Chess opening guides
6 articles, each grounded in this site’s own Lichess Opening Explorer data — not opinion.
How to Beat the London System
The London System (1.d4 d5 2.Bf4) scores well for White at club level — here's what the data says Black's best replies actually are, not just opinion.
Best Chess Openings for Beginners, by Win Rate
The 10 openings this site tracks, ranked by measured score at 1400-1600 rather than by opinion — with the sample size for every number shown.
Sicilian vs. French vs. Caro-Kann, Compared
Head-to-head win rates for the three most common replies to 1.e4 c-pawn/e-pawn alternatives, across all four rating bands this site tracks.
The Most Common Opening Mistakes at 1600-1800
Moves that are played often but score badly at 1600-1800, aggregated across every opening this site tracks — true by arithmetic, not by engine evaluation.
Should You Study Openings Under 1500?
Standard advice says opening theory barely matters below 1500. Here is how much each tracked opening's score actually moves between rating bands.
The Scandinavian Defense at Club Level
1...d5 gets dismissed as unsound in beginner advice. Here is its measured score by rating band, from real Lichess games at every level this site tracks.