Best chess openings for White

Lines where White makes the last move — positions White can steer the game into — ranked by White's score: wins plus half the draws. Only lines played in at least a million games are ranked.

#	Opening	Moves	Games	White / Draw / Black	White score
1	C57 Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Fried Liver Attack	`1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5…`	1.3M	67 / 3 / 30	68.1%
2	C56 Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack	`1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4…`	1.2M	62 / 3 / 35	63.3%
3	C50 Italian Game: Deutz Gambit	`1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O…`	1.3M	59 / 4 / 38	60.5%
4	C44 Scotch Game: Göring Gambit, Double Pawn Sacrifice	`1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3…`	1.6M	58 / 3 / 39	59.2%
5	D21 Queen's Gambit Accepted: Normal Variation	`1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3`	2.4M	56 / 5 / 39	58.4%
6	D20 Queen's Gambit Accepted: Old Variation	`1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3`	5.7M	56 / 5 / 39	58.1%
7	C62 Ruy Lopez: Steinitz Defense	`1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. d4`	4M	55 / 5 / 39	58.0%
8	A00 Grob Opening: Grob Gambit, Fritz Gambit	`1. g4 d5 2. Bg2 Bxg4 3. c4`	1.1M	56 / 3 / 40	57.8%
9	C44 Scotch Game: Lolli Variation	`1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 Nxd4 4. Nxd4…`	8.7M	55 / 6 / 40	57.7%
10	C29 Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit	`1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4`	4.3M	56 / 4 / 40	57.6%
11	D31 Semi-Slav Defense: Marshall Gambit	`1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e4`	1.1M	55 / 5 / 40	57.4%
12	C24 Bishop's Opening: Ponziani Gambit	`1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d4`	1.8M	55 / 4 / 41	57.3%
13	C44 Scotch Game: Göring Gambit	`1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3`	2.8M	55 / 4 / 41	57.3%
14	D24 Queen's Gambit Accepted: Showalter Variation	`1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3`	1.2M	54 / 5 / 41	56.8%
15	A18 English Opening: Mikenas-Carls Variation	`1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. e4`	1.3M	54 / 5 / 41	56.5%
16	C22 Center Game: Paulsen Attack Variation	`1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qe3`	2.5M	54 / 4 / 42	56.2%
17	C54 Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Modern Line	`1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6…`	1.2M	54 / 5 / 41	56.2%
18	C21 Center Game: Kieseritzky Variation	`1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Nf3`	4.8M	54 / 4 / 42	56.1%
19	C21 Danish Gambit	`1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3`	11M	54 / 4 / 42	56.1%
20	C65 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense	`1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O`	4.6M	53 / 5 / 41	56.1%
21	A09 Réti Opening	`1. Nf3 d5 2. c4`	5.8M	53 / 5 / 41	55.9%
22	D20 Queen's Gambit Accepted: Saduleto Variation	`1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4`	4.7M	54 / 4 / 42	55.9%
23	C33 King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit	`1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Bc4`	1.7M	54 / 3 / 42	55.9%
24	C44 Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit	`1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4`	11.1M	54 / 4 / 42	55.8%
25	B12 Caro-Kann Defense: Advance Variation, Tal Variation	`1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. h4`	2.1M	53 / 5 / 42	55.8%
26	D00 Queen's Pawn Game: Levitsky Attack	`1. d4 d5 2. Bg5`	5.5M	53 / 5 / 42	55.6%
27	A13 English Opening: Agincourt Defense	`1. c4 e6 2. Nf3`	2.1M	53 / 6 / 41	55.6%
28	C41 Philidor Defense: Morphy Gambit	`1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4`	1M	53 / 4 / 43	55.4%
29	A08 King's Indian Attack: Sicilian Variation	`1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2`	2M	53 / 5 / 42	55.4%
30	C21 Center Game: von der Lasa Gambit	`1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Bc4`	1.1M	53 / 4 / 43	55.3%
31	D07 Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense	`1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3`	1.4M	53 / 4 / 43	55.2%
32	C25 Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense	`1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4`	2M	53 / 4 / 43	55.1%
33	C00 French Defense: Chigorin Variation	`1. e4 e6 2. Qe2`	1M	52 / 5 / 42	55.1%
34	E06 Catalan Opening: Closed	`1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7…`	1.6M	51 / 8 / 41	55.1%
35	B18 Caro-Kann Defense: Classical Variation, Main Line	`1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4…`	1.6M	52 / 6 / 42	55.1%
36	A07 King's Indian Attack	`1. Nf3 d5 2. g3`	7.8M	52 / 6 / 42	55.1%
37	C20 Center Game	`1. e4 e5 2. d4`	31.6M	53 / 4 / 43	55.0%
38	C54 Italian Game: Classical Variation, Center Attack	`1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6…`	4.2M	53 / 5 / 43	55.0%
39	D35 Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation, Positional Variation	`1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5…`	3.9M	52 / 6 / 42	55.0%
40	E00 Catalan Opening	`1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3`	1.5M	51 / 7 / 42	55.0%
41	B06 Modern Defense: Standard Line	`1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3`	6.4M	53 / 5 / 43	54.9%
42	C44 Scotch Game	`1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4`	43.8M	52 / 5 / 43	54.8%
43	D35 Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation	`1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5`	5.5M	52 / 6 / 42	54.8%
44	C47 Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation	`1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4`	5M	52 / 6 / 42	54.8%
45	B10 Caro-Kann Defense: Endgame Offer	`1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d3`	1.4M	52 / 6 / 42	54.8%
46	C41 Philidor Defense: Exchange Variation	`1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4`	9.3M	52 / 5 / 43	54.7%
47	A27 English Opening: King's English Variation, Three Knights System	`1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3`	1.3M	52 / 5 / 43	54.7%
48	C26 Bishop's Opening: Vienna Hybrid, Spielmann Attack	`1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3`	1.6M	52 / 4 / 43	54.7%
49	D11 Slav Defense: Modern Line	`1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3`	10.5M	52 / 6 / 42	54.7%
50	C64 Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation, Central Variation	`1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. c3`	2.1M	53 / 4 / 43	54.6%

Numbers: rated blitz, rapid and classical games on Lichess between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer as cached by this site; a line's numbers are refreshed once they are a week old. Each name appears once, as its most-played line. At this level, sharp lines in which a natural-looking reply goes wrong score highest — a high score says how a line does in practice, not that it is objectively best.