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Black trades in the centre immediately and brings the queen out early. Very little theory to learn and a clear structure from move two — which is why it is so popular below master level.
From 6,029 games by 913 Chess.com players of every level, September 2026.
In line with Black's average at this level (48.2%). 1,954 games by 430 players · 4.8% draws
In line with Black's average at this level (48.1%). 358 games by 83 players · 3.1% draws
In line with Black's average at this level (47.4%). 144 games by 39 players · 4.9% draws
The marker on each bar is Black's average score across all openings at that rating and time control. We only call an opening above or below that average when the gap is far beyond the margin (±) — about 1.7 times it — because we compare dozens of openings at once, and chance alone would make a few of them look special.
The low theory cuts both ways: nothing is forced, so every plan is yours to find. The recurring error is spending moves shuffling the early queen while the opponent simply develops.
The early queen is the whole point of the position: you gain time by attacking it, but only with moves you wanted to play anyway. Chasing it with moves that loosen your own position hands back the tempo you just won.
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Every week we draw about 1,008 Chess.com players at random from the public player lists of twelve countries, never one already drawn in the previous weeks, and read their rated games from the last complete month. These numbers add up the latest 2 weekly samples: 2,016 players, 1,382 of whom played in September 2026. A game counts once even if both players are in the sample, and no single player can add more than 10 games to the same opening and time control, so one enthusiast cannot tilt the numbers. Rating bands use the average rating of the two players in that time control, because ratings are not comparable between blitz and rapid. Bands with fewer than 40 games or 10 players are shown but not judged. The score counts a draw as half a point. The ± is a 95% margin, but a gap is only judged beyond 3.3 standard errors: with many openings compared at once, a looser line would flag openings by pure chance. Players on this site are never part of the sample.