Rat Defense win rate

White scored 51.7% (margin 1.1 points) in 7,409 rated games of the Rat Defense, ECO C00, played between players within 100 rating points on 1 September 2026. It ranked number 42 of 117 openings by popularity and made up 0.5% of all games.

49.6%

46.2%

White wins 49.6%
Draws 4.2%
Black wins 46.2%

7,409 games

How often does White win in the Rat Defense?

White won 49.6% of the 7,409 games, 4.1% were drawn and Black won 46.2%. White's score of 51.7% is no clear difference from White's score across all openings (51.9%): the gap of 0.2 points is inside the margin of 1.1 points.

Results of 7,409 Rat Defense games, 1 September 2026.
Result	Games	Share
White wins	3,677	49.6%
Draws	307	4.1%
Black wins	3,425	46.2%

Does the Rat Defense score differently at different ratings?

White's score is highest at 1600 to 1999 (52.3%) and lowest at 1200 to 1599 (52.1%). That spread of 0.2 points is inside the two margins added together, so the data show no clear difference between the bands.

Players rated 1600 to 1999 choose the Rat Defense most often relative to their other openings, in 0.6 percent of their games.

White's score in the Rat Defense by the lower rating of the two players, 1 September 2026.
Rating band	Games	Share of the band	White score	Margin (points)
1200 to 1599	2,461	0.4%	52.1%	1.9
1600 to 1999	3,336	0.6%	52.3%	1.7

How does the Rat 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 Rat Defense by time control, 1 September 2026.
Time control	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Blitz	5,776	50.9%	1.3
Rapid	1,581	54.9%	2.4

What are the most played lines of the Rat Defense?

The most played named line is the Small Center Defense, with 3,710 games and a White score of 51.8%. 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 Rat Defense, most played first, 1 September 2026.
Line	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Small Center Defense	3,710	51.8%	1.6
Harmonist	1,685	54.4%	2.3
Antal Defense	862	50.1%	3.3
English Rat	664	46.9%	3.7
Main line and less played lines	488	51.3%	4.4

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 Rat Defense?

White won 49.6%, drew 4.1% and lost 46.2% of 7,409 games, a White score of 51.7% with a margin of 1.1 points. These are games on Lichess on 1 September 2026.

Is the Rat 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 0.2 points is inside the margin of 1.1 points. 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 Rat Defense?

The Small Center Defense was the most played named line, with 3,710 games, which is 50.1% of the Rat 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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