1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3
Shown from White's side. ECO D04.
Opening guide · an opening for White
Colle System
The Colle System is a setup for White: 1. d4, Nf3, e3, Bd3, c3 and Nbd2, then castling and the pawn break e4. It is easy to learn because the same moves work against many defences. The dark-squared bishop stays behind the pawns at first, which is the main difference from the London System.
- Games in our sample
- 15,258
- White wins
- 49.2%
- Draws
- 5.1%
- Black wins
- 45.7%
How the Colle System scores at each rating
Each row is one rating band. The share is how much of all the games in that band started with this opening.
| Rating | Games | Share | White wins | Draws | Black wins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| under 1000 | 704 | 0.3% | 52.0% | 3.8% | 44.2% | |
| 1000 to 1199 | 1,185 | 0.4% | 50.8% | 4.6% | 44.6% | |
| 1200 to 1399 | 2,034 | 0.4% | 49.7% | 4.0% | 46.3% | |
| 1400 to 1599 | 2,950 | 0.5% | 49.5% | 4.2% | 46.3% | |
| 1600 to 1799 | 3,485 | 0.5% | 49.1% | 4.8% | 46.1% | |
| 1800 to 1999 | 2,873 | 0.6% | 47.6% | 6.2% | 46.2% | |
| 2000 to 2199 | 1,477 | 0.6% | 50.2% | 5.8% | 44.0% | |
| 2200 and over | 550 | 0.5% | 45.1% | 11.3% | 43.6% | |
| All ratings | 15,258 | 0.5% | 49.2% | 5.1% | 45.7% |
Counted from 3,156,949 rated blitz, rapid and classical games played on Lichess from 2026-10-01 to 2026-10-02 (the first 5,000,000 games of the month's public file; bullet and unrated games left out). The rating is the average of the two players' Lichess ratings. This opening is part of a wider family in the names data, so only its named lines with at least 200 games in the sample are counted. Source: the Lichess open database (public domain).
Main lines
The named lines of the Colle System that were played most in our sample, each with the position it reaches.
Colle System, Anti-Colle
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 Bf5
2,206 games · White 48.5% · draws 5.2% · Black 46.3%
Analyse this positionColle System, Traditional Colle
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 c5 4. Bd3 d5 5. c3
809 games · White 54.4% · draws 4.0% · Black 41.7%
Analyse this positionColle System, Grünfeld Formation
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 g6 4. Bd3 Bg7
439 games · White 48.1% · draws 2.7% · Black 49.2%
Analyse this position
Ideas for White
- Prepare e4. When it comes, the bishop on d3 and the knights point at Black's king.
Ideas for Black
- Developing the bishop from c8 to f5 or g4 before ...e6 takes much of the sting out of the system.
Questions
- What are the moves of the Colle System?
- 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3. In the ECO classification it is filed under D04.
- How does the Colle System score?
- In 15,258 games with it in our sample, White won 49.2%, 5.1% were drawn and Black won 45.7%.
- At which ratings is the Colle System played most?
- Among players rated 1800 to 1999 it is 0.6% of all games in our sample, its highest share. Its lowest share, 0.3%, is among players rated under 1000.
- Which line of the Colle System is played most?
- Queen's Pawn Game: Colle System, Anti-Colle (1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 Bf5), with 2,206 games in our sample.