The best chess openings against 1.d4

These scores cover every rated Lichess game from September 2023 to August 2026, as compiled by TrueElo. "Score" counts a win as 1 point and a draw as half a point, from Black's side.

After 1.d4 d5 2.c4, White is playing the Queen's Gambit, which scores 54.1% for White on Lichess, one of the best of any opening. Black's classical replies are sound, but they give White a clear plan.

The King's Indian and Grünfeld let White build a big centre and then attack it. That leads to unbalanced positions that many White players handle badly. The King's Indian scores 51.8% for Black under 1000 and stays at about 50% up to 1400.

King's Indian: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.O-O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7. Here Black attacks the king with ...Nd7 and ...f5 while White pushes c5 on the queenside. It is a race, and the King's Indian player who knows the plans usually wins it.

Grünfeld: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7. White has a big pawn centre, and Black attacks it with ...c5, ...Nc6 and ...Bg4 or ...Qa5.

Nimzo-Indian: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4. Black pins the knight and is often happy to give the bishop for it, leaving White with doubled c-pawns. The main White tries are 4.e3 and 4.Qc2.

If you accept the Queen's Gambit, do not try to hold the extra pawn. After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 b5? 4.a4 c6 5.axb5 cxb5 6.Qf3, White wins the rook on a8.

If White plays the Englund Gambit (1.d4 e5) against you, know its trap: 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 Qe7 4.Bf4? Qb4+ 5.Bd2 Qxb2 6.Bc3? Bb4! 7.Qd2 Bxc3 8.Qxc3 Qc1# is mate. Play 4.Qd5 or 4.Nc3 instead and you stay a pawn up.

Under 1400: the King's Indian (50.1-51.8%) is the best scorer, and the plan is easy to learn: fianchetto, castle, and push ...e5 or ...c5.

1400-1999: the Grünfeld peaks here, at 50.6% from 1400 to 1599 and 50.9% from 1600 to 1999. The Nimzo-Indian is also steady at about 48%.

2000 and above: every defence drops, but the Queen's Gambit Accepted improves a lot, from 45.8% under 1000 to 48.2% between 2200 and 2499. A March 2025 Lichess study noticed the same thing: the QGA scores over 56% for White at lower levels but is the worst-scoring line for White near the top.

Your own games will show whether your 1.d4 defence is pulling its weight. AuditChess is the best free tool for this job: enter your Chess.com or Lichess username and it ranks every line you play against 1.d4 by score, shows where your games go wrong, and helps you choose the defence that will raise your rating.