Common mistakes
Opening mistakes at 1000–1200
The moves Lichess players rated 1000–1200 get wrong most often in the first ten moves, and what players a level above them play instead.
Learn them, don’t just read them. Play your move in each position before you see the answer.
Practise these 20On each board, the red arrow is the move most players at this level get wrong, and the green arrow is the move to play instead. Grouped by opening, the most costly first. From 77,723 games by players at this level, September 2026.
King's Pawn Opening
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 · White to move
?!Most players here play
3.Bc4
34% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 14%, and they score 64% from here.
Why: it lets 3.Nxe5 go, and 3.Nxe5 wins a pawn.
★Play instead
3.Nxe5
What 25% of players rated 1200–1400 choose. Players at your level who already play it score 69%.
From 251 games at this level that reached the position.
Scotch Game
Learn the Scotch Game1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 · White to move
?!Most players here play
4.Ng5
14% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 12%, and they score 49% from here.
Why: it lets 4.Nxd4 go, and 4.Nxd4 wins a pawn.
★Play instead
4.Nxd4
What 60% of players rated 1200–1400 choose. Players at your level who already play it score 54%.
From 660 games at this level that reached the position.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nxd4 5.Qxd4 · Black to move
?!Most players here play
5...Nf6
31% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 11%, and they score 45% from here.
Why: the engine’s best answer is 6.e5 c5 7.Qe3 Nd5 8.Qe4, and the position is worse for it.
★Play instead
5...d6
What 34% of players rated 1200–1400 choose. Players at your level who already play it score 44%.
From 226 games at this level that reached the position.
Nimzowitsch Defence
Learn the Nimzowitsch Defence1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 e5 3.d5 · Black to move
?!Most players here play
3...Nd4
43% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 20%, and they score 55% from here.
Why: White answers 4.c3 Nc6 5.dxc6 Nf6 6.cxd7+, winning a piece.
★Play instead
3...Nce7
What 44% of players rated 1200–1400 choose. Players at your level who already play it score 44%.
From 102 games at this level that reached the position.
Bishop's Opening
Learn the Bishop's Opening1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nf3 · Black to move
?!Most players here play
3...Bc5
18% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 16%, and they score 49% from here.
Why: White answers 4.Nxe5 O-O 5.d4 Bb6 6.Nxf7, winning two pawns.
★Play instead
3...Nxe4
What 24% of players rated 1200–1400 choose. Players at your level who already play it score 41%.
From 263 games at this level that reached the position.
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Qf3 Nf6 · White to move
?Most players here play
4.Nh3
9% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 29%, and they score 27% from here.
Why: Black answers 4...Nd4 5.Qd1 Nxe4 6.d3 d5, winning a pawn.
★Play instead
4.c3
What 32% of players rated 1200–1400 choose. Players at your level who already play it score 35%.
From 127 games at this level that reached the position.
Petrov's Defence
Learn the Petrov's Defence1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 · Black to move
?!Most players here play
3...Nc6
23% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 11%, and they score 44% from here.
Why: the engine’s best answer is 4.Nxc6 dxc6 5.d3 Bc5 6.Be2, and the position is worse for it.
★Play instead
3...d6
What 21% of players rated 1200–1400 choose. Players at your level who already play it score 41%.
From 259 games at this level that reached the position.
Two Knights Defence
Learn the Two Knights Defence1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 · White to move
?Most players here play
6.Qf3
19% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 21%, and they score 50% from here.
Why: the engine’s best answer is 6...Qxg5 7.Bxd5 Nd4 8.Qxf7+ Kd8, and the position is worse for it.
★Play instead
6.Nxf7
What 57% of players rated 1200–1400 choose. Players at your level who already play it score 62%.
From 159 games at this level that reached the position.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 · Black to move
?!Most players here play
4...Qe7
8% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 18%, and they score 52% from here.
Why: White answers 5.Bxf7+ Kd8 6.Bc4 Ke8 7.d3, winning a pawn.
★Play instead
4...d5
What 75% of players rated 1200–1400 choose. Players at your level who already play it score 52%.
From 406 games at this level that reached the position.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7 Kxf7 7.Qf3+ · Black to move
?!Most players here play
7...Ke8
45% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 11%, and they score 37% from here.
Why: White answers 8.Bxd5 Qf6 9.Bxc6+ Qxc6 10.Qxc6+, winning a piece.
★Play instead
7...Ke6
What 36% of players rated 1200–1400 choose. Players at your level who already play it score 40%.
From 60 games at this level that reached the position.
Pirc Defence
Learn the Pirc Defence1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 · White to move
?!Most players here play
3.e5
13% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 15%, and they score 44% from here.
Why: the engine’s best answer is 3...dxe5 4.dxe5 Qxd1+ 5.Kxd1 Ng4, and the position is worse for it.
★Play instead
3.Nc3
What 71% of players rated 1200–1400 choose. Players at your level who already play it score 48%.
From 302 games at this level that reached the position.
Queen's Pawn Opening
1.d4 e5 · White to move
?!Most players here play
2.d5
8% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 10%, and they score 46% from here.
Why: it lets 2.dxe5 go, and 2.dxe5 wins a pawn.
★Play instead
2.dxe5
What 66% of players rated 1200–1400 choose. Players at your level who already play it score 51%.
From 675 games at this level that reached the position.
Vienna Game
Learn the Vienna Game1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 · Black to move
?!Most players here play
3...Nc6
22% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 19%, and they score 48% from here.
Why: the engine’s best answer is 4.fxe5 Nxe5 5.d4 Ng6 6.e5, and the position is worse for it.
★Play instead
3...d5
What 9% of players rated 1200–1400 choose.
From 121 games at this level that reached the position.
Italian Game
Learn the Italian Game1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 · White to move
?!Most players here play
4.Nxe5
33% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 14%, and they score 32% from here.
Why: Black answers 4...Qg5 5.Bxf7+ Kd8 6.O-O Qxe5, winning a pawn.
★Play instead
4.Nxd4
What 37% of players rated 1200–1400 choose. Players at your level who already play it score 52%.
From 93 games at this level that reached the position.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4 exd4 5.c3 Nf6 6.cxd4 · Black to move
?Most players here play
6...Bb6
22% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 21%, and they score 33% from here.
Why: the engine’s best answer is 7.e5 Ne4 8.Bd5 Ba5+ 9.Kf1, and the position is worse for it.
★Play instead
6...Bb4+
What 72% of players rated 1200–1400 choose. Players at your level who already play it score 49%.
From 68 games at this level that reached the position.
Philidor Defence
Learn the Philidor Defence1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 · Black to move
?!Most players here play
3...f6
13% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 11%, and they score 35% from here.
Why: the engine’s best answer is 4.Bc4 Nc6 5.h3 g6 6.a3, and the position is worse for it.
★Play instead
3...exd4
What 40% of players rated 1200–1400 choose. Players at your level who already play it score 40%.
From 302 games at this level that reached the position.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f6 · White to move
?!Most players here play
4.dxe5
35% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 13%, and they score 53% from here.
Why: the engine’s best answer is 4...dxe5 5.Bd3 Bc5 6.a3 Be6, and the position is worse for it.
★Play instead
4.Bc4
What 12% of players rated 1200–1400 choose. Players at your level who already play it score 60%.
From 54 games at this level that reached the position.
Four Knights Game
Learn the Four Knights Game1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 Nxd4 6.Qxd4 · Black to move
?!Most players here play
6...b6
22% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 16%, and they score 50% from here.
Why: the engine’s best answer is 7.e5 Ng8 8.Bc4 Bb7 9.O-O, and the position is worse for it.
★Play instead
6...d6
What 31% of players rated 1200–1400 choose. Players at your level who already play it score 55%.
From 90 games at this level that reached the position.
King's Gambit
Learn the King's Gambit1.e4 e5 2.f4 Nc6 · White to move
??Most players here play
3.fxe5
10% of players rated 1000–1200 do. It drops their winning chances by about 39%, and they score 44% from here.
Why: Black answers 3...Qh4+ 4.g3 Qxe4+ 5.Qe2 Qxh1, winning a rook.
★Play instead
3.Nf3
What 90% of players rated 1200–1400 choose. Players at your level who already play it score 54%.
From 78 games at this level that reached the position.
How this was measured
The games are the start of the Lichess open database for September 2026: the first 1500 MB of the file, 4,596,934 rated games. Only the 367,730 that Lichess had already analysed with Stockfish, played at blitz speed or slower, are counted (blitz 210,831, rapid 148,158, classical 8,741). Bullet is left out: its openings are played on reflex.
Each player is placed by their own Lichess rating at the time of the game. Lichess ratings run higher than chess.com’s, so a 1200 here is a weaker player than a 1200 there. Only the first 10 moves of each game are looked at: after that, positions almost never repeat across games.
A move is listed as a mistake when it gives away at least 10 points of winning chance on average, the point at which the game review starts to call a move an inaccuracy, and a position needs at least 40 games at that rating before it is reported. The move recommended instead must give away no more than 5 points, and is the one most often chosen by the next rating band up, so a 1100 is shown what a 1300 plays rather than a grandmaster’s preparation. At the top band it is the band’s own favourite.
“Score” is the average result of the player who made the move: a win counts 1, a draw a half. It is affected by everything that happened later in the game, so read it as a hint, not a verdict.