King's Pawn Game win rate
White scored 51.3% (margin 0.4 points) in 56,960 rated games of the King's Pawn Game, ECO C20, played between players within 100 rating points on 1 September 2026. It ranked number 7 of 117 openings by popularity and made up 3.5% of all games.
- White wins 49.3%
- Draws 4.0%
- Black wins 46.7%
56,960 games
How often does White win in the King's Pawn Game?
White won 49.3% of the 56,960 games, 4.0% were drawn and Black won 46.7%. White's score of 51.3% is no clear difference from White's score across all openings (51.9%): the gap of 0.5 points is larger than the margin of 0.4 points but under the 1 point treated as clear.
| Result | Games | Share |
|---|---|---|
| White wins | 28,085 | 49.3% |
| Draws | 2,298 | 4.0% |
| Black wins | 26,577 | 46.7% |
Does the King's Pawn Game score differently at different ratings?
White's score is highest at under 1200 (51.7%) and lowest at 1600 to 1999 (50.6%). That spread of 1.1 points is inside the two margins added together, so the data show no clear difference between the bands.
Players rated under 1200 choose the King's Pawn Game most often relative to their other openings, in 8.4 percent of their games.
| Rating band | Games | Share of the band | White score | Margin (points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| under 1200 | 23,156 | 8.4% | 51.7% | 0.6 |
| 1200 to 1599 | 22,896 | 3.9% | 51.2% | 0.6 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 10,144 | 1.7% | 50.6% | 1.0 |
How does the King's Pawn Game do in blitz, rapid and classical?
The time control changes who tends to win, because the clock matters more in faster games. Rows with fewer than 1,500 games are left out.
| Time control | Games | White score | Margin (points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blitz | 36,830 | 51.3% | 0.5 |
| Rapid | 19,535 | 51.3% | 0.7 |
What are the most played lines of the King's Pawn Game?
The most played named line is the Leonardis Variation, with 12,362 games and a White score of 50.0%. The table lists the ten most played lines that reached 300 games; a line below that is counted in the last row.
| Line | Games | White score | Margin (points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leonardis Variation | 12,362 | 50.0% | 0.9 |
| Wayward Queen Attack | 8,217 | 53.3% | 1.1 |
| Busch-Gass Gambit | 7,018 | 52.5% | 1.1 |
| McConnell Defense | 5,356 | 51.0% | 1.3 |
| Napoleon Attack | 4,733 | 51.8% | 1.4 |
| Damiano Defense | 3,053 | 58.1% | 1.7 |
| MacLeod Attack | 2,712 | 51.2% | 1.8 |
| Maróczy Defense | 2,538 | 51.4% | 1.9 |
| Wayward Queen Attack, Kiddie Countergambit | 1,514 | 48.7% | 2.5 |
| King's Head Opening | 1,500 | 45.2% | 2.5 |
| Main line and less played lines | 3,857 | 46.1% | 1.5 |
How were these opening statistics measured?
Rated Blitz, Rapid and Classical games on 1 September 2026 between players within 100 rating points, banded by the lower rating. A score is wins plus half the draws, with a 95 percent margin. The hub page explains the method in full.
Frequently asked questions
What is the win rate of the King's Pawn Game?
White won 49.3%, drew 4.0% and lost 46.7% of 56,960 games, a White score of 51.3% with a margin of 0.4 points. These are games on Lichess on 1 September 2026.
Is the King's Pawn Game good for White?
At these ratings White's score was no clear difference from White's score across all openings (51.9%): the gap of 0.5 points is larger than the margin of 0.4 points but under the 1 point treated as clear. A difference of a point or two is small, and the side that picks an opening also picks which games reach it, so the number describes what happened at these ratings and is not a ruling on the opening.
What is the most popular line of the King's Pawn Game?
The Leonardis Variation was the most played named line, with 12,362 games, which is 21.7% of the games of the King's Pawn Game.
Sources
Related guides and tools
- Italian Game win rate and statistics
- English Opening win rate and statistics
- Scandinavian Defense win rate and statistics
- Philidor Defense win rate and statistics
- Caro-Kann Defense win rate and statistics
- Queen's Gambit Declined win rate and statistics
- Chess opening statistics for players rated under 1200
- Chess opening statistics for players rated 1200 to 1599
- Chess opening statistics for players rated 1600 to 1999
- Chess opening statistics for players rated 2000 and above
- Most popular chess openings and win rates
- Chess terms glossary
- Book your first lesson
Last updated 2026-10-22.
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