Opening statistics
The Most Popular Chess Openings, 1971–2025
In grandmaster games (both players averaging 2500+), the most popular chess opening of 2021–2025 is the Queen’s Gambit Declined, played in 9.4% of all games, ahead of the Ruy Lopez (5.5%) and the Italian Game (5.3%). Over 55 years the top spot changed hands six times: Ruy Lopez in the 1970s, Queen’s Indian, Queen’s Gambit Declined, then the Slav, which led from 2001 to 2015.
Key findings
- The Queen’s Gambit Declined is the most played opening among grandmasters today: 9.4% of 2500+ games in 2021–2025.
- The Slav Defense ruled for 15 years (2001–2015) and peaked at 1 grandmaster game in 10 in 2009.
- The Italian Game grew more than sevenfold in 30 years, from 0.7% of GM games in the late 1990s to 5.3%.
- The Queen’s Indian, King’s Indian, Benoni and Dragon have all faded: the Dragon is now in 0.2% of GM games.
- Club-level masters (2200+) play the Najdorf, French and Caro-Kann more than grandmasters do.
Watch 55 years of master games
The chart replays the share of games for 27 named openings, year by year, from 1971 to 2025. Each bar is the share of all games played that year between players averaging 2500+ (grandmaster level) or 2200+ (master level). Switch the rating level, keep only 1.e4 or 1.d4 openings, drag the timeline, or click a bar to see the position and how White scored.
Interactive · master games
1970s: the Ruy Lopez rules grandmaster chess
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Source: Lumbras GigaBase over-the-board games, average Elo of both players 2200+ or 2500+, exact duplicates removed, 5-year rolling average. Click a bar to see the position.
The most popular chess openings today
Across 94,929 grandmaster-level games played from 2021 to 2025, the Queen’s Gambit Declined is far ahead: almost one game in ten. The top five are completed by the Ruy Lopez with 3...a6, the Italian Game, the Catalan and the Nimzo-Indian. Four of the top five start with 1.d4.
| Opening | First moves | 2500+ | 2200+ | White score (2500+) | Draws (2500+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen’s Gambit Declined | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 | 9.4% | 7.6% | 54.0% | 51.0% |
| Ruy Lopez (3...a6) | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 | 5.5% | 4.4% | 55.7% | 48.0% |
| Italian Game | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 | 5.3% | 3.3% | 56.6% | 44.9% |
| Catalan | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 | 4.1% | 3.7% | 52.5% | 51.5% |
| Nimzo-Indian Defense | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 | 4.0% | 3.3% | 54.1% | 48.1% |
| Sicilian Najdorf | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 … 5…a6 | 3.6% | 4.3% | 52.1% | 41.6% |
| Slav Defense | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 | 3.6% | 3.4% | 55.2% | 53.5% |
| French Defense | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 | 3.3% | 4.1% | 56.2% | 43.3% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 | 3.0% | 3.7% | 55.1% | 39.1% |
| London System | 1.d4 and an early Bf4 | 2.8% | 3.2% | 54.4% | 39.2% |
White score counts a win as 1 point and a draw as half a point. Among these ten, White scores between 52.1% (Najdorf) and 56.6% (Italian) against grandmaster-level opposition, so popularity says more about fashion and preparation than about which opening “wins”. Draw rates differ more: about half of Slav, Catalan and Queen’s Gambit Declined games are drawn, against under 40% in the Caro-Kann and London System.
Six changes at the top in 55 years
Using a 5-year rolling average to smooth out small samples, only four openings have been the most played in grandmaster games since 1971.
| Period | Most played opening | Peak share during the reign |
|---|---|---|
| 1971–1978 | Ruy Lopez (3...a6) | 7.8% (1972) |
| 1979–1981 | Queen’s Indian Defense | 6.9% (1980) |
| 1982–1992 | Queen’s Gambit Declined | 8.7% (1985) |
| 1993–1996 | Slav Defense | 6.0% (1994) |
| 1997–2000 | Queen’s Gambit Declined | 6.4% (2000) |
| 2001–2015 | Slav Defense | 10.0% (2009) |
| 2016–2025 | Queen’s Gambit Declined | 9.6% (2024) |
The Slav’s reign is the longest and the most dominant: around 2009 it was played in 10.0% of all grandmaster games. The Queen’s Gambit Declined has come close since its return to the top, at 9.6% around 2024.
Rising stars and fallen giants
Behind the leaders, some openings changed scale completely. The Italian Game, long seen as too simple for top players, went from 0.7% of GM games in the late 1990s to 5.3% in 2021–2025. The London System, a club favourite, tripled its share among grandmasters in the 2010s. The Berlin Defense rose after Vladimir Kramnik used it to neutralise Garry Kasparov’s 1.e4 in their 2000 world championship match.
On the other side, the dynamic defences of the 1980s and 1990s lost ground. The Queen’s Indian fell from 6.5% to 1.2%, the King’s Indian from 4.1% to 1.6%, and the Sicilian Dragon almost vanished from grandmaster play.
| Opening | 1985–89 | 1995–99 | 2005–09 | 2015–19 | 2021–25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italian Game | 0.7% | 0.7% | 1.3% | 3.0% | 5.3% |
| London System | 0.5% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 2.7% | 2.8% |
| Berlin Defense | 0.6% | 0.7% | 1.6% | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| Catalan | 2.7% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 3.4% | 4.1% |
| Sicilian Rossolimo | 0.3% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 2.0% |
| Slav Defense | 3.3% | 5.5% | 9.6% | 4.9% | 3.6% |
| Queen’s Indian Defense | 6.5% | 3.6% | 3.5% | 2.2% | 1.2% |
| King’s Indian Defense | 2.4% | 4.1% | 2.5% | 2.0% | 1.6% |
| Grünfeld Defense | 2.5% | 1.9% | 2.0% | 1.9% | 1.2% |
| Benoni / Benko | 1.7% | 1.2% | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.3% |
| Sicilian Dragon | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
Masters and grandmasters do not play the same openings
Among players averaging 2200+, the Queen’s Gambit Declined is also first (7.6% in 2021–2025), but the Sicilian Najdorf (4.3%), French (4.1%) and Caro-Kann (3.7%) are all more frequent than among grandmasters. The Italian Game drops from 5.3% to 3.3%, and the London System is slightly more popular at master level (3.2%) than at GM level (2.8%).
If you prepare against club opponents, the grandmaster ranking is a poor guide: look at what your actual opponent plays.
How these numbers were calculated
The data comes from Lumbra’s GigaBase, a free collection of over-the-board games. Exact duplicates (same year, ratings, result, ECO code and first 20 half-moves) were removed first, leaving 13.8 million unique games since 1950. The charts cover 1971 to 2025: before 1971 few games carry ratings, and 2026 is still incomplete. That period holds 4.6 million games between players averaging 2200+ and 655,000 at 2500+.
Openings are identified from the moves, not from the ECO code in the game header. A game counts for an opening when it reaches that opening’s position within its first 10 half-moves, whatever the move order, and only for the most specific opening it reaches. The London System is any game where White plays d4 and Bf4 within the first four moves without c4. 27 openings are tracked; almost half of all games reach none of them, so shares do not add up to 100%.
Yearly shares are smoothed with a centered 5-year rolling average, shortened at both ends of the period. The full yearly counts, with White wins and draws, are available as a CSV file.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular chess opening?
Among grandmasters, the Queen’s Gambit Declined (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6) is the most played opening of 2021–2025, with 9.4% of games between players averaging 2500+. At master level (2200+) it is also first, with 7.6%.
What is the most popular response to 1.e4?
Among the openings tracked here, the Ruy Lopez with 3...a6 (5.5% of GM games) and the Italian Game (5.3%) are the most common 1.e4 e5 lines, while the Najdorf (3.6%) is the most played Sicilian line. Lines outside the 27 tracked openings are not counted.
Is the London System popular among grandmasters?
Yes, more than before: it went from under 1% of 2500+ games until the late 2000s to 2.8% in 2021–2025. It is still slightly more common at master level (3.2%).
What is the best chess opening?
No opening wins by force. Between players averaging 2500+, White scored between 52% and 57% in each of the most played openings of 2021–2025. The best opening is one you understand and that suits the positions you play well; popularity tracks fashion and preparation more than strength.
Sources & further reading
Statistics computed by ChessHunter on 30 October 2026 from Lumbra’s GigaBase (games up to 2025). Shares are a percentage of all games in the selected rating band.
