The Best High Percentage Chess Openings For Black
The player with the White pieces begins the game with the first move, granting them a natural advantage. So, when playing with Black, we want to reduce that advantage to the absolute minimum, and you have to ask what are the best chess openings for black.
First, we should seek to equalize. Then, we attempt to gain the advantage for ourselves!
When trying to ascertain which chess openings for Black best achieve this goal, results matter more than theory or ideas.
So, this article investigates the chess openings for Black that perform best, as measured by master results on chess.com’s opening explorer.
We look at:
- Percentage of White wins
- Percentage of draws
- Percentage of Black wins
Then, using all this data, we have come up with a recommended repertoire based on the openings that have the highest percentage score favoring Black.
Note that this investigation does not consider whether these openings are a good fit for your own personal style as a chess player.
Nonetheless, we think that the analysis will give you a new perspective on the most common and important ideas your opponent can throw at you in:
- The King’s Pawn Opening (1. e4)
- The Queen’s Pawn Opening (1. d4)
- The English Opening (1. c4)
Let’s get into it!
The King’s Pawn Opening (1. e4)
Against the King’s Pawn Opening, the best chess openings for black is the Sicilian Defense (1. …c5) and is the strongest choice. With a 34% win rate for Black, no other reply comes close.
Some chess players find the idea of learning the Sicilian Defense too daunting.
It is true - developing a Sicilian repertoire takes a lot of work. Learning some opening theory is a must if you are going to play the Sicilian with success.
But if you take on the challenge, the rewards are great.
Related: How Grandmasters Beat Gambits: King Pawn Openings.
Not only are the results better for Black in the Sicilian than in the alternatives, but the games tend to be more combative. If you can learn to handle the Sicilian Defense, you will become a stronger all-round chess player.
White has many ways of fighting against the Sicilian - but the two main ones are:
- The Open Sicilian, with Nf3 and d4
- The Closed Sicilian, with Nc3 and a kingside fianchetto
Let’s cover what to do against each.
Against The Open Sicilian: The Classical Variation
If White plays Nf3 and d4, then we get an Open Sicilian, and it’s largely up to Black how to continue.
Perhaps surprisingly, the best-performing choice is not the Najdorf (5. …a6), or the Dragon (5. …g6) or any of the various setups involving 5. ..e6.
Rather, it is the Classical Variation: (5. …Nc6) where White’s advantage is minimized. 35% White wins versus 34% Black wins is only the tiniest of edges for the White pieces.
Another advantage of the Classical Variation for Black is that it is easier to learn than the likes of the Najdorf and the Dragon. There are fewer critical moves in this opening - which might be another reason why Black’s results are so strong in it!
Related: Modernized - The Open Sicilian.
Against Closed Sicilians: The Fianchetto Setup
Leaving aside Anti-Sicilian options (such as the Smith-Morra Gambit or the Wing Gambit), the other main way that White can try to meet the Sicilian is with the Closed Sicilian, starting with Nc3, and continuing with g3 and Bg2.
This opening is tougher to measure using the opening explorer, because there are many move orders White can play in order to reach this setup.
However, Black’s best bet against this plan is to copy the kingside fianchetto setup: with g6 and Bg7. If we look at a typical Closed Sicilian position such as the one shown below, Stockfish gives the position as dead equal.
From here, Black should look to play on the queenside - b5 and Rb8 are typical moves. Black’s dark-squared bishop naturally points at the queenside, which is also very helpful in carrying out this plan.
Related: Closed Sicilian - Nigel Davies.
Meanwhile, White will typically try to push on the kingside with moves like f4 and eventually f5. This plan is aggressive, but Black should hold no fears. If White gets too pushy, opening the center will expose lines towards the White king.
The Queen’s Pawn Opening (1. d4)
If White instead begins the game with the Queen’s Pawn Opening, then everything changes.
The best-performing reply to 1. d4 is also the most-played: 1. …Nf6. Playing the knight out is a flexible developing move, asking White to show their intentions.
From here, White has two main ways of proceeding:
- Going for a d4-c4 pawn center.
- Playing Nc3 first, before c4.
We will now cover each of these in turn.
Related: Openings – Queen’s Pawn Games.
Against The d4-c4 Setup: The Nimzo-Indian Defense
Advancing with c4 is White’s most common way of continuing in the Queen’s Pawn Opening. It’s easy to see why: this pair of pawns gives White strong presence in the center of the board.
Against this setup, Black has many different ways of playing.
The King’s Indian Defense is one option, which we have written about before. With a kingside fianchetto of the dark-squared bishop, Black gets plenty of attacking chances. If you like sharp, dynamic chess, then the King’s Indian is a lot of fun.
However, at master level, the King’s Indian scores quite well for White. As a result, the King’s Indian is not often seen at the elite levels of chess except when the player with the Black pieces is in a must-win situation - where a draw will not do.
Since this article is about the best high-percentage chess openings for Black, we have a different recommendation: The Nimzo-Indian Defense.
By developing with e6 and Bb4, Black pins the White knight on c3. Depending on White’s play, Black even may be willing to capture this knight with Bxc3 - especially if it will result in damaging White’s queenside pawn structure when they recapture with bxc3.
According to the chess.com opening explorer, The Nimzo-Indian results in 34% wins for White, and 30% wins for Black: a fine result when starting the game with the disadvantage of moving second. By comparison, the King’s Indian results in 42% wins for White and 29% wins for Black. Statistically, it’s a no-brainer which opening performs better for the player with the Black pieces!
Against The d4-Nc3 Setup: Symmetrical Center Pawn
It is also important to know what to do in case White plays Nc3 before making the c4 advance.
This setup is very trendy right now, thanks to the popularity of the so-called “Jobava London System”. Many players at club level have embraced this way of playing. It has the advantage of being light on opening theory, and White’s plans tend to be quite similar against most of what Black can play.
As soon as Nc3 has been played, White’s immediate “threat” is to play e4. If Black doesn’t prevent this, then White gains an imposing pawn center.
For this reason, our recommendation is to prevent e4, by playing d5. This is, by far, the best-performing move: according to the chess.com opening explorer, at master level 37% of games from this position are won by White… and 40% are won by Black! After just two moves, Black already has the statistical edge.
White will probably continue with either Bf4 or Bg5. Meanwhile, one good plan for Black is to play c6 to support the center, followed by an early b5 advance - with the threat of playing b4 in the air to kick the White knight away from c3. This means White will need to work extra hard to prepare the e4 pawn break. In any case, White does not enjoy any advantage out of the opening.
The English Opening (1. c4)
Last on our list of the best chess openings for black the English Opening (1. c4). While less commonplace than either 1. e4 or 1. d4, it is certainly popular enough to deserve its own entry in this article about the best high percentage chess openings for Black.
Black’s most common reply to 1. c4 is 1. …Nf6. This often results in a Queen's Pawn Opening setup after White plays d4 at some point. Some players with the Black pieces welcome this transposition, because it means they can simply apply the same opening ideas they have already learned when preparing against 1. d4.
But Black’s best-performing reply to 1. c4 is actually the 2nd-most played option: 1. …e5. It gives 38% wins for White, and 31% wins for Black - significantly better for Black than the alternatives.
With this move, Black discourages the d4 advance, meaning that White can no longer gain the d4-c4 pawn center that characterizes many Queen’s Pawn Opening positions. This introduces quite a different dynamic into the game.
Related: The English Opening - Grandmaster Repertoire.
By replying 1. …e5, Black’s position resembles a Sicilian Defense - but from the White side. The only difference is that Black is naturally behind a tempo, thanks to White having the first move. Even so, Black can use similar ideas to those that White normally deploys in the Sicilian - playing in the center and on the kingside, while White will be the one pushing on the queenside.
All-in-all, meeting the English Opening with 1. … e5 makes for a fascinating role-reversal - and one where Black scores almost as highly as White at master level.
Final Thoughts On The Best High Percentage Chess Openings For Black
A chess opening repertoire is a very personal decision. Statistics based on the results of other players are one thing, but what you are most comfortable with playing is quite another.
Which types of games do you thrive in? Quiet? Positional? Sharp? Tactical? Everyone has their own preferences. No-one knows your style better than you do.
However, we hope that this article has provided you with some new opening ideas to explore and maybe try for yourself. After all, learning a new opening is one of the best ways to keep chess fresh!
To learn more about these openings, check out our articles on: