.7% |
| 2...c6 (Slav) | 16% | 47.1% | 46.1% |
By score the Accepted is the worst of the three at 1400 and the best at 2200+. I think that's because at 1400 people try to hold on to the c4 pawn. For example, 3.e3 b5 4.a4 c6 5.axb5 cxb5?? 6.Qf3. The queen hits the a8 rook along the diagonal, and Black loses material. In the position after 5.axb5, 96% of Black players at 1400 play 5...cxb5.
8 7 2 a b c e f g 1 h Now for the London. After 1.d4 d5, 2.Bf4 is played in 23% of games at 1400. The most common reply to it, 2...Nc6, scores the least of the common replies, with 45.1%. The one that scores the most among them is 2...c5 (49.2%), and that holds at all five levels from 1400 to 2200+.
8 7 2 a b d e f g 1 h - 2...Nc6
- 2...c5
| Reply to 2.Bf4 | Played at 1400 | Black's score at 1400 |
|---|---|---|
| 2...Nc6 | 25.9% | 45.1% |
| 2...Nf6 | 24.7% | 46.8% |
| 2...e6 | 18.0% | 47.0% |
| 2...Bf5 | 16.9% | 47.6% |
| 2...c5 | 4.7% | 49.2% |
| 2...c6 | 3.7% | 46.8% |
What surprised me
Scholar's Mate hardly works. After 1.e4 e5, 2.Qh5 scores 51.3% at 1400, which is less than the ordinary 2.Nf3 (52.8%). And in the position after 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Qh5, only 4% of Black players at 1400 play 3...Nf6??, which runs into 4.Qxf7#.
8 7 2 a b c e g 1 h In the Italian, on the other hand, after 3...Bc5 the move 4.Ng5?? turns up in 1% of games at 1400, and White scores 28% with it. The knight simply hangs to 4...Qxg5.
8 7 2 a b c d e 1 h Five traps at 1400
We measure traps separately. In the position where a trap starts, we look at what share of players make the move that walks into it. Here are five traps from our catalogue that catch people at 1400 in a large number of games. I only took the ones where, by the engine's evaluation, the move loses at least a pawn compared with the best move.
| Trap | Who sets it | Fall for it at 1400 | At 2200+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackburne Shilling Gambit: 3...Nd4 4.Nxe5? | Black | 23% | 12% |
| Queen's Gambit Accepted: 5...cxb5?? 6.Qf3 | White | 96% | too few games |
| Englund Gambit: 5...Qxb2 6.Bc3?? Bb4 | Black | 23% | 5% |
| Englund Gambit, Rosen Trap: 4...Ne7 5.dxe7?? Bxf2+ | Black | 31% | 13% |
| Scholar's Mate: 3.Qh5 Nf6?? 4.Qxf7# | White | 4% | 1% |
Only a small share fall for Scholar's Mate, but it comes up in a lot of games.
Two of the five are in the Englund Gambit. I think that's partly why it scores 49.7% at 1400.
1 2 7 h g e c 8 a 1 2 7 h e c b 8 a The Blackburne Shilling Gambit comes first by number of games. At 1400, 4.4% of Black players answer 3.Bc4 with 3...Nd4, and it scores 51.6% for them, more than 3...Nf6 and 3...Bc5.
1 2 7 h g f e c 8 a The Scandinavian trap I mentioned earlier comes up far less often, but by the share of players it catches, it's one of the nastiest. In the position after 6.Bxf3, 72% of Black players at 1400 play 6...Qxd4??, and 7.Bxc6+ wins the queen.
8 7 2 a b c e 1 h You'll find every trap, explained and with numbers by rating, on the traps page.
Browse the traps →What I'd play at 1400
In short:
- As White: 1.e4, and after 1...e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 the Scotch 3.d4. Or 1.d4, and after 1...d5 the Queen's Gambit 2.c4, which scores 54.9% at 1400, more than any other common move in that position. Against the Sicilian 2.c3 or 2.Nf3, but not 2.Bc4. Against the Caro-Kann and the French, 2.d4.
- As Black against 1.e4: the Caro-Kann, the Sicilian or the French. All three score more than 50% at 1400, even though they're played with Black.
- As Black against 1.d4: 1...Nf6. If you like 1...d5, then against 2.c4 play the Slav 2...c6, and don't take on c4 unless you know what to do next.
There's one caveat, though, and it's an important one. The score depends on who chooses an opening as well as on the opening itself. The Caro-Kann may score more at 1400 simply because it's played by people who have studied at least a little. So choose an opening you like and are ready to work on, and let the numbers help you decide between two similar ones.
The courses on this site are built on the same idea. Our moves are checked by the engine, and the opponent's replies come from games in your rating window. Pick 1400, and your opponent will play the way people at that level really play.
Browse the courses →