Common mistakes
Opening mistakes at 1800–2000
The moves Lichess players rated 1800–2000 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 19On 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 107,142 games by players at this level, September 2026.
Petrov's Defence
Learn the Petrov's Defence1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 · Black to move
?!Most players here play
3...Nc6
32% of players rated 1800–2000 do. It drops their winning chances by about 11%, and they score 41% 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 62% of players rated 2000 and up choose. Players at your level who already play it score 57%.
From 283 games at this level that reached the position.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nc6 · White to move
?!Most players here play
4.Nf3
10% of players rated 1800–2000 do. It drops their winning chances by about 12%, and they score 50% from here.
Why: Black answers 4...Nxe4 5.Qe2 Qe7 6.Nc3 Nxc3, winning a pawn.
★Play instead
4.Nxc6
What 90% of players rated 2000 and up choose. Players at your level who already play it score 55%.
From 82 games at this level that reached the position.
King's Pawn Opening
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 · White to move
?!Most players here play
3.Bc4
47% of players rated 1800–2000 do. It drops their winning chances by about 14%, and they score 56% from here.
Why: it lets 3.Nxe5 go, and 3.Nxe5 wins a pawn.
★Play instead
3.Nxe5
The sound move most chosen at this level: 21% play it.
From 95 games at this level that reached the position.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 · White to move
?!Most players here play
3.d3
12% of players rated 1800–2000 do. It drops their winning chances by about 11%, and they score 25% from here.
Why: the engine’s best answer is 3...Nc6 4.Be2 d6 5.O-O Be7, and the position is worse for it.
★Play instead
3.Nxe5
What 38% of players rated 2000 and up choose. Players at your level who already play it score 57%.
From 68 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.Nc3 Nxe4 · White to move
?!Most players here play
5.Bxf7+
44% of players rated 1800–2000 do. It drops their winning chances by about 14%, and they score 22% from here.
Why: it lets 5.Nxe4 go, and 5.Nxe4 wins a pawn.
★Play instead
5.Nxe4
What 51% of players rated 2000 and up choose. Players at your level who already play it score 32%.
From 87 games at this level that reached the position.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 · White to move
?!Most players here play
8.Ba4
18% of players rated 1800–2000 do. It drops their winning chances by about 14%, and they score 56% from here.
Why: the engine’s best answer is 8...h6 9.Nf3 e4 10.Qe2 Bd6, and the position is worse for it.
★Play instead
8.Bd3
What 46% of players rated 2000 and up choose. Players at your level who already play it score 50%.
From 98 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
16% of players rated 1800–2000 do. It drops their winning chances by about 16%, and they score 63% from here.
Why: White answers 4.Nxe5 O-O 5.d4 Bb6 6.Nxf7, winning two pawns.
★Play instead
3...Nxe4
What 57% of players rated 2000 and up choose. Players at your level who already play it score 63%.
From 124 games at this level that reached the position.
Caro-Kann Defence
Learn the Caro-Kann Defence1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.h4 · Black to move
?Most players here play
4...e6
14% of players rated 1800–2000 do. It drops their winning chances by about 25%, and they score 21% from here.
Why: White answers 5.g4 Be4 6.f3 Bxc2 7.Qxc2, winning two pawns.
★Play instead
4...h5
What 68% of players rated 2000 and up choose. Players at your level who already play it score 51%.
From 88 games at this level that reached the position.
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Bd3 · Black to move
?!Most players here play
4...Bg6
11% of players rated 1800–2000 do. It drops their winning chances by about 11%, and they score 50% from here.
Why: the engine’s best answer is 5.e6 Nh6 6.Bxg6 hxg6 7.Nf3, and the position is worse for it.
★Play instead
4...Bxd3
What 91% of players rated 2000 and up choose. Players at your level who already play it score 64%.
From 93 games at this level that reached the position.
Sicilian Defence
Learn the Sicilian Defence1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 · Black to move
?!Most players here play
6...e6
8% of players rated 1800–2000 do. It drops their winning chances by about 20%, and they score 57% from here.
Why: the engine’s best answer is 7.Ndb5 Kf8 8.Nd6 Nf6 9.Qd2, and the position is worse for it.
★Play instead
6...Nf6
What 87% of players rated 2000 and up choose. Players at your level who already play it score 47%.
From 166 games at this level that reached the position.
1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.cxd4 d5 5.exd5 Qxd5 6.Nf3 · Black to move
?!Most players here play
6...Nf6
23% of players rated 1800–2000 do. It drops their winning chances by about 13%, and they score 40% from here.
Why: the engine’s best answer is 7.Nc3 Qe6+ 8.Be2 Nd5 9.O-O, and the position is worse for it.
★Play instead
6...Bg4
What 54% of players rated 2000 and up choose. Players at your level who already play it score 47%.
From 66 games at this level that reached the position.
Réti Opening
Learn the Réti Opening1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nc6 3.c4 · Black to move
?Most players here play
3...Bf5
15% of players rated 1800–2000 do. It drops their winning chances by about 21%, and they score 42% from here.
Why: the engine’s best answer is 4.cxd5 Qxd5 5.Nc3 Qa5 6.Bd2, and the position is worse for it.
★Play instead
3...Bg4
What 44% of players rated 2000 and up choose. Players at your level who already play it score 39%.
From 88 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
9% of players rated 1800–2000 do. It drops their winning chances by about 19%, and they score 14% 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 75% of players rated 2000 and up choose. Players at your level who already play it score 55%.
From 154 games at this level that reached the position.
Ruy López
Learn the Ruy López1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5 4.c3 · Black to move
?!Most players here play
4...d6
29% of players rated 1800–2000 do. It drops their winning chances by about 12%, and they score 25% from here.
Why: the engine’s best answer is 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3, and the position is worse for it.
★Play instead
4...Nf6
What 34% of players rated 2000 and up choose.
From 56 games at this level that reached the position.
Queen's Pawn Opening
1.d4 g6 2.Nc3 Bg7 3.e4 d6 4.Bf4 Nf6 · White to move
?!Most players here play
5.e5
21% of players rated 1800–2000 do. It drops their winning chances by about 10%, and they score 50% from here.
Why: Black answers 5...Nh5 6.Bd2 dxe5 7.dxe5 Bxe5, winning a pawn.
★Play instead
5.Qd2
What 73% of players rated 2000 and up choose. Players at your level who already play it score 62%.
From 76 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
22% of players rated 1800–2000 do. It drops their winning chances by about 14%, and they score 36% from here.
Why: Black answers 4...Qg5 5.Bxf7+ Kd8 6.O-O Qxe5, winning a pawn.
★Play instead
4.Nxd4
The sound move most chosen at this level: 55% play it.
From 49 games at this level that reached the position.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 · Black to move
?!Most players here play
5...Bc5
22% of players rated 1800–2000 do. It drops their winning chances by about 13%, and they score 11% from here.
Why: White answers 6.Bxf7+ Ke7 7.Nxc6+ dxc6 8.Qxd8+, winning a pawn.
★Play instead
5...Nxd4
The sound move most chosen at this level: 44% play it.
From 41 games at this level that reached the position.
Scotch Game
Learn the Scotch Game1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nxd4 5.Qxd4 · Black to move
?!Most players here play
5...Nf6
10% of players rated 1800–2000 do. It drops their winning chances by about 11%, and they score 43% 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
The sound move most chosen at this level: 45% play it.
From 139 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.