Petrov's Defense win rate

White scored 52.6% (margin 0.6 points) in 23,657 rated games of the Petrov's Defense, ECO C42, played between players within 100 rating points on 1 September 2026. It ranked number 18 of 117 openings by popularity and made up 1.5% of all games.

50.5%

45.3%

White wins 50.5%
Draws 4.2%
Black wins 45.3%

23,657 games

How often does White win in the Petrov's Defense?

White won 50.5% of the 23,657 games, 4.2% were drawn and Black won 45.3%. White's score of 52.6% is no clear difference from White's score across all openings (51.9%): the gap of 0.8 points is larger than the margin of 0.6 points but under the 1 point treated as clear.

Results of 23,657 Petrov's Defense games, 1 September 2026.
Result	Games	Share
White wins	11,955	50.5%
Draws	994	4.2%
Black wins	10,708	45.3%

Does the Petrov's Defense score differently at different ratings?

White's score is highest at under 1200 (54.1%) and lowest at 1200 to 1599 (52.0%). That spread of 2.0 points is inside the two margins added together, so the data show no clear difference between the bands.

Players rated under 1200 choose the Petrov's Defense most often relative to their other openings, in 2.5 percent of their games.

White's score in the Petrov's Defense by the lower rating of the two players, 1 September 2026.
Rating band	Games	Share of the band	White score	Margin (points)
under 1200	6,744	2.5%	54.1%	1.2
1200 to 1599	9,331	1.6%	52.0%	1.0
1600 to 1999	6,440	1.1%	52.5%	1.2

How does the Petrov's Defense 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.

White's score in the Petrov's Defense by time control, 1 September 2026.
Time control	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Blitz	15,230	52.5%	0.8
Rapid	8,139	52.8%	1.1

What are the most played lines of the Petrov's Defense?

The most played named line is the Three Knights Game, with 6,576 games and a White score of 52.8%. The table lists the ten most played lines that reached 300 games; a line below that is counted in the last row.

Named lines of the Petrov's Defense, most played first, 1 September 2026.
Line	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Three Knights Game	6,576	52.8%	1.2
Italian Variation	5,211	53.4%	1.3
Stafford Gambit	2,446	48.3%	1.9
Modern Attack	1,625	54.4%	2.4
Damiano Variation	1,177	58.2%	2.7
Cozio Attack	400	56.5%	4.7
Main line and less played lines	6,222	51.8%	1.2

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 Petrov's Defense?

White won 50.5%, drew 4.2% and lost 45.3% of 23,657 games, a White score of 52.6% with a margin of 0.6 points. These are games on Lichess on 1 September 2026.

Is the Petrov's Defense 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 0.8 points is larger than the margin of 0.6 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 Petrov's Defense?

The Three Knights Game was the most played named line, with 6,576 games, which is 27.8% of the Petrov's Defense games.

Sources

Lichess open database, standard rated games (CC0), file for September 2026, read 2026-10-22

Related guides and tools

Last updated 2026-10-22.

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